Dallas Cowboys secure the edge in way too early 7-round 2021 NFL mock draft

Linebacker might be the deepest position for the Cowboys defense heading into the season. They have two of the best young players at the position in Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch as well as Sean Lee, a veteran who can still be elite in spurts.

Even behind those three, they have some talent with an underrated Joe Thomas serving as their fourth linebacker. Still, the team needs to continue to look for more talent with Lee on the final year of his deal and LVE already showing he has durability concerns.

This leads to the selection of USC’s Palaie Gaoteote IV in Round 4. A 250-pound linebacker, Gaoteote has great size to deliver hits in the running game but holds his own in coverage as well. He has 96 tackles with 7.5 going for a loss in his first two seasons. A decent junior campaign could lead to him coming out early and Dallas would be a good home for him in the NFL.

With Byron Jones out, the belief is that the Cowboys secondary is going to be a major issue in 2020. However, that might not be the case. They don’t have anyone who is a shut-down player but there are capable corners in Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Daryl Worley, Anthony Brown, Maurice Canady, and the two rookies — Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson.

Due to their depth, Dallas holds off on drafting a corner in the first two days of this draft but they do take a shot with their final pick. T.J. Carter might not play against elite talent at Memphis but he has proven to be a solid defender who could find a role at the next level.

It won’t be easy for him to make this roster unless some of the players leave in free agency, but he has a shot.