FRISCO, Texas — A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys were able to hide their affection for Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith, who they ended up finishing 24th overall. He wasn’t a Dallas Day visitor and they didn’t put him on their Top 30 National Visitors list.
Usually, history says the Cowboys’ top pick will be among those who made their way to their facilities before the draft.
Since 2005, the Cowboys have used their first draft pick to a player who has been one of the top 30 visitors or fielders in Dallas all but four times: DeMarcus Ware in 2005, Morris Claiborne in 2012, CeeDee Lamb in 2020 (when no Smith visitors due to the pandemic ), and Smith.
With that historical trend as a backdrop, and not last year’s pick by Smith, let’s look at the prospects who were in Dallas or the top 30 visitors as a potential 26th overall pick.
wide future
costume flowersBoston College
He’s a dynamic player and has put up numbers with a less-than-stellar quarterback, especially last season when he caught 78 passes for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns. He can change direction in an instant. He can run past defenders. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-9, 182-pound frame would suggest. He could even do some gambling if needed.
Cowboy question: Is it old enough for Mike McCarthy? The head coach’s history with the Green Bay Packers suggests Flowers isn’t (think 6-1 James Jones, 6-0 Greg Jennings, 6-3 Jordy Nelson, 6-1 Davante Adams), but he does succeed with 5-10 Randall Cobb, a pick Second round in 2011.
ESPN Analyst Jordan Reed Draft on Possible Cowboys Compatibility: I think they already have his name on the menu at Brandin Cooks. Very similar to what he brings to the table, but if you want to clone Cooks and have a younger option, I think it would fit just right. It’s just a matter of whether the Cowboys want to have both when they play the same role. It’s kind of exaggerating the situation a bit.
Jackson Smith NjegbaOhio State
Growing up in Rockwall, Texas, Smith counted Ngegba as a Dallas day visit. His senior year at Ohio State was wiped out primarily by a hamstring injury, but his sophomore year was magical: 95 catches, 1,606 yards, 9 touchdowns. He had 347 yards in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes have developed several more productive NFL receivers recently (for example, Terry McLaurin, Michael Thomas, and Garrett Wilson) and Smith-Njigba appears to be the future.
Cowboy question: Will it be available at #26? The wide receivers class isn’t the strongest, and Smith-Njigba is seen as the best or at least the best, so he could easily be gone by the time the Cowboys pick him up. He was gone long before #26 in Mel Keeper Jr. and Todd McShea’s recent pics.
Reed on Cowboy Fit: He’ll probably be on a trip to town that’s already taken him by the time he’s on the clock cowboy, but he’d be a prime pick if he’s still available. Michael Gallup has been looking a little slow recovering from his torn left ACL, and I can see them in the market. I know they were trading chefs, but Smith Njegba would add firepower. He has that inner/external diversity that McCarthy is looking for.
Jalin HyattTennessee
The ability to play great. He caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns last season after recording 41 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns in his first two seasons. He had five touchdowns versus Alabama. He’s light at 6-foot-1 and 176 lbs.
Cowboy question: See the question about flowers. McCarthy doesn’t usually want one-dimensional receivers.
ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller on potential Cowboys compatibility: Even after adding chefs this season, the Cowboys need a young (and inexpensive) vertical threat to work in concert with the much larger Lamb. Hyatt is a certified deep threat (4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash when combined, sixth fastest among receivers) with poise and body control.
Like Smith Ngigba, he was invited to Dallas Day. It’s big (6-2, 208) but can work well in tight spaces. He caught 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns last season in TCU’s run to the College Football Playoff Championship game, and his game has improved in each of his three seasons. He can outpace defenders and his height makes him a tough game. Problem: It drops seemingly easy passes.
Cowboy question: A bit like Flowers and Hyatt, can he play several receptions but in a different way – from the outside in?
Miller on a fit cowboy: A vertical threat who can win with a 50/50 pass will absolutely be welcome in Dallas and open up the midfield for Lamb and Tony Pollard. Johnston, 6-3 with a 4.4 speed, gives the Cowboys offense something it doesn’t currently have from a talent perspective.
tight end
Darnell WashingtonGeorgia
At 6-6, 264 pounds, he has the size to be the blocker the Cowboys want from their tight ends, but he hasn’t produced much as a receiver, though some of that was due to the play of fellow tight end Brock Bowers. With the loss of Dalton Schultz in free agency, the Cowboys have a need in a tight end that Washington can fill. In 2008, the Cowboys selected Martellus Bennett in the second round. At one point, owner/general manager Jerry Jones wondered if Bennett could be a top-tier offensive tackle. Could he think the same with Washington?
Cowboy question: While he can handle live action, does he do enough to spread out in the formation like some other tight ends can be available, such as Michael Meyer And Dalton Kincaid?
Reed on Cowboy Fit: No. 26 is good value for him. The screwed second or third party would be if Michael Meyer or Dalton Kincaid She is 1-2. He reminds me a lot of Bennett, and we’ve seen his career. He can give you a lot as a receiver and is a dominant blocker.
defensive end
Will McDonald of Iowa
He had consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks before falling back to five in 2022. He is physically gifted. can happen. He can bend around the corner. He finished the plays. It only weighs 240 pounds, which might be a little light. Quinn worked on McDonald in his pro day. Just something to remember.
Cowboy question: Do the Cowboys need another lane? With Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorrance Armstrong, Sam Williams, and Dante Fowler Jr., the Cowboys run deep, but the coaches will always find room for more.
Miller on a fit cowboy: A dynamic edge rusher running from 2 and 3 points, McDonald’s juice from the opposite edge to Parsons would be a treat for Dallas and a threat for opposing offenses. At under 240 pounds, McDonald isn’t a fit for everyone, but his first step size and speed will play well on the Dallas defense.
noon corner
Emmanuel Forbes’s NFL Draft Profile
Check out the highlights from Emanuel Forbes’ impressive corner of Mississippi.
Emmanuel ForbesMississippi
The first thing that stands out: ball skills. And he had six interceptions last season and returned three for touchdowns. Does that sound like Trayvon Diggs? Quinn loves length in the corners. Forbes is 6-1 and has a wingspan of 79 inches. And he can run (40 4.3). The second thing that stands out: the weight. He weighs in at 166 lbs.
Cowboy question: Can he hold his own outside against the running? The Cowboys ask a lot of their corners in the running game. Forbes showed that he was prepared in college but the NFL is different.
Reed on Cowboy Fit: He’s probably in that second class of that corner class. I think No. 26 is going to be a little early for him, especially since I don’t think their need is as pressing after trading Stefon Gilmour. But Forbes is a great player, a little skinny. He definitely feels the ball in the air, and not only catches the ball but converts it into points (six defensive goals in three seasons).
Defensive tackle
know smithMichigan
The bigger question is the value of picking a defensive tackle with a first-round pick. If Rod Marinelli was still the defensive coordinator, that probably wouldn’t be a possibility. With Quinn, maybe. Smith is sized (323 pounds), he’s great against the run, and the Cowboys need big bodies up front, even though they’ve re-signed Jonathan Hankins. Smith has never recorded a complete sack in his career but was pressured 25 times last season.
Cowboy question: Does he have the three-dimensional versatility to earn a worthwhile selection in the 26th spot? Using the first-round asset on a two-room player might not make sense.
Miller on a fit cowboy: Typical nose physique at 323 pounds, Smith could be a mid-field anchor, giving the Cowboys the size he currently lacks on the inside. He will be a natural replacement for Jonathan Hankins. Smith doesn’t have amazing productions (49 tackles, 1 sack in 2022) at Michigan, but he’s a big rookie with natural physical gifts.
offensive line
Steve AvilaTCU
Position flex is a term cowboys throw around a lot. Avila can play guard, tackle or position. For the Cowboys, he’s probably a guard/center. Now look at their list and you can see the need. They lost left guard Conor McGovern in free agency. Center Tyler Biadasz is entering the final year of his contract. Avila was UCLA’s starting center in 2021 and their starting point guard in 2022, when he didn’t give up.
Cowboy question: Is the number 26 too high for him? He might not make it to the Cowboys’ second-round pick, like the way things turned out in a triple-mock draft pick of Kiper and McShay.
Reed on Cowboy Fit: I love the fit here. They have a clear need on the inside offensive line, and I think he can play quarterback or guard. He played both positions at TCU. I don’t think #26 is too early because a lot of people expect it in the second round, so it wouldn’t be surprising for me to see it at the end of the first round. This is an initial value.
Darnell WrightTennessee
His action against Alabama Pass Will Anderson Jr. He was amazing, and didn’t allow a sack last season. If Avila is guard/center, Wright’s flex position is tackle/protection. Like Tyler Smith, Wright has natural strength and can move in the running game. With Tyler Smith, Tyron Smith, and Terence Steele, tackles may not be seen as a great need, but Tyron Smith and Steele are scheduled to become free agents after 2023.
Cowboy question: Did he get to No. 26? It seems unlikely at the moment, but they didn’t expect Lamb to drop to 17th place in 2020 either.
Miller on a fit cowboy: Top right tackle in the class, Wright is experienced at both points of tackle, but has seen his stock soar in 2022 after moving up sides. He is a solid defender on the run but balanced and balanced in space when passing. He is the only player in this season to shut down an Alabama restaurant Will Anderson Jr.