Cowboys 7-round mock draft: How Dallas can get back to title contention

The Dallas Cowboys remind me a bit of myself in high school: bad student, good test taker.

It might drive everyone around you crazy, but you can usually mitigate your own inaction during the semester if you nail the final. And, as inactive as the Cowboys might be during the busy weeks of free agency, they do routinely offset that bad habit by hitting home runs in the draft.

Once again, that appears to be the strategy. The Cowboys made a handful of solid signings in March, but not nearly enough. As a result, they head into the draft with big-time needs on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver, running back, cornerback and both lines have holes. But truth be told, just about every position group on the roster except quarterback looks like it could use upgrading.

Adding a fun wrinkle to the proceedings is that the Cowboys' sense of urgency should be fueled by recent shortcomings. As good as they are at the draft in general, their past two classes have been disappointments by the lofty standard set in Dallas. 

They can't afford another dud if they're going to contend in the NFC this year. In fact, they need this draft class to be nothing short of an A+.

Let's dive into a seven-round Cowboys mock draft and see if we can ace the test.

Round 1 (No. 12): CB Will Johnson, Michigan

I don't think you need expert analysis to know that the Cowboys are searching for a receiver at the top of this draft class. And if Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan falls to them, I think he'd ultimately be their pick here.

But I wanted this scenario to be tougher. For the purposes of this exercise, let's say McMillan went far earlier than many expected, and several of Dallas' other targets — Ashton Jeanty, Mykel Williams — were gone, as well.

What's the play in that scenario? Matthew Golden is certainly a possibility. But if the Cowboys aren't sold on him, there's nothing wrong with picking the draft's best corner at No. 12 overall.

Johnson has been a polarizing prospect in this cycle, mainly because a hamstring injury has kept him from working out to the fullest. Whatever. He's got plenty of tape that shows him dealing with the best offenses in the sport.

Dallas has a sneaky-big need at corner, with Trevon Diggs recovering from a serious injury and Jourdan Lewis leaving for Jacksonville. If they don't love their choices at receiver, Johnson is a pick they should be excited about.

Round 2 (No. 44): WR Jalen Royals, Utah State

If receiver doesn't line up for the Cowboys on Day 1, it becomes a bit of an emergency heading into Friday. I don't think they'll hesitate to address it.

Royals is flying under the radar this draft cycle, but he'd be an exciting pick for a lot of reasons. He's a speedy, outside receiver with a penchant for getting yards after the catch and creating explosive plays. And if you're worried about him playing at a smaller program, just know that he impressed at the Senior Bowl in January, which is something the Cowboys tend to value.

He'll need to develop his overall game, such as his route tree and his blocking, but Royals is a big-play threat who'd complement CeeDee Lamb perfectly.

Round 3 (No. 76): DT Shemar Turner, Texas A&M

This is the part where everyone will get upset because I haven't drafted a running back with one of the Cowboys' first three picks.

Running back is definitely a big need for this team, but the value just didn't line up for how this exercise played out. Especially not when a talent like Turner fell into my lap in the third round.

He might be the lesser-known of the two big Texas A&M pass rushers in this draft, but Turner fits the Cowboys for a ton of reasons. He played his best football as a penetrating three-technique, but he also kicked all over the defensive front during his time in College Station, including playing on the edge. A three-technique with position flex sounds like a great pick for Matt Eberflus in his return to Dallas as defensive coordinator. The Cowboys did sign Osa Odighizuwa to a massive extension last month, but they don't have much in the way of productive depth on the defensive interior.

Turner would address the depth immediately, and he'd give the Cowboys a shot at finding another interior pass rusher capable of producing five-plus sacks in a season. That feels more valuable to me than a running back.

Round 5 (No. 149): RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech

The depth of this running back class means there will be good ball carriers available throughout the weekend, which is why the Cowboys might wait until Saturday to get their guy. 

If it really does happen this way, I won't be surprised if Dallas attempts to trade up into the fourth round, where they currently don't have a pick. But in this scenario, we waited until the fifth round and were rewarded for our patience.

We know there's some degree of interest in Tuten, as he was one of the Cowboys' visitors to the team facility this spring. It's easy to understand why. The guy has home run speed, good balance, plays tougher than his smaller frame might suggest, and he can catch. Even as a fifth-round pick, I'm confident he'd be able to play a role right away.

Admittedly, that's not as fun as drafting a guy like TreVeyon Henderson, who'd be the team's bell-cow back the day he stepped on the field. But if Tuten can at least be an exciting change of pace for Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, with an eye on increasing his snap count as his rookie season goes along, I think this is a strong decision.

Round 5 (No. 174): OL Caleb Rogers, Texas Tech

Even if he's not a top-100 pick, I don't want to get out of this draft without getting an offensive lineman for offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley to develop.

Rogers is intriguing for two big reasons. Fifty-five college starts make him one of this draft's most experienced players, and he made those starts at four different positions. He's got game experience playing both tackle spots and both guard spots, and he practiced at center for good measure.

Once the card gets turned in, we're asking the coaches to figure out the best spot for him. The Cowboys could use the depth, either way.

Round 6 (No. 204): EDGE Jah Joyner, Minnesota

This would be another pick for the coaches.

Joyner has the frame and athleticism that jump out at you. He started for only one year in college, but it's always fun to imagine what NFL coaching can do for a guy with an 82.5-inch wingspan.

The edge rusher situation in Dallas is not dire. Micah Parsons is obviously a great place to start, and the Cowboys have recent draft picks Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland to go with a veteran like Dante Fowler Jr. It's still never a bad idea to address the depth, and this is the most fun Day 3 pick of all: a guy with tantalizing upside.

Round 6 (No. 211): RB Jordan James, Oregon

With 10 total draft picks, it shouldn't be a surprise to see Dallas double up on running backs. And if this is the guy they get with their seventh pick, we'll consider it a steal.

If James is still hanging around at this point in the draft, it's likely because of his smaller frame and slower speed. Maybe that hurts his stock during draft weekend, but the guy's a baller.

James paced one of the best offenses in college football last season, finishing with 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns as Oregon's top rusher after replacing 2024 star rookie Bucky Irving in the lineup. He's decisive, quick and physical, and that should more than make up for his lack of top-end speed.

If Tuten's the home run threat, than James is the guy who always gets on base – and there's plenty of value in that.

Round 7 (No. 217): TE Luke Lachey, Iowa

Nobody wants to eat their vegetables except the football coaches who routinely sway the draft process.

Cowboys fans will probably groan when another Big Ten tight end comes off the board, but it's the type of pick you can expect to see this late in the draft.

Lachey was a two-year starter at Iowa, otherwise known as Tight End U. He comes to the NFL after playing 64% of his college snaps on the line of scrimmage, and it's a guarantee he's got a better feel for how to play the position at the pro level than most.

What I'm trying to say is that Lachey knows how to block, and he's willing to do it. It's a good guess Brian Schottenheimer will use a fair amount of two-tight end sets in his offense, so having a guy who can dig out linebackers and hold the point of attack sounds like a benefit. Whatever Lachey can provide as a pass-catcher is a bonus.

Round 7 (No. 239): OL Jack Nelson, Wisconsin

Nelson did spend some of his college career at guard, but he's getting the call here because of his 37 starts at left tackle the past three years.

Swing tackle has been an issue in Dallas, seemingly forever. The late-round draft picks spent at the position have rarely worked out, and the veterans brought in to do the job have been mostly underwhelming. With a new coaching staff in place, the hope is Nelson could become something more. 

Round 7 (No. 247): LB Jay Higgins, Iowa

Another coaching pick.

If a penetrating three-technique is the main hallmark of an Eberflus defense, a run-and-hit linebacker can't be far behind. Linebackers have tended to benefit from his scheme, whether you want to point to Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens, Shaq Leonard and Anthony Walker or Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.

The Cowboys brought in Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn for that very reason, but Higgins seems like the type of prospect Eberflus would love as a former linebacker. Smart, instinctive and decisive, rather than explosive. Not athletic enough to be a big-time draft pick, but certainly good enough at the position to stick in the NFL.

Sounds like a coach's dream, and when you factor in the importance of linebackers to the makeup of special teams, it feels like a perfect way to cap off the class.

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback's time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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