Cowboys Eyeing 'Jason Witten 2.0' As Top NFL Draft Pick

FRISCO - We can make an argument that there is some clarity regarding a Dallas Cowboys' "wish list'' for the NFL Draft and its early rounds.

Keep it simple. A receiver like Tetairoa McMillan or Matthew Golden in the first round, and then a running back like Omarion Hampton or TreVeyon Henderson in the second round?

The Dak Prescott-led offense would be immediately juiced. The Dallas war room would rejoice.

And so would fans. ... who in some cases don't want Dallas to make a "boring pick.''

We don't care about "boring.'' We just want good football players. And that extends to the idea of avoiding "drafting for a position'' and even "drafting to one side of the ball for need.''

And so with Dallas picking so high (No. 12), we're open-minded to another angle here.

And we bet the Cowboys are as well.

What if the best player on the Cowboys board when they get to No. 12 is tight end Tyler Warren.

Dallas needs playmakers? Why not a 6-5, 260-pound one who last year at Penn State caught a rather astounding 104 passes with eight TD catches ... and four rushing TDs?

Yes, Jake Ferguson is already on the roster. But "don't draft for need,'' right?

Besides, new coach Brian Schottenheimer wants to emphasize being a physical running team - "MartyBall,'' just like his dad? Dallas can greatly upgrade its usage of 12 personnel (the Cowboys were in the NFL basement in that department last year) with two tight ends who can play.

Oh, and Ferguson is in a contract year, so in theory, Dallas can turn the page here and not pay yet another roster member top-of-the-market money.

Warren would ideally slot right in and become Dak Prescott's No. 2 receiving weapon behind CeeDee Lamb, and the vision here would be "Jason Witten 2.0.''

Yes, Dallas needs a receiver and running back in the early rounds, but if Warren is there at 12, it would need some serious consideration. ... because he figures to make some NFL wishes come true, too.