Dallas Cowboys top 3 options in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys had their season come to an end in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, falling to the San Francisco 49ers, 19 – 12.  This after an impressive performance by Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in the Wildcard Round, which saw them outscore the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31 – 14.  Despite the Cowboys’ 12 – 5 regular season record, they have some areas of need.

For starters, outside of Ceedee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys wide receivers were not very good.  Lamb led the team with 107 receptions, while Noah Brown was second among the wide receivers with only 43 receptions, followed by Michael Gallup with 39.  I understand Gallup was injured but how often do we say, “Gallup was injured”?  He has to be a concern going forward as well.  Let’s put this in context, the Cowboys attempted 556 passes on the season.  Here are some of the names that had more receptions than Brown: DeAndre Carter, Kalif Raymond, Demarcus Robinson, and Chris Moore, just to name a few of the 91 players ahead of him.

That said, the Cowboys need someone opposite Trevon Diggs.  Their number two corner, DaRon Bland, had a solid five interceptions on the year but was targeted nearly 20% of the time when he was on the field.  He also gave up five touchdowns, while allowing a catch rate of almost 65% and a passer rating of 109.  These are not good numbers, even when compared to other corners.  67 other corners allowed a better catch rate and 72 allowed a lower passer rating.

So where do the Cowboys go in the first round with the 26th pick of the NFL Draft?  We could speculate all day long but at the end of the day, none of us really know what Jerry Jones is thinking or the direction the team is leaning.  So, let’s look at a few players they could potentially target with that 26th pick.

Dallas Cowboys top 3 options in the 2023 NFL Draft

1. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State

Joey Porter Jr. is widely considered one of the best corners in the draft coming out this year.  He is from Penn State, a big-time school and competition.  He is 6’2″ and weighs 198 pounds.  PFF has him ranked as the 21st overall prospect and third-best corner.

Porter grades out very well as a press corner and many believe he can start day one and become an impact corner in this league.  His height is a definite advantage and will be able to match up well against the taller wide receivers in the league.

One concern with Porter is his tendency to grab at receivers, which won’t go unnoticed with refs in the NFL; however, this is often a trait you hear about young corners and with coaching, can be corrected.

If the Dallas Cowboys have their eyes set on Porter though, I believe they will have to move up in the draft.  Find some way to make a deal to move up because as the draft process continues and we get closer to the combine and draft day, Porter will likely start climbing teams’ boards.  Plus, with all the passing most teams do, corners and safeties are becoming a premium around the league.