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.
2. Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Deonte Banks is coming from Maryland and is another potential first-round corner in this year’s NFL Draft. Banks is another tall corner, similar to Porter, except Banks is 205 pounds, nearly 10 pounds bigger. That could serve him well when battling the more physical wide receivers.
He also played in the Big Ten, like Porter, so the competition level is there as well; however, his press skills aren’t as good but he’s better at sticking with receivers without getting too handsy and mirroring them as the route progresses. He still needs to learn to use his size to his advantage but could start right away for the Cowboys. Plus, he’s more likely to be around when the Cowboys draft, so they may not need to move up to get him.
PFF has him ranked as the 23rd overall prospect and 4th best corner. He played the majority of his snaps at the corner position for Maryland, but he did play a little in the slot and down in the box as an extra defender, so he brings some versatility as well.
He’s been on the field for Maryland since his 2019 freshman year, playing in 30 career games, so there is a lot of experience there as well.
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Jaxon Smith-Njigba could be an interesting prospect coming out of Ohio State. He set the Big Ten record two seasons ago in 2021 with 1,606 receiving yards; however, he battled injuries all season long in 2022 and was never able to get on the field for any substantial amount of time. He played in only three games and caught four passes all season.
As a result of missing out largely on last season, he only has one year of college production, which will concern some teams. He’s also a smaller receiver at 6 feet, 198 pounds. He’s not your explosive, top-end speed guy either, which is another knock against him.
Where he lacks in speed, he makes up with technique and route running. He’s able to get separation with these skills and still make plays. He’s also played primarily in the slot but that’s not to say he can’t play on the outside, just might need some time to develop in that role.
PFF has him ranked 20th on their draft big board. This is another one the Cowboys might have to move up a little in the draft, has some mock drafts have him going in the early 20s but still a chance he could fall to them at 26.