5 local prospects Cowboys may select in 2024 NFL Draft

2. LB Edgerrin Cooper

Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper would be a great pick in the second round. Cooper's athletic profile is exactly what the Cowboys need to improve their run defense. He plays with aggression that you can't teach and gets downhill in a hurry thanks to his 4.51 speed.

Per PFF, Cooper finished with the third-highest run stop percentage in the nation last season amongst linebackers. For his college career, he accumulated a 11.4% run-stop rate and 33 tackles that registered a loss or no gain.

Cooper wouldn't fix Dallas' search for a middle linebacker, but he projects as an impactful off-ball linebacker for the next decade. He'd make for an exciting pairing with 2023 third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown.

1. RB Jonathon Brooks

It feels like a formality that the Cowboys will draft Texas RB Jonathon Brooks in the second round if he's available. Many draft experts believe Brooks will be the first running back off the board, but there's a strong possibility he's available when Dallas picks at No. 56 overall.

Brooks is considered the best RB prospect in this draft. The only ding on him is his injury timeline after he tore his ACL on Dec. 1, but he's expected to be cleared for training camp and is already running post-surgery.

The former Longhorn has been heavily mocked to the Cowboys in round two and his ties to the organization make it almost a foregone conclusion that the Hallettsville, TX native will play the next chapter of his football career in his home state.

More Cowboys coverage