Cowboys crank up the heat on Dak Prescott in 7-round 2024 Mock Draft

With the 56th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select:

Junior Colson, LB, Michigan

Overall PFF Grade: 81.7

The Cowboys need a true middle linebacker to make the calls for the defense after another season-ending injury to linebacker Leighton Vander Esch whose future with the team is uncertain at this time. Colson is a true middle linebacker with the experience to come in and handle calling plays in an NFL style defense from his time at Michigan. He’s a thumper who would be able to man that middle of this defense and be a formidable force against teams looking to run the football against the Cowboys.

Colson is a long and rangy linebacker who also drops back in coverage and makes plays on the football. He also has the potential to be a blitzer even though he only has five career sacks to his name. The Cowboys need to find themselves an intelligent linebacker with the athletic ability on the field to match and Colson is a nice option.

With the 87th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select:

Brenden Rice, WR, USC

Overall PFF Grade: 77.8

The Cowboys need to find themselves a reliable third receiver that can become their number two once Brandin Cooks leaves. A player they could be looking at has the lineage that will attract teams like the Cowboys and that’s Rice. He has a nice blend of size the team values, the speed to be a deep threat, and the ability to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage to immediately attack cornerbacks downfield.

Rice brings solid numbers coming into the NFL with 1,821 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. Pairing Rice with CeeDee Lamb would be a solid one-two combination down the road for the Cowboys, two receivers that can be moved all over the field. It would be a defensive matchup nightmare.