The Dallas Cowboys were eliminated from the postseason in Week 16 even before they took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. That didn’t stop them from playing hard and spoiling the primetime slot for their opponent.
Dallas fan feel good about the fact that their team hasn’t given up despite difficult circumstances this season. They can feel even better about the talent that awaits them in the NFL Draft.
Let’s look at what the Cowboys could do in the first three rounds.
The most common and correct answer here is Ashton Jeanty but the Cowboys may not want to use a middle-of-the-first-round pick on a running back. I get it. It’s a position with plenty of value later down the draft order, especially with Rico Dowdle coming into his own. In fact, if I could get Kaleel Mullings out of Michigan, Cam Skattebo out of ASU or even Kyle Monangai out of Rutgers on Day 2 or 3, I’d feel rather good.
So what if Dallas wants to address another position in the first? I’d look first at wide receiver, but only if Luther Burden is still available.
The Cowboys are expected to pick anywhere from 10th to 20th depending on how they finish the season. Burden might not be available on the backend of that scale but he should be there in the front half.
Burden would be the perfect running mate for CeeDee Lamb, who has had to be a one-man passing offense far too often in his career. He turned in a fourth-straight 1,000-yard receiving season this year despite being the focus for every single defense he faced. Adding another star receiver would give Lamb even more room to operate while elevating everything about the Cowboys attack.
The WR’s production took a hit in 2024 but that’s basically explained by Brady Cooke and Drew Pyne throwing him passes in an otherwise unimpressive Missouri offense. He does incredible things with the ball in his hands whether making catches out wide through contact or receiving the ball underneath and making defenders miss.
The Cowboys have a slew of defensive linemen hitting free agency this offseason and they can’t possibly keep them all. Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston have certainly made the case to get new contracts. It just remains to be seen if Jerry Jones will open up his check book. Meanwhile, DeMarcus Lawrence and Linval Joseph look unlikely to return given their respective ages.
There will be a lot of solid options for Dallas to go after in the second round. J.T. Tuimoloau deserves a look.
The former five-star defensive lineman has gotten better and better at each stage of his college career. He’s a stout run defender with even more potential as a pass rusher than he’s shown thus far. That’s with eight sacks in 2024, mind you.
Tuimoloau was a wrecking ball in the College Football Playoff matchup against Tennessee, racking up eight tackles, 2.5 TDL, 2 sacks and a pass break up.
He’s a 6-foot-5, 269-pound impact player who doesn’t need to be pigeonholed into one position on the line.
Frankly, this running back class might have a clear No. 1, but the quality that will be available in the middle rounds is the main reason for Dallas to wait and use their first two picks on other positions. Guys like Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson from Ohio State might be available. Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon and Penn State’s Nick Singleton as well. Going even further down the line, there’s a ton to love about guys like Dylan Sampson from Tennessee and Devin Neal from Kansas. Hell, I could write a soliloquy on why USC’s Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks is going to be the steal of the draft.
The Cowboys do need to address the position. Rico Dowdle is going to be a free agent, so he might not be around in 2025. Even if he is, another weapon at the position — and potential upgrade — would be a huge plus.
Basically, I would use the third-round pick on whichever running back has fallen down to No. 76. Judkins is a no-brainer given his size, acceleration and feel for the run game. A dip in production after transferring to Ohio State from Ole Miss could cause some concern, but it shouldn’t. He split time in the Buckeyes backfield and has two years of high-level production against SEC defenses already on his resume.
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