2023 NFL Draft The Dallas Cowboys finished and came away with eight new draft picks. While it remains to be seen what this team gets with this new draft, it doesn’t stop us from having our own feelings about this group. This organization has a knack for doing well in the draft, and it should be interesting to see what develops with these new additions. In the meantime, we’d like to present you with ten ideas for the Cowboys’ latest draft.
1. The force is in the middle
It’s hard to land a star when you choose the 26th overall in the round, but the Cowboys think they’ve done just that with Mazie Smith. Claiming the 13th or 14th place on their board, the Cowboys used their best draft resources to meet one of their most pressing needs. Smith is a solid run stopper and is as he puts it, “Whenever I get my hands on someone, they bounce back.” Whether you’re excited for the selection or not, you have to feel good about this team dealing with one of the biggest mistakes of recent years. We’ve all been tired of being pushed into trenches before 49ers into the playoffs and the Cowboys took a huge step in addressing that.
2. Schulze is back!
The front office has repeatedly claimed that they believe this draft class features a deep tight end group and it was validated when they used their second round pick on Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. While this may seem like an arrival, it’s hard not to like the player himself. Schoonmaker is a very efficient chain drive that was one of the best tight ends available in blocking tips. The Cowboys lost Schultz in free agency in the off-season, but they’re looking to replace the seasoned veteran with a second-round pick, which isn’t a bad idea. In addition, the Schoony offers sport and a much larger hunting radius, so the floor on the narrow end of the safety net needs to be higher.
3. Abundant Hybrid Defense
Everyone expected a rich offensive project for the Cowboys which is why people were surprised when three of their first four draft picks were on defense. In the third and fourth rounds, the team selected two defenders, the Twiners. First, they picked a small linebacker in DeMarvion Overshown, who played safety his first two seasons in Texas. It’s as if they love Jayron Kearse’s role so much that they plan to have his replacement ready after his contract expires next year.
The team also selected William Fihoko of San Jose State. Despite being better suited to a 3-4 defensive end role, Fehoko is a lot of fun to watch and was on our radar when we talked about position versatility last week.
Fuhuko is a good soccer player who makes plays. He is a relentless fighter who attacks hard with his hands and has happy feet to keep moving forward. He plays with a purpose and that purpose frequently puts him in the background. He’s a 3-4 defensive end, so he doesn’t really fit in with Dan Quinn’s 4-3 base defense, but Q likes to mix it up with a variety of arrangements.
In BTB’s live draft, we talked about Fehoko being more suited to a potential 3-tech defensive end in Dallas and we’re already hearing complaints about that. This guy lived in the back field and only adds to the power the Cowboys are along the defensive line.
4. Two Fehokos
Over the years, you can quickly lose track if you start calculating how Smith’s members were on the Cowboys roster, but that’s understandable. Smith is a common name. What is not uncommon is the Fehoko, and the Cowboys now have two of them with the newly drafted Seimi and Villamy (or Junior as he is called). Although they are not related to each other, Junior is actually related to Tampa Vita Vea’s nose stud.
However, speaking of kinship…
5. A family relationship
You won’t find a better draft moment than on Saturday when Cowboys assistant director of scouting Chris Vaughn made that special phone call to his son letting him know he was coming to work with the Pops. If you missed it, this is your chance to get involved in the sentiment. It’s great stuff.
6. THE DEVIL IS LOOSE IN DALLAS!
Besides being a heart-warming moment, the cowboys also got a firework for the player. At 5’5″ he’s about as small as they come, but when he gets into space, good things happen. He’s been doing a lot of damage as a rusher and receiver against some of the best rivalries in college football, so it would be naive just to think that all That goodness stops there.He has super-fast feet to skip low tackles and a low width to avoid high tackles.Deuce will be an interesting player to watch in Dallas as he brings some extra explosiveness to the Cowboys’ running game.
7. Offensive line dryers
In true Cowboys fashion, they’ve taken on another left college tackle with guard flexibility. North Carolina’s Asim Richards is a long-term tackle who gets into positions quickly, but he didn’t start playing tackle until his senior year of high school, so there’s a lot of untapped potential with this game. Richards is a draft pick and you can just add him to the Cowboys’ long list of offensive line reserves that includes Matt Farniok, Matt Waletzko, and Josh Ball. Who makes it off this list is anyone’s guess, but the team has managed to turn those raw traits into a starter (see Terence Steele).
8. Wings and a prayer
The Cowboys can’t resist going after armed defensive backs for a long time. Whether it’s Israel Mokwamo or Nahshon Wright, cowboys love guys with long wings. In 2021, the Cowboys surprised everyone with the selection Oregon National Wright cornerback in the third round because he was nowhere on the typical draft sheet. After two years in the league, things didn’t go according to Wright’s plan, and the team once again made another trip into another sleepy, long-armed corner of Southern Miss Eric Scott Jr. The Cowboys liked this guy so much that they swapped a future draft pick to get him. All we can say is we’ll keep our fingers crossed because this one works better this time around.
9. He built on having a wide receiver named Jalen
Speaking of missed third-round picks, the Cowboys selected Jalen Tolbert from South Alabama last year only to see him catch two passes for a total of 12 yards. Most were expecting the Cowboys to go after a wide receiver early in the draft, but it never worked out, so instead they used their ultimate resource to pick Jalen Brooks from South Carolina. And if that wasn’t enough with Galens, the team also signed Fresno State wide receiver Jalen Moreno Cropper. After all, one of Galen’s crosshairs has to hit, right?
10. Try, Eagles Try
We would be remiss not to mention what happened with Philadelphia over the weekend. Obviously, it’s early days and we can’t turn over any awards in April, but the Eagles have certainly orchestrated another great project. Not only did they get “draft steals” by grabbing every Georgia slider in this draft, but they also gained a talented running back by trading with Detroit Lions For D’Andre Swift (also ex-Bulldog). The former Lions only has a year left on his rookie contract, so this may only be a one-year lease, but this is a great way to make up for the recently departed Miles Sanders.