Apparently it's sorta known that McGovern is a much better RG than LG. For whatever reason he's below average on the left side. We 100% could use Green/Johnson at 24.

In several of my mock drafts I have gone Guard #1 and I've doubled up with OT. I'm typically taking one OT in the 2nd or 3rd and getting another with one of our many 5th round picks. Tyron will not play all season and we have a very green RT.

1 Guard, 1 WR, 1/2 OTs. That's my wish list... they can do whatever they want with the rest of the picks.

Crazy that Steele will be a 3 year vet…. Time to think about extending or trading.

Always smart to get that depth at OL so you can develop and trade those late draft picks and UDFAs

Heavy in the trenches....I don't think there's any chance Johnson makes it to 24, but I am beginning to think there's going to be a great player that's going to fall that they have to give big time consideration.

The name that seems to be coming up is Stingley? I mean he's a top 5 talent, easy, but there is some worry about his intangibles. I don't think that's going to happen but what if one of those top pass rushers falls? This first round is going to be facinating.

Vince Blake said:

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I am to the point where I am convinced Kenyon Green is the pick if he is there at 24. I think the need, the player at the pick, the fit, the position versatility, all align. If we get George Pickens or Skyy Moore in the 2nd, we'll be off to a great draft.

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That's the reason why I think Green > Johnson. I think we can play green 1-2 years at guard and then move him to either tackle spot after he gets some experience. If an injury happens mid season he's smart & experienced enough to move positions as a rookie, though. That's extremely valuable.

i love green, and think he'll have a long career, and i would be more than ok with Dallas taking him at 24, but i just havent seen anything from him that lets me think he'll be a great OT in the league. sure, hes smart and athletic enough to move outside in a pinch, but IMO, he'll just be another guy long term in that role. he has potential to be a perennial All-pro on the inside. which is fine. dallas needs a mauler on the inside. him and martin for a few more years would be fantastic.

Agreed. It's nice to have a guy that has at least played OT in college if the s* hits the fan... but I would prefer to just draft him and hopefully make him one of the best guards in the league!

O-line was the main source of the offensive inconsistencies last year and is the protector of our #1 guy... draft Green and then very soon after that draft an OT. Feel free to draft a center too... seriously, just get it fixed and get some depth!

Had a fun mock earlier that was a reminder that you can't control the teams around you. I was disappointed with this after my 2nd round pick. The teams in front kept picking off my targeted players and I was forced to take BPA. But I stuck with it and ended up with a really nice draft.

1st: Linderbaum - Center
2nd: Chad Muma - LB
3rd: Jalen Tolbert - WR
4th: Lecitus Smith - Guard
5th: Chris Paul - OT
5th: Noah Ellis - DT
5th: Josh Johnson - WR

Kinda like this one...

Kinnard is a big guy... I like what little I know of him. I'm wondering if he could be like Collins or Flozel... play guard to start his career and slide out to OT down the road?

I also like his teammate who plays Center. But I get the feeling this staff is gonna give Biadasz another year. But if we got the chance, I'd still draft him. This oline needs quality and depth!

Everything I've seen on Kinnard says he's a guard all the way.

He looks too sloppy to be a tackle.

Then he's just another guy that we could possibly get later but still plug in as a starter.

I know there is good reason to think OG is the preferred pick at 24, but I'm starting to wonder if WR is their top priority. If one of their top 5 WR is there at 24 I bet he will be the pick over the guards.

Experts saying lack of 2nd round graded 30 visits point to the Cowboys trying to trade up for a top tier OL

It is lying season. And it is known that the Cowboys like to pick from their visits. So they could be going for a ruse. But assuming they were to trade up for an OL…I'm thinking the target would be Ekwonu. Thats a dude you could plug in at guard and then tackle and he would have success at both.

Cowboys aren't moving up, at least not in round 1. They have too many needs and trading up inside the top 30 is too expensive.

IMO it speaks more to the unknowns of this draft. More so than other years, there isn't a wealth of top talent that has separated itself from the field. Most positions have a handful of guys that are all sorta rated the same. It's anybodies guess what order they come off the board.

I think the Cowboys are trying their best to cast a wide net so they will feel comfortable with whoever is available at 24.

I'd be willing to trade up for an elite player if we give up a 2023 2nd round pick. I'd do the 24th plus a 2023 2nd round pick for Jameson Williams in a heartbeat.

Also, a guy I would love for us to pick is our very own Michael Clemons. I think draft services have him way lower than where he'll actually go & I'd be willing to bet he goes on day 2.

Danny Phantom said:

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I'd be willing to trade up for an elite player if we give up a 2023 2nd round pick. I'd do the 24th plus a 2023 2nd round pick for Jameson Williams in a heartbeat.

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I wouldn't. I've heard multiple people say that Lamb would be WR #1 in this years class. And look how well our coaches have found ways to feed him the ball!

I'm on board taking a WR at 24, but I'm not trading up for it.

As I've done quite a bit of reading and watching all the draft videos and stuff, I really think trading back is the best case scenario. Of course, you gotta have someone willing to jump up, but I think there will be multiple options at 24 and picking up an extra day 2 pick gives you more value, IMO.

Would be nice if someone like KC wanted to trade up from 29 to 24 and you get 29 and 62.

Used the mock draft sim from nflmockdraftdatabase.com for a change of pace. I like this draft, especially the first five picks. McDuffie would be an awesome first pick if the Cowboys could get over their obsession for tall corners--should've gone with Asante Samuel Jr. last year over Kelvin Joseph. I doubt McDuffie makes it to 24 come draft time. I really like how Kyren Williams plays football. I think Zeke is definitely gone after this season and possibly Pollard. Obvious bias, but I think Clemons is going to be a Day 3 steal.

24 Trent McDuffie Washington CB
56 Darian Kinnard Kentucky G
88 Trey McBride Colorado State TE
129 Kyren Williams Notre Dame HB
155 Michael Clemons Your Fightin' Texas Aggies Edge
167 Erik Ezukanma Tech WR
176 Markquese Bell Florida A&M S
178 Cordell Volson North Dakota State OT
193 Reggie Roberson Jr. SMU WR

Yeah, CB is now a dark horse #1 option. Fortunately we still have 3 starting quality CBs on the team so it's not a do or die situation (no pun intended).

Starting to question the value of the 5th round option for 1st round picks. Zeke, Kyler Murray, several WRs... all guys that quickly became one of the NFLs best and demand new contracts after year 3. Do we really expect Parsons to play through his 5th year rookie option?

Point being, if a team in the early 2nd really wants back into the 1st round and are willing to overpay Dallas for #24 I'm OK with that. What if we could get the Jets 35 & 38 (maybe we also throw them one of our 5ths)? Hell yes if I'm Dallas.

Here's what a trade up might look like for J. Davis. I think there's only two things they might go up for - Davis and one of the OT's if they slide a bit.

A late round WR I love is Charleston Rambo. Would not surprise me one bit if he's a guy we like on day 3 if we decide to address other needs on day 1 & 2

I think the Cowboys have enough needs to sit back and not try to chase guys higher up. Just take best player available and move on.

This also goes for not trying to get cute and trade down thereby missing on good players that can help them in the next couple of years.

The word is this years draft is a "buyers market"... meaning the cost to trade up will be less than other drafts.

So if the Cowboys do trade down a few spots in the 1st, expect a late 3rd as the best possible compensation. Heck the Cowboys might even have to throw in a day 3 pick to even it out.

I wouldn't be opposed to trading up for a few players. Either one of the top 3 OT's, Kayvon Thibodeaux or Jameson Williams. If one of those players is there once we get to the double digits, then I'm more than fine with trading a 2nd round pick with 24 to move up. Ideally, we use a 2023 pick but I'm okay with using this years 2nd.

In the sims lately I have been playing around with a trade up with Detroit for their 32 or 34 for Cowboy's 56, 88, and a swap of late rounders. Typically I will have a choice of one (sometimes all three) of Pickens, Moore, or Burks at 32. My first three picks are typically R1: Green/Johnson R1/R2: Pickens/Burks R4: Michael Clemons. Wouldn't mind that.

My guess is that we will wait until day 2 to address the guard position. I think there are plenty of plug & play options outside of the 1st round at OL. Also, there are a couple of free agent OL still available that we could wait and sign after the draft.

They might. Will all depend on who is taken ahead of them. What will be really interesting is if both guards are gone and they are forced to take something else.

I just think we will draft someone who plays a "premium" position like EDGE, WR or OT. All those positions break the bank after their rookie contract is up & I bet we will factor that in into our 1st round pick that comes with an extra year in its contract.

I also read something about Kenyon possibly slipping due to knee damage that might affect the longevity of his career. Don't know if it's BS or not but I'd selfishly love for him to be in our range in the 2nd round.

Yeah, I heard the same thing about Green. There are a lot of guards that I like in the 2nd... that really big OT from Kentucky is a people mover and projects well at OG in the NFL.

And I agree on the premium position argument for the 1st round. I'm just of the opinion that any OT or Edge player available at 24 will not be worthy of a 1st round pick. I think it's more likely we find better value at WR or possibly CB.

Gonna throw out Devin Lloyd's name for 1st round consideration as well... was on of their 30 visits and I can already hear the post draft presser about how he was one of their top 5 rated players. About how it was like drafting 2 spots because his presence will allow Micah to move around and rush the passer at key moments. Heck, Lloyd is a pretty crafty pass rusher himself.

Anyway, it's something I can definitely see happening... 100% confident Quinn would get great use out of this guy so I wouldn't hate the pick at all.

I have a gut feeling we're going to trade up. Stephen Jones said yesterday the draft is "a little more thin" than usual at the top & that the strength of this draft is in round 3-5.

The 24th + 56th + a 2023 pick should get us in a position to pick a premium player & my money is on them making the move.

Well, the Good Lord knows I love the NFL draft and that would certainly make for an entertaining 10-15 minutes if I'm watching with my draft buddy and all of a sudden "Trade: Dallas is on the clock".

Thinking about this year only, I just don't see how/why they would do that. BUT..........

All off their off-season moves have hinted that priority #1 for this year is not "win at all costs"... feels very much like a prep year to hopefully make a 2-3 year run (with available cap space) starting in 2023. Trading up in the 1st to get a cornerstone piece would certainly be right in line with that. OT would make sense considering the guy making 40 mil a year is no longer in mint condition.