3 players Cowboys should draft to increase Super Bowl Odds
By Josh Yourish
Another year and another postseason disappointment from the Dallas Cowboys. For the second straight year it was to the San Francisco 49ers, but the NFC is still wide open.
Outside of the Eagles being in their division, there isn’t a true juggernaut in the conference and the Cowboys will have the second best quarterback in the conference once Aaron Rodgers gets shipped to the Jets.
Prescott needs to play better for Dallas to win Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas next year, but they also have to get better around him. The Cowboys have made some savvy moves, adding low-risk vets like Stephon Gilmore and Brandon Cooks, but they have one more big move to make this offseason, the 26th pick in the first-round.
Let’s see what players in this draft could potentially boost the Cowboys Super Bowl odds for next season.
Cowboys Super Bowl odds
Dallas Cowboys 2023 Draft Targets
- Michael Mayer
- Dalton Kincaid
- Mazi Smith
Michael Mayer- TE Notre Dame
Dak Prescott absolutely loves to throw the ball over the middle of the field, especially to tight-ends.
That’s why Dalton Schultz had so much production in this offense and subsequently got a big contract from the Texans this offseason. Now, Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot are the Cowboys top two tight ends. Mayer is a very popular mock to the Cowboys and I love the fit. He’s an above average blocker with prototypical size at 6-foot-4 249 lbs. He’s not a dynamic field stretching type tight end, he’s more of a Jason Witten (in his prime) type of player.
Mayer would quickly become a security blanket for Prescott and would give this offense an option on third downs. Under Mike McCarthy the Cowboys are going to be running the ball even more than they have in recent years, so a tight end is a perfect fit.
Dalton Kincaid- TE Utah
Kincaid could be the more exciting option at tight end potentially, but for the Cowboys he isn’t quite as seamless of a fit. Kincaid is more of a slot tight end who isn’t going to give much in terms of endline blocking. He’s smaller than Mayer at 6-foot-3 246 lbs, but with a much slimmer frame. On tape the size difference shows up much more.
Kincaid can do a lot of damage after the catch and is a shifty route-runner who would be the most dynamic tight end that Prescott has ever played with. Ceedee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Brandon Cooks are all field stretchers on the outside, so Kincaid would have so much room underneath to exploit and I could see him running option routes for Prescott for the next five years and having a thousand yard season or two. It’s just a matter of what he gives the Cowboys as a run blocker, which for some reason seems more important to Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy.
Mazi Smith- DL Michigan
The Cowboys defense has been really good under Dan Quinn over the past few years. Quinn had success with a former Clemson defensive lineman during his time in Atlanta, so Bryan Bresee could be the pick, but he’ll probably be gone by the time Dallas selects and I like the fit of Smith better.
Smith was No. 1 on Dane Brugler’s freaks list before the season and despite a lack of production, 0.5 sacks last year, he was an anchor for the Michigan D-line. He’s a nose tackle, but has versatility to play in multiple fronts and his supreme strength and athleticism will make him a wrecking ball in the middle for Dallas. He’ll never be a double-digit sack guy, but he’ll stabilize Dallas’s run defense which was 22nd in the NFL last year, and he’ll allow DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons to get more one-on-ones.
Last season, the Cowboys played Neville Gallimore, 422 snaps at defensive tackle and he graded out as 120th out of 127 defensive lineman in the NFL per PFF. A 36.4 grade is horrendous and the Cowboys desperately need an upgrade at that spot next to Osa Odighizuwa. It’s not a flashy move, but Smith would make the Cowboys better, and it’d be the second straight year they took a Smith with their first-round pick.
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