3 things that need to happen for an A+ Cowboys draft

The Dallas Cowboys are finalizing their draft board and making their final assessment on players as the NFL Draft is less than a week away. 

The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27 and the Cowboys will pick No. 26 overall. Their next pick is then No. 58 overall in the second round. In total, Dallas has seven picks -- one in every round. 

It remains to be seen what direction the Cowboys will go with their first-round pick. The three most likely first-round selections from expert mock drafts have been running back Bijan Robinson (10.7%), tight end Michael Mayer (6.1%), and tight end Dalton Kincaid (5%). 

Any of those selections would make sense for the Cowboys at 26. They released veteran Ezekiel Elliott this offseason and let Dalton Schultz walk in free agency. 

When executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke with reporters nine days before the draft, he spoke highly of the deep tight-end class. He also said “You never know” in regards to selecting Robinson if he fell to 26. 

Tight end and running back are two positions that the Cowboys will surely be focusing on in the draft. But will taking one early lead Dallas to an A+ draft grade?

3 things that need to happen for a perfect Cowboys draft.

3. Draft 2 more offensive weapons for Dak Prescott 

Prescott’s best two statical years came in 2019 and 2021 when he had playmakers around him. 

In 2019, Prescott threw for a career-high 4,902 yards and 30 touchdown passes, while having Amari Cooper, an emerging Michael Gallup, and veterans Randall Cobb and Jason Witten catching passes from him. Gallup finished with over 1,100 yards and Cobb finished with 828 yards. 

Then in 2021, Prescott was surrounded by Cooper, Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb. That correlated to a 4,449-yard, 37-touchdown season. 

Coincidentally, the worst season of his career came with a lack of weapons: a receiver still recovering from a torn ACL, a third-round rookie in Jalen Tolbert who didn’t get on the field, and Noah Brown who never exceeded more than 185 yards in a season. 

That’s why -- even despite acquiring Brandin Cooks this offseason -- the Cowboys need to add at least one wide receiver and one tight end within the first five rounds of the NFL Draft. 

Dallas doesn’t necessarily need to go tight end in round 1. But if the Cowboys can secure a tight end like Kincaid or Mayer or even Darnell Washington early in the draft, they are giving Prescott more weapons to succeed with. 

Then, grabbing another wide receiver to pair with Lamb, Gallup, and Cooks can be a deadly foursome in the Cowboys’ offense. Dallas wants Gallup to be incorporated more in the offense next season, but if he has lost a step, drafting a rookie can help fill that void. 

Grabbing a player like Nathaniel Dell or Charlie Jones in the middle rounds could bring an added gear to the offense.