10 players the Cowboys could target on the second day of the 2024 NFL Draft

Who the Cowboys might go after in the draft on Day 2

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys. That selection occurred after the Cowboys traded down five spots, which netted them an extra third-round pick at 73rd overall. That will be pivotal in how the team attacks the second day of the draft.

As the second round gets ready to begin, the Cowboys have quite a few players they could and should be looking to target. The extra pick makes things a bit more flexible, too. Without further ado, here are the 10 players they could target on the second day of the draft.

Second Round

Jackson Powers-Johnson, C – Oregon

A month or so ago, the idea that the Cowboys would pass on Jackson Powers-Johnson seemed impossible. The notion that they’d pass on him twice was pure fantasy. Nevertheless, Dallas did just that, and the rest of the league did too.

Powers-Johnson has some injury concerns, but his talent is undeniable. Could the Cowboys feel better about the Oregon center in the second round, should he fall to them? They do still need a center, after all, and many experts had a first-round grade on him.

Zach Frazier, C – West Virginia

Speaking of centers, Zach Frazier saw his name come across the Cowboys’ radar late Wednesday night when insider Michael Gehlken published a profile on him. Gehlken’s piece highlighted the fact that Zack Martin gave Frazier his seal of approval.

That alone should cement the idea that Frazier – a four-year starter at center for the Mountaineers – is a target for the Cowboys. Whether or not he’ll be available at pick 56, or if the Cowboys might trade up for him, remains to be seen.

Jonathon Brooks, RB – Texas

It seems inevitable that the Cowboys will draft Jonathon Brooks, as all the signs point to their willingness to move heaven and earth to do so. Brooks is coming off an ACL tear last November, but his playmaking ability was on consistent display prior to that.

Brooks would immediately become the lead back in Dallas, though he might be part of a committee early on while he gets his feet under him again. All of the reports suggest that Jerry Jones wants Brooks bad, so it would be a shock if they don’t get him at this point.

Edgerrin Cooper, LB – Texas A&M

The Cowboys haven’t been shy about their needs at linebacker, even after signing veteran Eric Kendricks. Some may question the value of taking a linebacker so high, but Edgerrin Cooper is considered by some to be the best linebacker in this draft.

Cooper also fits into the Cowboys defense under Mike Zimmer as a larger, downhill type of defender. He’s got room to grow in pass coverage, but that’s where playing alongside Kendricks would be beneficial. Cooper is oozing with upside and could be a strong addition to the team.

Christian Haynes, G – UConn

Wait, what are you thinking? We don’t need a guard, we need a center!

That’s right, the first-round selection of Tyler Guyton likely means he’ll play left tackle and Tyler Smith will play left guard. As it happens, Christian Haynes has only ever played right guard at the college level anyway, so he wouldn’t pose a threat to Smith.

That said, Haynes spent a good portion of his time at the Senior Bowl earlier this year playing center and, by all accounts, got better with each rep. Haynes was a standout lineman at UConn, becoming just the third player in program history to be named an All-American. The Cowboys could try and tap into that talent at center, since Haynes has already been preparing for a potential switch.

Third Round

T’Vondre Sweat, iDL – Texas

T’Vondre Sweat caught plenty of people’s eyes at the combine when he ran a 5.27 40-yard dash. That may be the slowest 40 time of any defensive tackle this year, but it’s impressive when you consider that Sweat did that at 366 pounds.

The massive nose tackle had his moment, but then saw it vanish when he was arrested for a DWI earlier this month. Sweat’s appeal comes primarily as a run-stuffer, which already limits his draft stock, but an arrest makes things more complicated. Still, the Cowboys have stated a desire to get bigger in the trenches and, in the third round, Sweat would offer god value.

Trey Benson, RB – Florida State

The Cowboys are widely expected to draft a running back at some point in this draft, although Jonathon Brooks is the prospect they’ve been most connected to. That said, if Brooks doesn’t make it to Dallas, Trey Benson has received plenty of interest from the Cowboys and has seemingly reciprocated it:

Benson was an explosive playmaker at Florida State and would seem to be a natural fit in Dallas. Most projections have Benson coming off the board early in the third round, so the fact that the Cowboys added a pick in that range on Thursday night could play a huge factor in landing the running back.

Jaylen Wright, RB – Tennessee

Trey Benson isn’t the only running back that the Cowboys have been heavily connected to. Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright was another highlight reel waiting to happen in college and, like Benson, he has frequently been mocked in the early third round.

Once again, the Cowboys’ maneuver in the first round to add an early third-rounder could prove to pay dividends when it comes to finding the right running back prospect for them.

Tanor Bortolini, C – Wisconsin

In the event that the Cowboys don’t find a center in the second round, it would seem like a lock that Tanor Bortolini is taken with one of those two picks they now have in the third round. Bortolini’s stock skyrocketed after he put on a show at the combine, and drafting centers from Wisconsin is just what the Cowboys do.

In reality, Bortolini is likely a fourth-round prospect – Dane Brugler of The Athletic gave him a late third/early fourth round grade – but the Cowboys don’t have a pick in the fourth round. Thus, targeting him in the third seems very plausible.

Trevin Wallace, LB – Kentucky

Noticing a trend here? The Cowboys’ needs in this draft are pretty obvious, and they’ll have plenty of options to address those needs on the second day of the draft. Trevin Wallace has loads of athleticism but is still fine-tuning his ability to read the offense.

That sounds like the exact type of playmaker Mike Zimmer looks for in a linebacker, and pairing him with the savvy veteran Eric Kendricks would make for an easy transition to the NFL. Dallas is likely to draft a linebacker at some point this weekend, and they’d be hard-pressed to do better than Wallace in the third round.