The Dallas Cowboys seemed to panic in the 2021 NFL Draft and the whole weekend was haphazard. Here, we try and clean things up for them with this redo.
It’s safe to say that Dallas Cowboys fans were less than thrilled with the way the 2021 NFL Draft unfolded for their team. Not only did those fans have to sit idly by and watch as Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain went earlier than expected, but then they saw something strange and unusual happen — they saw the Cowboys help a rival.
With both corners off the board, Dallas panicked and traded back with the Philadelphia Eagles — something that’s incredibly rare as only teams such as the Cowboys seem willing to give their biggest rivals a better draft pick.
They then spent a premium selection on a linebacker, which is arguably the least important position on defense. They also continued to ignore safety, which is one of the more important positions considering this is a pass-happy NFL.
In the end, the draft felt like it was unorganized and full of one reach after another. With the benefits of hindsight, we offer up a 2021 NFL Draft redo for the Dallas Cowboys, starting at No. 12.
Round 1, Pick 12: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
Actual pick: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
While I personally wouldn’t trade with a divisional rival, Dallas did make out in the deal as they added a top-100 pick and saw a wide receiver and a quarterback go off the board. Of course, they would have been much better off had they traded with Chicago and secured a first-round pick in 2022, but that’s not the route they went.
Instead, they moved to No. 12 and took Micah Parsons from Penn State. Now Parsons will likely be a great player but the Cowboys just drafted a linebacker at No. 18 in 2018 and took Jaylon Smith at 34 in 2016.
Using those early picks on linebackers has yet to pay off, so this decision to go elsewhere is more of an indictment of the position than the player. Here, we instead elect to take Northwestern offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.
Not only is he the No. 1 player on the board but Dallas was abysmal on the line in 2020 due to injuries. Sure, they expect to be better now but left tackle Tyron Smith has battled health concerns for five years. It’s time to look toward the future.
Additionally, Slater is a player who can move around the line and play tackle, guard, or center. So even if Smith defied the odds and stayed healthy, there would be a spot for him to play as he waited to take over the blindside one day.
They just invested $160 million in Dak Prescott and it won’t mean a thing if he’s still running for his life on his surgically repaired ankle.
Round 2, Pick 44: Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia
Actual pick: Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky
At pick No. 44, the Dallas Cowboys took cornerback Kelvin Joseph from Kentucky. The kid has a lot of upside but the problem is, he’s very inexperienced and the Cowboys will be expecting him to start right away. Or, at least they will be very desperate for him to be able to do so.
Perhaps it pays off but the fact is, there was another player on the board who again should have been graded higher — Georgie EDGE Azeez Ojulari. Last season, Ojulari broke out and had 31 tackles with 9.5 sacks for the Bulldogs and was widely considered a first-round talent.
In Dallas, he would have split time with Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence but he has the talent to eventually supplant one of those players — and while the secondary would still be hurting, having an elite pass rush would make up for some of their shortcomings.
As an added bonus, this would have kept OIjulari out of New York as he ended up being taken by the Giants a few picks later at No. 50.
Last season, Dallas showed they were willing to go with the best player regardless of the position as they took CeeDee Lamb despite having Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. They could have gotten similar praise had they been willing to turn their pass-rushing duo into a trio.
Then again, the Cowboys are often beholden to measurements to a fault and even though it burnt them when they took Taco Charlton over T.J. Watt, they still seem unlikely to admit their error, so this one might be quite the pipe dream.
Round 3, Pick 75: Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA
Actual pick: Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA
At first, this was a pick where I shook my head. It seemed as though Osa Odighizuwa should have been taken much later than the third round. However, once looking at more of his tape, it was apparent that Dallas probably took him where they needed to.
Odighizuwa is listed at 6-2 and 280 pounds which gets him classified as a ‘tweener’ on the defensive line. He’s a little too big for a defensive end and not as big as a three-technique, but that might sound like someone Dallas fans know — Tyrone Crawford.
The former Boise State product retired this offseason and the Cowboys needed to find a replacement. They have Neville Gallimore and Trysten Hill available but there’s no reason to believe in Hill just yet and Gallimore is still learning the speed of the NFL game.
As of Odighizuwa, he has moved to all four spots on the line and is a player who bursts out of the snap. He had 120 tackles with 27.5 going for a loss and 11.5 sacks during his four years with the Bruins.
He’s incredibly disruptive and in the end, this pick ends up staying the same.
Round 3, Pick 84: Ifeatu Melifonwu, CB, Syracuse
Actual pick: Chauncey Golston, EDGE, Iowa
Waiting until their fourth pick to address the cornerback position is risky, to say the least, but in this re-do, things work out perfectly fine. At No. 84, the Cowboys wind up with Ifeatu Melifonwu from Syracuse who doesn’t seem to be much of a drop-off at all in terms of talent from Joseph.
Listed at 6-2 and 205 pounds, he has the size advantage over Joseph (Dallas already loves that) and is still an athletic freak. He also has more experience playing than Joseph and doesn’t have questionable character concerns either. So far, this feels like a win.
Round 3, Pick 99: Elijah Molden, CB/S, Washington
Actual pick: Nashon Wright, CB, Oregon State
Nashon Wright is an intriguing pick and I hope he ends up being a starter for a long time in Big D. The problem is, they took him at least a round (and probably two) too early. Wright does seem motivated to prove the team right, but that still doesn’t mean it wasn’t a reach.
So, with that pick, we do something this front office should have done a long time ago — get a safety. Elijah Molden was actually taken one pick before Ifeatu Melifonwu in the real draft but he was taken one pick after Nashon Wright.
Molden has insane instincts, an NFL pedigree, and a work ethic that is praised by everyone he’s been around. So why wouldn’t Dallas take him? Probably because he’s 5-9 and 192 pounds.
In the end, they will probably look foolish for passing on him as he can move to safety and be a star in the NFL. And the Cowboys will still be without a safety.
Round 4, Pick 115: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
Actual pick: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
Here’s the second pick that Dallas made that doesn’t get changed in our re-do. Despite taking Micah Parsons in the first, the Cowboys would also grab Jabrill Cox in the fourth. Unlike many of their picks in this draft, however, this was not a reach.
On the contrary, this was a steal.
Cox is listed at 6-2 and 232 pounds and is an absolute force on the field. He’s also going to make it even easier to admit their mistake in extending Jaylon Smith and drafting Leighton Vander Esch since he’s going to not only be a starting linebacker in the NFL, but he should be a very good one.
He’s capable of making the plays from one sideline to the other and had no problems when jumping from North Dakota State to the SEC. Now, we’ll have to watch and see if he can make another leap to the NFL look easy.
Round 4, Pick 138: Jamar Johnson, S, Indiana
Actual pick: Josh Ball, OT, Marshall
Josh Ball was the third player Dallas picked that had character concerns and his are the most disturbing. A former Florida State player, Ball was suspended and transferred to Marshall. The reason for his suspension included accusations of repeated acts of violence against his girlfriend.
Thankfully in this re-do, we took Rashawn Slater so Josh Ball is not even a concern. Instead, we get another safety by taking Jamar Johnson from Indiana. I know, this front office refuses to take one safety, let alone two, but Johnson had no business sliding into Round 4 and the fact that Dallas decided to avoid him was asinine.
Round 5, Pick 179: Deonte Brown, G, Alabama
Actual pick: Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford
This is one that’s kind of hard to make a change since Simi Feheko is an intriguing player. He’s a massive wide receiver who could prove to be quite the steal. The problem is, Dallas is loaded ay wide receiver and they need depth on the offensive line. We know they added Matt Farniok in Round 7, but that doesn’t feel like someone who will be making the team.
In order to find a depth piece on the offensive line they can believe in, we take Alabama’s Deonte Brown at No. 179. Brown is a massive 344-pound guard who not only played for one of the best O-lines in the game, but he looks like Blastoise. That alone makes him worth the pick — well, that and the fact that he’s a potential starter in Round 5. But mostly because he looks like Blastoise.
Round 6, Pick 227: Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina
Actual pick: Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina
This is the last selection that Dallas made that we will not be changing. Israel Mukuamu is a player who should have been taken in Round 4 at the latest and Dallas stopped his slide in Round 6.
He’s listed at 6-4 and 212 pounds and has a nose for the football. He didn’t get as much love as Jaycee Horn at South Carolina but he still proved he belonged at the next level. Mukuamu could even move to safety, if needed, but since we actually added safeties, he could stick with the position he knows best.
Round 7, Pick 238: Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State
Actual pick: Matt Farniok, G, Nebraska
With their final pick, there were two ways to go ‚— and Dallas chose neither. One would be to land safety Ar’Darius Washington from TCU. The other would be Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson.
Since we already added a couple of safeties, we decide to go with Wilson here. Listed at 6-4 and 303 pounds, Wilson landed a contract with the Browns — and chances are he would have preferred going undrafted once he entered the seventh round since it meant he could get a bigger guarantee and chose his home.
Still, Dallas would have been smart to add him, especially considering they were ready to move on from Antwaun Woods.