Cowboys post-Senior Bowl mock draft: WR, LB the choices in the first two rounds

Mock draft season is upon us and is only beginning.

As the Super Bowl approaches with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers preparing to face off for the right to take home a Lombardi Trophy, the rest of the league is in full-on offseason mode.

With the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl now behind us, evaluations have been adjusted a bit, and so have the draft boards. Let’s take a look at the way things can unfold with a Dallas Cowboys lens with the benefit of knowing what we learned over the last couple of weeks.

Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft 2024

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

24) Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State

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Keon Coleman would bring the kind of size to the Cowboys’ WR room that they do not have right now. The productive FSU WR will come in and instantly be a playmaker that upgrades the passing attack across from CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.

There are other places the Cowboys can, and probably would prefer to go with this first pick, but the way the board fell for them, Coleman was too good of a prospect to pass up at No. 24. His size, acceleration, catch radius, and ability to come down with the football is rare. The Cowboys get a day-one contributor with this selection and feel good about it.

56) Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Texas A&M

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The Cowboys get back to the draft script in the second round and finally address the linebacker position that was in desperate need of attention. Edgerrin Cooper is a lengthy LB who simply knows how to get around the football and make plays. He is a finishing tackler, plays with high effort, and can cover and bring some pass rush as well.

This is a natural fit as far as needs meeting the draft board. In this scenario, the Cowboys don’t reach for the position but still find a way to address a known problem in the second round. A win-win.

87) Will Shipley, RB, Clemson

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Will Shipley in the third round feels like a perfect scenario for the Cowboys. Again, like in the second round, a position of concentration falls into their lap organically and does so with an exciting and productive Clemson RB. Shipley is an exceptional athlete, has tremendous explosiveness, and knows how to run in between the tackles, read his blocks, and find the open space.

Dallas will be looking at a retooling of the RB room that may include signing an outside free agent that makes financial sense as well. However, getting Shipley in the third round feels like a great grab for a team that values the running game.

172) Will Putnam, C, Clemson

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Probably later than the Cowboys want to, but with pick No. 172 the Cowboys get an interior offensive linemen on board. Will Putnam comes in bringing a solid anchor, a good base, and the ability to play athletically in the interior.

The Cowboys let the board fall to them once again and with T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman in the fold, The Cowboys may feel a little more solidified in the trenches than people on the outside do, but add some help nonetheless.

212) 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.

230) Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisana

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Nathan Thomas is a big man. At 6’4” and 331 pounds, the Louisianna OL comes to Dallas with an ability to learn multiple spots and develop. The Cowboys won’t be looking for him to step in anytime soon, but with the ability to get in a room with the two Smiths and Zack Martin, Thomas is in good hands as far as mentorship goes.

Take a flyer, see if your scouting report matches with what you see in a player, and see if you can make something happen that turns into a steal. Thomas fits that mold perfectly here for the Cowboys.

241) Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky

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You can never go wrong taking a developmental QB, especially at this point in the draft. In this scenario the Cowboys use their final pick of the draft to grab Devin Leary who impressed during his week at the Shrine Bowl.

The Cowboys had a front-row look at the Kentucky signal-caller and as a result, they pulled the trigger here to add a young arm to the team. Leary has played a lot of football and it shows on tape. He is accurate with the football and is good at processing what’s in front of him. Leary is a project, but at this juncture in the draft he’s worthy of a flyer.