Correct me if I'm wrong: 95% percent of the Dallas Cowboys draft coverage you've consumed this offseason has the front office picking an offensive lineman at 24th overall.
I get it! The Cowboys badly need help after losing Tyler Biadasz and Tyron Smith up front. But in the world of the NFL Draft, you've got to be ready for anything and things are no different for this team. You can't be reaching for a player who isn't worth it just because of need.
So what if the Cowboys don't draft an offensive lineman? After putting together a board of realistic non-OL first-round targets, I fired up the PFF mock draft simulator.
I set out on a mission with a three-round mock with the following rule: No offensive line pick allowed in the first round. These are the results.
First round, Pick 24: DL Byron Murphy, Texas
Per the consensus board, Byron Murphy is a Top 20 prospect. Although undersized, he's an explosive athlete who projects as a three-technique at the NFL level. Although the Cowboys already have Osa Odighizuwa in their lines, adding depth with Murphy's upside would be a great move.
Murphy is a Top 30 visit for the Cowboys.
Second round, pick 56: LB Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
This one was tough as the Cowboys could've had their pick at any of the running backs of the class. But Cooper's athleticism is hard to ignore with such a great need at the position for Dallas.
He might be undersized but makes up for it in speed and range. Passing on him at 56 will be hard to do considering the drop-off for linebacker talent after the second round.
Third round, pick 87: RB Trey Benson, Florida State
For many, Benson is the best running back in the class. Although it's concerning to go with no offensive line help in the first three rounds of the draft, Benson at 87th represents a steal.
His athletic score hit the 85th percentile and A to Z Sports' very own film specialist James Foster describes him as a player with "dense build, with excellent speed, patience & vision on power/counter runs, as well as, effective use of stiff-arms & hand-fighting to shed tackles."
My biggest takeaway from this exercise is that passing on an offensive lineman in the first highlights the challenge the Cowboys face after neglecting free agency: If it's not at 24th overall, there will be limited options to upgrade the offensive line.
However, the above three-round haul would have me happy on draft week if things fall that way even if I remain worried about the future of the OL.
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