Cowboys draft roundtable: Choices at 12, trading up options and finding starters

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The NFL Draft begins Thursday night and the Dallas Cowboys have the 12th pick in Round 1. After a 7-10 season, they have multiple needs: receiver, running back, defensive line and cornerback top the list.

Let’s answer several specific questions and have a little fun the day before things get going. We picked the brains of The Athletic’s Cowboys beat writers, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf, for their thoughts on everything from their Round 1 prediction to the one player they’d have to take if the opportunity presented itself.

At No. 12, if Tetairoa McMillan is gone and these players are available, which one would you take for Dallas? Edge rushers Shemar Stewart, Mike Green and Mykel Williams, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, receiver Matthew Golden, tight end Tyler Warren and safety Nick Emmanwori.

Machota: If those were the best available I believe the Cowboys would be strongly looking to trade down. If they couldn’t find a partner, I think they’d go with Matthew Golden. They need to add speed to their offense and they need a No. 2 wide receiver. There are probably only four wide receivers in this class that fit the No. 2 level for Dallas: Tetairoa McMillan, Golden, Emeka Egbuka and Luther Burden III. A wide receiver room of CeeDee Lamb, Golden, Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin and either Parris Campbell, Ryan Flournoy or Jalen Brooks looks pretty strong on paper.

Yousuf: Of the positions listed, I believe receiver and defensive tackle are the biggest needs. But if I were to stick with the best player available philosophy, as the Cowboys claim they would like to, I would be looking to select an edge rusher, between Mike Green or Shemar Stewart. The Cowboys don’t have as big of a hole at edge rusher as they do at defensive tackle or wide receiver but it’s not like the present, and especially the future, at the position is secured. The Cowboys can use a talented pass rusher to pair with Parsons, and I think either Green or Stewart would be my selection, with the slight edge going to Green.

Is there a player you think the Cowboys would entertain thoughts of trading up from 12 to draft?

Machota: Travis Hunter. He’d probably have to fall outside of the top four or five picks for that to happen. I think it would be too rich to go any higher. In that scenario, two quarterbacks would probably need to go in the top three or four picks, which seems highly unlikely. But if he fell a little bit, Hunter to the Cowboys would make sense because two of their biggest needs are wide receiver and cornerback. It’s not difficult to imagine a news conference after the first round where Jerry Jones talks about how Dallas filled two needs with one player. And it would be interesting to see how they would split his reps between wide receiver and cornerback. But, again, highly unlikely.

Yousuf: To be clear, I would be shocked if the Cowboys did trade up from No. 12. Not only have they not done so since 2012 when they moved up to get Morris Claiborne but they have so many holes that they need to preserve all of the darts they can, especially in the top three rounds. All of that being said, I think if there was a strange free-fall with Travis Hunter, that would be the top candidate for someone the Cowboys would move up to get.

The Cowboys drafted two regular starters last year in Tyler Guyton (11 games) and Cooper Beebe (16). LB Marist Liufau started nine games and CB Caelen Carson five. If Dallas can add two draft picks who start double-digit games, which positions would you want those to be?

Machota: Wide receiver and running back. The only other consideration would be cornerback. If they found their starting No. 2 wide receiver and their lead back, they’d have to be pleased. While they’ve added players at those two positions this offseason, none make you feel great about them in a starting role. They’re quality depth pieces. And with this being the first draft with Brian Schottenheimer as head coach and offensive play caller, it would make a lot of sense to get him a couple of new playmakers with upside to improve the offense.

Yousuf: Cornerback and running back. How quickly the perception of cornerback has shifted over the past calendar year is a reminder of the NFL being Not For Long. One year ago at this time, the Cowboys had one of the best starting trios at cornerback in the NFL with Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis. Now, with Diggs’ injury situation and Lewis’ departure, they’re staring at a situation where they only have one comfortable cornerback for Week 1. Getting a solid starter not only helps them get through Diggs’ timeline but also provides options to weigh in the future with Diggs’ health and Bland’s contract situation.

Alfred Collins recorded 27 solo tackles, six tackles for loss and seven passes defended last season at Texas. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

Beyond Round 1, name one player you think has the best chance to become a Cowboy from the team’s pre-draft visitors.

Machota: Shavon Revel Jr. The Cowboys love the bigger cornerbacks with long arms. Revel (6-2, 202 pounds, 32 5/8 arms) is projected to go in the second round. Losing Lewis in free agency and having Diggs out with a significant knee injury, a second-round cornerback seems like a good bet for Dallas. Revel is coming off a torn ACL and partial meniscus tear in his left knee, so that could be an issue for some teams. However, the Cowboys have shown that they aren’t shy about using their second-round pick on a prospect with injury concerns.

Yousuf: Alfred Collins. Given their need at defensive tackle, I can see the Cowboys being highly interested him. They met with the Texas native during the draft process and he would instantly join a rotation next to Osa Odighizuwa. He’s not polished, which is why we aren’t talking about him as a Day 1 option, but there are a lot of tools that a good NFL coaching staff can work with and mold him into a productive player, especially with the luxury of having Odighizuwa in place.

OK, one last question for fun. If Dallas had the No. 1 pick this draft — you can’t trade it — who would be your selection?

Machota: Hunter. He would help the Cowboys in two of their biggest areas of need. Dallas has become too vanilla in its roster building. The Heisman Trophy winner would bring some much-needed star power and swagger to both sides of the ball.

Yousuf: Without question, it would be Hunter. The Cowboys have pressing needs at No. 2 receiver and starting cornerback and Hunter would check both of those boxes. I don’t think that means he would be a starter at both spots but the Cowboys could start him out at cornerback while Trevon Diggs recovers from his injury, then move Hunter to the offense as his more permanent spot opposite CeeDee Lamb. Over the long haul, the Cowboys could assess their roster and play Hunter at a 70/30 split at whichever position they need him most.

(Top photo of Matthew Golden: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

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