Our latest Dallas Cowboys nock draft has them filling holes on both the offensive and defensive lines while also bringing in a few skill players
With the 2022 NFL Draft less than a week away, the Dallas Cowboys are finalizing their draft boards in preparation for the big event.
The front office in Dallas has been criticized heavily for their moves this offseason, which included trading Amari Cooper, losing Randy Gregory and Cedrick Wilson in free agency, and simply being far too conservative in their approach to signing players.
As frustrating as that can be for fans, they do know that the drafting by the Cowboys brass has been much better in recent years. That’s kept them competitive, and they aim to stay on top of the NFC East by adding new starters on both lines in this seven-round mock draft.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 1 Pick: Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
With their first pick in this mock, Dallas adds Boston College guard Zion Johnson. A 6-foot-3, 314-pounder, he has all the tools to be a starter in the NFL and should be a great replacement for Connor Williams.
As good as he is on the field, Johnson impressed the ‘Good Morning Football’ crew when he spoke with them about his interests outside of football which included earning degrees in two tech fields.
Lauren Barash of The Landry Hat broke this down while claiming Johnson is the team’s favorite draft prospect.
"“The Cowboys’ prospect favorite is incredibly poised and well-spoken. He told the crew that he got degrees in both Computer Science and Cyber Security, which is incredibly impressive considering a handful of collegiate athletes tend to just pick the easiest major and skip class whenever they can. Boston College is also one of the most competitive private institutions in the country.” — Barash, The Landry Hat"
Johnson seems to be the perfect fit in Dallas and as long as he’s on the board at No. 24, he should be hearing his name called.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 2 Pick: Logan Hall, DE, Houston
Losing Randy Gregory will hurt the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 but they can still make sure to field a solid defensive line. Adding Dante Fowler in free agency will help — but he hasn’t been a proven starter thus far in his career.
What he can do is work with Dorance Armstrong and a potential rookie to give them a solid rotation to work across from DeMarcus Lawrence. In this mock, they land a rookie who could end up developing into the long-term answer as they pick up Logan Hall from Houston.
Listed as an end, Hall stands 6-foot-6 and 283-pounds which gives him enough size to move inside as well. His versatility is reminiscent of what they used to have in Tyrone Crawford and could help Dallas once again have a strong D-line.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 3 Pick: Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma
Keanu Neal filled in as the Cowboys’ third linebacker in 2022 but he converted back to safety and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason. In an effort to replace him, they add Brian Asamoah from Oklahoma with their third-round pick.
Asamoah is listed at 6-foot-0 and 226-pounds making him slight for the position but his build is similar to Neal’s who did well in Dan Quinn’s scheme as a linebacker. Asamoah could be an even better fit — especially with his natural ability to find the football mixed with his speed and athleticism.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 4 Pick: Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M
Dalton Schultz broke out for the Cowboys in 2020 and then took another step forward in 2021, hauling in 78 receptions for 808 yards with eight touchdowns. This led to him being hit with the franchise tag while they work on a long-term deal.
With Schultz still on the roster, they have their starting tight end but Blake Jarwin is out following another injury that led to his release. With an open spot for the reserve tight end role, the Cowboys add Texas A&M’s Jalen Wydermyer.
Listed at 6-4 and 255-pounds, Wydermyer was a playmaker for the Aggies but poor testing hurt his stock. He’s still worth a day three pick as Dallas adds much-needed depth to the position.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 5 Pick: Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
Wide receiver is more of a need this year than in the past couple of drafts since Amari Cooper was traded and Cedrick Wilson signed with the Miami Dolphins. Dallas has also looked at some of the big names who will be in the draft, visiting with Drake London and Treylon Burks.
But when they went guard in Round 1, they elected to wait on a wideout which lands them Bo Melton from Rutgers. A speedster who ripped off a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash as well as a 38-inch vertical and 121-inch broad jump, Melton had 2,176 yards from scrimmage and was a factor in the return game as well.
Waiting until this late to add a receiver means the Cowboys would be betting on James Washington, Noah Brown, and Simi Fehoko to become the No. 3 guy but Melton could become a nice gadget player with special teams ability as well.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 5 Pick: Otito Ogbonnia, DT, UCLA
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cowboys added UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa who was a great find. He started out the season with a bang and while it appeared he hit a rookie wall, the sky is the limit for Odighizuwa as the 3-tech in Dallas.
Here, they go back to UCLA to add a player who could end up being the answer at the 1-tech position. Otito Ogbonnia is listed at 6-4 and 324-pounds and plays with plenty of power. The main concern with him is that he was a starter for just one season but he could be developed into a run-stuffer who can excel on early downs.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 5 Pick: Verone McKinley III, S, Oregon
Oddly enough, the Cowboys are finally showing some appreciation for safeties. After signing Damontae Kazee, Malik Hooker, and Jayron Kearse to one-year deals in 2021, they actually re-signed two of them as Hooker and Kearse are both coming back on two-year deals.
Kazee, who is still a free agent, doesn’t appear to be in the plans so that means the Cowboys could use another player for depth behind Hooker, Kearse, and Donovan Wilson. That leads to them picking Verone McKinley III from Oregon with their second of three picks in Round 5.
McKinley measured in at just 5-10 and 198-pounds but Dan Quinn has used Kazee for years who is listed at 5-11 and 185-pounds.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 5 Pick: Malik Davis, RB, Florida
With Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard under contract, Dallas doesn’t seem to have much of a need at running back. They also saw Corey Clement, JaQuan Hardy, and Ito Smith get in on the fun late in the season.
Still, they could look for more depth with Pollard in the final year of his deal — and Elliott’s deal nearing the point they can finally admit it was a mistake to bank on a running back with a long-term (and massive) deal.
That leads to them bringing in Malik Davis from Florida. Davis could have done well for himself to return to Florida for another season but he elected to chase his NFL dream. He’s also been on the Cowboys’ radar, earning a spot as one of their allotted 30 pre-draft visits.
He had 487 yards and five touchdowns last season on the ground and another 217 yards and two scores as a receiver. Davis might not be a household name, but he’s a player who could move the ball to the next level when called upon.
Dallas Cowboys mock draft Round 6 Pick: Cameron Dicker, K, Texas
For the past two seasons, Dallas fans have had a love-hate relationship with Greg Zuerlein. He was the one who had the incredible “helicopter” onside kick to help the team knock off Atlanta in 2020.
He also hit a couple of game-winners but in two seasons missed a total of 22 kicks, including six extra points in 2022 alone.
They finally ended the relationship but since they tried to bring him back on a cheaper deal, they also missed out on any trustworthy options. That’s why they use their final pick on Cameron Dicker from Texas.
A kid with a big leg, Dicker should solidify the position once again — while not costing them as much as Zuerlein did.