Last season the Dallas Cowboys dropped back in the 2024 NFL Draft which proved to be a wise move. They were able to secure two starters by taking Tyler Guyton at No. 29 and then Cooper Beebe at No. 73.

While they haven’t seen Guyton become a consistent starter yet, they hit a home run with Beebe who has been excellent at center. Guyton has shown improvement throughout the season and there’s hope they turned the 24th pick into two starters.

That’s why they employ a similar strategy in this 3-round mock draft. With Ashton Jeanty and Emeka Egbuka off the board in this mock (courtesy of PFF’s Mock Simulator), Dallas trades the 13th pick and lands another selection on day two.

Trade: Dallas Cowboys send pick No. 13 to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for pick No. 17 in Round 1 and No. 81 in Round 3.

Dallas might have found their replacement for Zack Martin, who is scheduled for free agency in 2025. Brock Hoffman has been a pleasant surprise and they like what they’ve seen in T.J. Bass as well. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t add talent, especially if someone they view as a long-term starter is available.

That’s why they use the 17th pick on Wyatt Milum from West Virginia. Milum has lined up predominantly at left tackle for the Mountaineers but he’s a potential fit at guard as well. With the Cowboys, they can see where he fits best and allow him to either fight for a spot at guard or see if he can push Terence Steele out at right tackle.

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There’s even the outside the box option of trying him at left tackle and moving Guyton to the right side, where he seemed more comfortable in college. Whatever they decide, Milum gives them options and offers an excellent pass protector — which they need more of.

Rico Dowdle has proven himself capable in recent weeks, even recording his first 100 yard game as a pro against the Giants. On the year, he has 600 yards while averaging 4.5 per attempt. He’s proven he deserves to be retained but shouldn’t be given the starting job in 2025 outright.

Instead, Dallas needs to find someone who can push Dowdle while improving their backfield as a whole. They land that in Round 2 of this mock by selecting Dylan Sampson from Tennessee.

Sampson took over for Jaylen Wright this season and has exploded with 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Listed at 5-foot-11 ans 201 pounds, Sampson has more than 900 yards after contact — with an average of 3.62 yards per attempt after contact. That would make a huge difference in this offense, which has been vastly improved when Dowdle plays well. Adding Sampson should guarantee far more positive outings in the ground game.

Originally, it appeared Jalen Royals would be a sleeper to target to Day 3. That’s no longer the case as the Utah State wide receiver has been making waves this season and put himself in the top-100 selection with an excellent start to the season.

Coming off a junior campaign that saw him score 15 touchdowns while gaining 1,080 yards, Royals put up 834 yards and six touchdowns in seven games. He unfortunately suffered a foot injury that ended his collegiate career, but he did enough to prove he can succeed at the next level.

In this mock, Dallas grabs him at No. 77 and he should be able to contend for the WR2 job right away, provided he’s fully healthy.

At this point in the draft, it would be nice to land a defensive tackle since it will be a major need for Dallas. However, Nick Emmanwori is far too talented to ignore so he winds up being the selection they make with this extra pick landed in the earlier trade.

Emmanwori is one of the larger safeties in the draft at 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be relegated to an “in the box” role. While at South Carolina, Emmanwori proved to be excellent in coverage, earning a 90.2 grade from PFF.

This season, he’s recorded 83 tackles ahd has four interceptions. Two of those were returned for touchdowns.

Adding Emmanwori would improve the back end of the defense for the Cowboys while allowing them to plan for life after Malik Hooker.

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