Cowboys draft: 5 prospects that could meet with backlash if Dallas chooses them

Who would it really upset you to see the Cowboys draft?

The Dallas Cowboys definitely work off their own board when choosing draft prospects. What they do doesn’t always match up with what the media, fans, and analysts think they should do. Picks like Travis Frederick and Tyler Smith were met with backlash on draft night, only to be proven smart choices.

Below are five draft prospects that could catch some off guard if the Cowboys called their name during the draft.

1. QB Bo Nix, Oregon
Nix is the first quarterback on most scouts list at the top of the second-tier QB’s. His time at Auburn was a mixed bag but he managed to elevate his reputation with a move into the PAC-12. This pick would have to be made in the first round. meaning this would be a glaring sign the Cowboys have committed themselves to a full rebuild and are moving on from Dak Prescott. Is this out of the realm of possibility? No, but it would be very eyebrow raising.

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2. DT T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
Defensive line is a sneaky need for Dallas. But what the team needs is a blue-collar player that’s ready to go to work. Sweat hit the headlines recently after a DUI incident which raises issues on character, but all that just highlights the issue of Sweat from the past. There are plenty of stories coming out on his partying late at night, being a distraction in the locker room, and not taking football seriously. After the failures Dallas has had with character guys, this pick could cause bad flashbacks.

3. OT Amarius Mim, Georgia
This one may seem odd to have on here as a lot of people are very high on Mims and see him filling a huge need. The Cowboys need to strike on their first-round pick, especially after last year’s first rounder is still up for debate, if the Cowboys fail to take a sure thing here then fans could get super heated. Why would Mims be a controversial pick then? For a team needing a sure thing, Mims is far from that. He has a high ceiling, but his floor is also incredibly low. He’s only started eight games in three years of college and last season was cut short by injury. All of his snaps in college were played from the right tackle position, making Mims a huge question mark.

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4. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
There’s been quite a bit of interest from Dallas in the Texas tight end. They showed some interest at the combine and they’ve had Sanders in for a 30-visit. This pick would be a surprise if Dallas made it as he compares closely to Peyton Hendershot. Both near 6-4 in height, both near 250 pounds with similar arm size and athletic testing times. Both even have the same issues when it comes to blocking. The Cowboys also have a firm starter in Jake Ferguson, and spent a second-round pick last year on Luke Schoonmaker. With Hendershot also in the fold, adding another tight end would be a move instantly under scrutiny.

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5. Any safety before pick 216
The one position the Cowboys really are solidified at this year is at the safety position (which is crazy to say). The combination of Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker is a solid duo. Then add Juanyeh Thomas to the mix and hopefully we get to see Israel Mukuamu take some rotational snaps this year and the position looks pretty healthy (and that’s without adding Markquese Bell back into this position group). By the third-round in this year’s draft the safeties begin to hold good value. If the Cowboys went down the value route and opted to take the highest player on their board, and that was a safety, then this would set off the masses. Will this happen? Unlikely. But we have seen the front office build strength-on-strength in the draft before.