Cowboys final mock draft: C, RB the choices in the first two rounds

Mock draft season is ending, so here is one more before we hit the real thing.

This is it. The 2024 NFL Draft is this week. With only a couple of days left before the mocks stop and the real thing commences, we take a look at the Dallas Cowboys situation to try and figure out what the team may try and do when they are finally on the clock.

Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft 2024

For this exercise, we used the Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator

24) Graham Barton, OL, Duke

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Graham Barton falling to the Cowboys in Round 1 would be a dream come true for a lot of those around the team. The former Duke Blue Devils’ LT has position flexibility, with a lot of people believing he will transition to C in the NFL. However, some believe he can stay out at tackle as well as play guard, setting up Barton to be one of the truly unique prospects of this class.

56) Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas

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There may be too much writing on the wall here to ignore, and this mock draft isn’t about what I would do, but more of an exercise trying to demonstrate what the team might do. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter alluded to the fact that many around the league feel that the Cowboys passing on Brooks here at pick 56 would be a surprise, so we’ll believe him.

He is a super-talented RB who can be the best in this class, but is coming off an ACL tear which always gives you pause. The Cowboys will ultimately feel comfortable with the evaluation as it was their team doctor who did the surgery and will pull the trigger here to keep him in-state.

87) Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

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The Cowboys have Ceedee Lamb for now and into the future, and with Brandin Cooks only having one year left on his deal, this may be the time to bring in a guy who can be a dynamic complement to Lamb for now and for years to come. Ricky Pearsall can be that guy. He is an exciting prospect who honestly has a chance to go much earlier than this.

If still on the board, despite other needs, this provides an offensive spark plug for the Cowboys to add and this would be an excellent selection in the third round.

174) Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame

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The Cowboys will be looking for linebacker help and while they do not get it early in this mock draft, they still get a Senior Bowl guy on Day 3 to feel good about. The former Notre Dame linebacker is an intriguing prospect with lots of good things put on tape.

Get him into Mike Zimmer’s system with Erick Kendricks and Damone Clark around him and he may be able to develop into a quality second-level player in the Cowboys’ defense.

216) Jowon Briggs, DT, Cincinnati

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The Cowboys love investing in defensive line help and Briggs comes in and adds another moldable piece to the mix. The Bearcats DT comes to Dallas following a solid outing at the Shrine Bowl in which he had some impressive work in front of the Cowboys contingent.

They got a good look at him, and with his body of work and traits, the Cowboys add an intriguing defensive piece to the mix.

233) Sundiata Anderson, EDGE, Grambling State

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High ceilings and moldable traits are what the late rounds are all about, and Grambling State’s Sundiata Anderson is exactly that. A freakish EDGE rusher who looks every bit the part of a big-time pass rusher.

The Cowboys draft him with the hopes they can get him in the building and mold a pass rusher out of untapped potential, a true Will McClay special.

244) Anim Dankwah, OT, Howard

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We talked about freakish traits and Dankwah is every bit of that. The Howard University OT is 6’7” 353 lbs, and has over 35” arms. He is a massive human being that teams will love to take a late-round flyer on. The Cowboys will look for tackle help early, and while the board doesn’t fall for them that way here, adding a late Day 3 prospect that has a ton of moldable traits is at least a solid consolation prize.