Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft: 7-round mock with help from ‘The Beast’

In a little over two weeks, your Dallas Cowboys will be on the clock hopefully selecting a player that can help them get back to the big game. We’ve seen quite a few mock drafts, and more will be coming out leading up to this 2023 NFL Draft. The question remains, though: what will the Cowboys do with No. 26 overall pick?

Will they use it on an offensive player now that head coach Mike McCarthy has taken over the offensive play-calling? Or will they use it on a defensive player in order to make their already-very-good defensive unit even better?

Only time will tell, but in the meantime, with the help of “The Beast” draft guide created by Dane Brugler, we are going to try and take another shot at predicting the Cowboys draft based on the player grades and best player available method that they like to use in Dallas.

So let’s get this draft started as the Cowboys are now on the clock.

* Trade Alert * – Cowboys trade the 26th pick to the Bengals for the 28th and 131st pick in the draft.

With the No. 28th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Dalton Kincaid, Tight End, Utah

Height: 6’4  Weight: 246lbs

Career Stats:  107 receptions, 1,414 receiving yards, 13.2 yards per reception, 16 touchdowns

The Cowboys come into this draft looking for playmakers on the offensive side of the football and in this situation, they ended up in a great situation with both of the top tight ends in this draft falling to them. Now Dallas likes both Michael Mayers and Dalton Kincaid and with the Bengals calling they made the decision to trade back two spots, picking up a fourth-round pick and still getting a talented tight end. The Bengals went on to select Mayer giving the Cowboys Kincaid and that’s just fine with us.

In Kincaid, the Cowboys are getting a receiving threat that can take the field and be an immediate matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties in the NFL. His blend of quickness off the line, size, and natural receiving ability will make him a Dak Prescott favorite pretty quickly. He still needs work in the blocking department but the Cowboys have Jake Ferguson on the roster who’s going into his second year and can be their blocking tight end.

Dan Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Kincaid is still developing his play strength and consistency as a blocker, but he is an above-average pass catcher with the burst, body control, and ball skills to be a weapon in the slot. He projects as a playmaking “move” tight end in the NFL."

NFL Player Comparison: Zach Ertz (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 58th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Cedric Tillman, Wide Receiver, Tennessee

Height: 6’3  Weight: 215lbs

Career Stats:  109 receptions, 1,622 receiving yards, 14.9 yards per reception, 17 touchdowns

You can never have enough receivers in this league and outside of CeeDee Lamb the Cowboys’ group of receivers underperformed and disappeared late in the season for Prescott. Their lack of an ability to create separation forced Prescott to throw a lot more footballs in tight spaces this season and led to more turnovers. Tillman’s addition would give the Cowboys more size and deep-threat playmaking ability that would force teams to defend the entire field.

He can get on top of cornerbacks quickly and with his long strides can build acceleration, combine that with his catch radius and ability to high-point the football and you have the makings of a nice number two receiver for the Cowboys to pair with Lamb. His size will also come in handy in the running game as he’s strong at the point of attack and more often than not is driving his defender back and creating space for his running backs.

Dan Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Tillman might be limited to a linear route tree, but he is a big target with the acceleration, play strength, and ball skills to exploit perimeter matchups. He has NFL starting traits as an X and should develop into a solid No. 2/3."

NFL Player Comparison:  Nate Burleson (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 90th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Tank Bigsby, Running Back, Auburn

Height: 5’11  Weight: 210lbs

Career Stats:  2,903 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 62 receptions, 448 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns

The Cowboys’ need for a receiver can’t be overstated after the injury to Tony Pollard in the Divisional round of the playoffs last season. Then you add the release of Ezekiel Elliott and it’s safe to assume the Cowboys are going to take a running back in this draft but who will it be? They are going to be looking for someone they can pair up with Pollard, a power back that isn’t going to hurt them in the passing game, that running back is Tank Bigsby out of Auburn.

He has shown that he can be productive in the toughest conference in college football racking up almost 3,000 yards on the ground in the SEC. He’s also shown that he can be productive in the passing game both as a receiver and blocker which is another reason the Cowboys like him, but he still has some aspects of his game that need to be refined. Particularly in his decision-making when he’s hitting holes, at times he hesitates but that’s something that can be cleaned up.

Dane Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Bigsby needs to improve his decisiveness and feel for finding creases, but he has playmaking skills thanks to his up-field explosiveness along with his upside as a receiver and blocker. He has NFL starting potential in a gap or zone scheme."

NFL Player Comparison:  Tyler Allgeier (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 129th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Cory Trice, Cornerback, Purdue

Height: 6’3  Weight: 210lbs

Career Stats: 106 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, 15 passes defended

After last year’s string of injuries at cornerback and the major injury to Anthony Brown and not being able to find someone to fill in the Cowboys made the decision to trade for Pro-Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore. But that is just a short-term solution, Dallas needs to find someone that can play opposite Trevon Diggs once Gilmore leaves. They didn’t pick one earlier because of Gilmore but they did come around to taking one now.

Trice is a big cornerback with long arms and the desired quickness and speed you want to see in this position. He’s very active on the field and is always around the football making him a very attractive player to take in the fourth round. He has parts of his game that need work but he can come in and help on passing downs thanks to his height and he can be matched up against tight ends taking away mismatch opportunities for opposing offenses. Oh, and I forgot to mention he has experience playing safety as well, another versatile player for the Cowboys.

Dane Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Trice might never be a high-level technician, but he has exceptional size, speed, and change-of-direction skills to be a disruptive cover man both early and late in the rep. He offers position versatility with starting potential in press-man or Cover 3 schemes."

NFL Player Comparison: Patrick Surtain (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

* Trade Alert * – Cowboys trade the 131st pick to the Patriots for the 135th and 210th pick in the draft.

With the No. 135th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Emil Ekiyor Jr., Guard/Center, Alabama

Height: 6’2  Weight: 315lbs

The Cowboys are a team that loves aggressive offensive linemen but what they really value is position flex and after losing yet another left guard in free agency Dallas is in the market for another guard. Looking toward the future with center Tyler Biadasz’s contract expiring soon the Cowboys leaned into finding a player with center and guard experience and found Ekiyor Jr. Until that time Ekiyor Jr. can step in and compete for the starting left guard job.

Looking at Ekiyor Jr. you see a prototypical guard at the NFL level who plays with a nice pad level and is quick to engage defensive tackles. He will need to work on overextending himself and allowing defenders to slip past him but overall he’s someone that has the potential to be a very good player at the next level.

Dane Brugler’s Breakdown:

"Overall, Ekiyor finds himself in compromised positions when his punch hands get off-schedule, but he moves well with the processing and core strength to be effective in multiple schemes. He has NFL starter talent with guard-center versatility."

NFL Player Comparison: Wyatt Davis (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 169th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Clayton Tune, Quarterback, Houston

Height: 6’3  Weight: 215lbs

Career Stats: 11,994 passing yards, 63.9 completion percentage, 104 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 1,248 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns

The Cowboys’ coaching staff and front office want to find themselves a quarterback they can develop behind Prescott and Cooper Rush, maybe even beat out Rush. In comes Tune who’s had great success in college, he’s accurate with the football and knows how to manipulate the pocket to buy himself time to deliver the football. He can also make plays with his legs when he needs to but always while keeping his eyes downfield to find an open receiver.

This team needs a capable and cheap quarterback they can have come in if Prescott were to go down again and Rush isn’t getting any younger. If they want to get better behind Prescott then Tune is a nice choice to go with and under Mike McCarthy he could even develop into a starter.

Dane Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Tune will face a learning curve as his decision-making and eye discipline translate to the pro game, but he is a natural passer with functional mobility, accuracy and intangibles worthy of the NFL game. He has the necessary tools to become a backup and spot starter at the next level"

NFL Player Comparison: Geno Smith (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 210th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Brodric Martin, Defensive Tackle, Western Kentucky

Height: 6’4  Weight: 330lbs

Career Stats: 143 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 7 passes defended

The Cowboys need a big-bodied defensive tackle that will just eat up space and allow their linebackers to stay clean and attack ball carriers. Dallas was able to retain Johnathan Hankins but they need more and after Neville Gallimore’s poor season they aren’t counting on him to be that guy. In comes Martin whose 330-pound frame is going to be exactly what they are looking for with an added bonus of a decent burst off the line of scrimmage and the ability to work his way down the line.

Pairing him with Johnathan Hankins and Quintin Bohanna gives the Cowboys a nice rotation of three big bodies that can spell each other and would resemble a rotation that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn deployed during his time in Seattle. He won’t give you much in the way of a pass rush but he’s a high-effort defender that will put it all out on the field for his team and to win the game.

Dane Brugler Breakdown:

"Martin won’t be a high-volume snap defender in the NFL, but he is a wrecking ball who can become a valuable part of a nose tackle rotation if given time to develop."

NFL Player Comparison:  Al Woods (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 212th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Dee Winters, Linebacker, TCU

Height: 5’11  Weight: 230lbs

Career Stats: 246 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 10 passes defended

This Dallas Cowboys team lost a core linebacker that was a part of the special teams unit and was able to come in a few plays during the season in Luke Gifford. They need to find something that can replace that production on special teams and linebacker Winters would be a perfect fit. He’s a downhill linebacker that isn’t afraid to hit someone, but he has issues at times breaking away from offensive linemen once they get ahold of him. Until he can develop a better way to disengage from blockers adding him on special teams would be a perfect spot for him.

Now that’s not to say that he can’t play or contribute on the defensive side of the football, he can but it’s mainly going to be on early downs to stop the run. He’s a sideline-to-sideline player with the speed to cover ground quickly, he just needs to be able to diagnose plays quicker. If he can do that then the Cowboys could have another day-three sleeper pick much like DaRon Bland was last season.

Dane Brugler Breakdown:

"Overall, Winters will run himself out of plays and can be engulfed in tight quarters, but he is in perpetual chase mode and covers a lot of green. He is a run-and-hit linebacker prospect with special teams abilities."

NFL Player Comparison:  Shaquem Griffin (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

With the No. 244th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select:

Alex Austin, Cornerback, Oregon State

Height: 6’1  Weight: 196lbs

Career Stats: 140 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, 24 passes defended

The last pick is all about traits and Austin has plenty to choose from, whether it be his size, arm length, or just his ability to make plays on the football, you’re getting a player that can play with some development. Much like Winters, Austin will be able to contribute early on special teams while he works on his game though it shouldn’t take long for Austin to show the Cowboys how good of a player he can be, and with the lack of real talent at the bottom of the cornerback rotation he could be in a position to beat out some of these other cornerbacks.

Dane Brugler Breakdown: 

"Overall, Austin is a heady cover man and uses length to never stray too far from the route, but he is an average-twitch mover and lacks the explosiveness to easily make up false steps. He projects best in a predominantly zone scheme where he can work in short areas."

NFL Player Comparison:  Bashaud Breeland (comparison via Mockdraftable.com)

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