Dallas Cowboys trade back twice, stockpile defense in 7-round mock draft
By Randy Gurzi
3. player. 881. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. EDGE. Houston. Payton Turner
Round 3, Pick 75: Payton Turner, EDGE, Houston
After letting Aldon Smith walk, the Dallas Cowboys are turning the right defensive end position over to several players who haven’t proven they can get the job done on a regular basis. Randy Gregory is the primary option with the most upside but he will also have Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, and Bradlee Anae in the mix.
While they hope these players can produce, they would be wise to get more help in this draft. That’s exactly what they do here with the selection of Payton Turner from Houston. Listed at 6-5 and 270 pounds, Turner played all over the line for the Cougars.
As of now, he’s still developing but there’s plenty of hope that he could turn into a highly productive NFL player.
808. Scouting Report. DT. Jay Tufele. 3. player. Pick Analysis. USC
Round 3, Pick 83: Jay Tufele, DT, USC
With their second pick in the third round (this one obtained in our earlier trade with Chicago), Dallas goes back for more defensive line help. Their choice here is Jay Tufele from USC. While with the Trojans, Tufele played primarily the 3-technique but he also has the ability to slide over and play the 1-tech.
Listed at 6-3 and 315 pounds, Tufele sat out of the 2020 campaign which ends up causing him to slide a bit in the draft. That becomes a win for Dallas, as they pick up a talented interior defender here.