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Now that free agency has settled down, the mock drafts can reassess the needs for each team and adjust their picks. Today, we look at 16 mocks for the Cowboys first-round pick at #19 in the 2018 NFL draft. Instead of coming to a consensus as the draft draws closer, it seems like the Cowboys picks are getting more varied.
If there was a consensus, it comes at the wide receiver position where seven of the 16 mocks went for that position, and of those seven, four of them chose Alabama’s Calvin Ridley. D.J. Moore was the choice of two mocks and one chose Courtland Sutton.
The only other player mentioned in multiple mocks is defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne from Alabama. He is the top pick in three of the 16 mocks.
For the first time in a while, an offensive tackle makes an appearance in UCLA’s Kolton Miller. The reasoning behind the pick is the Cowboys should kick La’el Collins inside to left guard and let Miller take over at right tackle.
DEFENSIVE TACKLES |
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| Vita Vea, DT, Washington | |
| CBS Sports (Brinson), Apr 3 | Cowboys sprint to the podium for this pick, right? |
| Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama | |
| NFL.com (Casserly), Apr 4 | Payne is an excellent run defender who has potential as a pass rusher, too. |
| Draft Blaster (Staff), Apr 6 | The Cowboys’ offensive line was just not the same this year, but some of that was injuries and developing chemistry. They have enough key pieces that they don’t have to panic and address the position early in the draft. With three of their five positions locked down, they should be looking to add two offensive linemen through the draft and another in free agency and then let the competition unfold. They have found their edge guys on the defensive line, but have a big need in the middle. They also will need to find a WR and TE to replace key players at the end of their careers. |
| NJ.com (Lombardo), Mar 31 | The Cowboys need to bolster their defensive front to keep pace in the NFC East arms race with the Super Bowl champion Eagles who win a Vince Lombardi Trophy with the most dominant defensive line in football. Alabama's Da'Ron Payne is an elite run-stopper with tremendous upper body strength to help fight off interior linemen at the next level. |
LINEBACKERS |
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| Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama | |
| CBS Sport (Fornelli), Apr 6 | The Cowboys could go quite a few different directions here, but I think Evans will be hard to pass up. |
CORNERBACK |
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| Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn | |
| Walter Football (Campbell), Apr 4 | The Cowboys could use a big corner to go with Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie. Davis would be a good fit for Rod Marinelli's scheme. Davis (6-1, 206) is a good corner who has size, length and press-man ability. He has nice quickness in the short part of the field and can battle big wideouts. Davis is a physical defender who really competes, but he does struggle with deep speed. The junior notched 36 tackles with 11 passes broken up, one forced fumble and an interception in 2017. As a sophomore, he totaled 46 tackles, 10 passes broken up, one forced fumble and zero interceptions. Davis recorded three interceptions with 56 tackles and eight passes broken up as a freshman. |
| Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa | |
| CBS Sports (Trapasso), Apr 3 | The Cowboys could go Rashaan Evans, however, they can't pass on the ball-hawking Jackson who'd be an immediate impact player on the outside of their defense. |
WIDE RECEIVER |
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| Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama | |
| The Ringer (Kelly), Apr 3 | Signing Allen Hurns was a good start, but the Cowboys still need to upgrade quarterback Dak Prescott’s pass-catching crew—especially if the team really plans to cut Dez Bryant. Ridley’s got quick feet, is sudden in and out of his breaks, and can pick up chunks of yards after the catch. He’d provide an immediate boost for the Dallas passing attack. |
| L.A. Times (Farmer), Mar 31 | The Cowboys are looking for more weapons for Dak Prescott, and Ridley could help create more opportunities for Dez Bryant. |
| Sporting News (Iyer), Apr 6 | The Cowboys are keeping Dez Bryant, but they are lacking a true outside No. 2 who can do everything as a good-hands possession receiver. Ridley would be an upgrade over Terrance Williams and give Dak Prescott a new go-to guy. |
| NY Post (Serby), Mar 31 | Dez Bryant is in decline, so Jerry Jones delights the Texas draft crowd by getting Dak Prescott his future No. 1 receiver/deep threat. |
| D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland | |
| CBS Sports (Prisco), Apr 5 | They need to get faster outside in their passing game. Allen Hurns, who was signed as a free agent, doesn't fix that. |
| USA Today (Davis), Apr 5 | WRs Dez Bryant and Allen Hurns and TE Jason Witten are all nice weapons but essentially classify as rebounders. Moore is an explosive asset who could take this offense to another level. |
| Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU | |
| CBS Sports (Wilson), Apr 4 | At 6-4, Sutton isn't a burner but he's a huge downfield target who could end up replacing Dez Bryant, whose time in Dallas could be nearing the end. |
GUARD |
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| Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia | |
| The Ringer (Kelly), Apr 3 | As Dallas looks to return to the playoffs, they might consider wanting to go back to a dominant offensive line. That could happen with the addition of Wynn, a Pro Bowl-caliber interior lineman who can move outside in case of emergency. |
TACKLE |
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| Kolton Miller, T, UCLA | |
| NFL.com (Reuter), Apr 5 | La'el Collins could be a good right tackle, but he'd be a dominant guard with Miller sliding in at RT. |