The Dallas Cowboys answered two of their biggest questions on Thursday night, and in an emphatic way. Using small trades, one up and one down, they landed a player many considered the top of their board, and then made a move to secure additional picks while still landing a guy they were keen on. Dallas moved up from 12 to 11 to select Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs, but then dropped from 20 to 23 to add two fourth-round picks before taking UCF edge Malachi Lawrence.
The Cowboys entered draft weekend with several other needs, even though solving the nickel role was the key to their offseason and that is now fulfilled. The team is still embarrassingly inept at the linebacker position, and they have needs elsewhere. In this Day 2 and Day 3 Mock Draft, run on Pro Football Focus’ simulator, an attempt was made to resolve what could be addressed.
Trade from 3.92 to 3.84 (Green Bay Packers)
Using one of the two fourth-round selections acquired in the trade back swap with Philadelphia (No. 137), the Cowboys climb up a bit in the third round to ensure they grab their target once he was within range.
3.84: LB Anthony Hill, Texas
A lot of linebackers went off the board before Hill, though that might end up being PFF’s bias against the Texas product than what will actually happen on Friday. Still, he was within striking distance and as Day 1 proved, there’s a lot of stunning things that happen as a draft progresses. Hill is a run-and-chase linebacker, best suited for off-ball pursuit from the WILL position. He is an explosive athlete with more-than adequate speed (4.51s 40-yard dash) who would see meaningful snaps right away.
4.112: WR Ted Hurst, Georgia State
Prior to the draft, the biggest blockbuster news was that WR George Pickens signed his franchise tag tender, locking him in for $27.3 million in salary, but also making him available to be traded. The Cowboys didn’t swing big at WR in the first round, and post-Day 1 reiterated they weren’t looking to shop him. But the club isn’t going to work on a long-term agreement, which means they will want some ammo to see if they can move on from him next offseason. That starts with Ryan Flournoy, but the team needs more bullets.
Hurst is a small-school guy who wins in much the same way that Pickens does. Playing for former NFL head coach Hue Jackson at Georgia State, Hurst had just under 2,000 receiving yards and 15 scores on a bad squad. He’s a 6-foot-4 vertical threat who could eventually start at both the X and Z positions. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has him rated as a third-round prospect.
4.114: DT Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana
The Cowboys going small school, twice in a row? Pipe dream probably, but grabbing value is what it’s about at this point. If the NFL competition isn’t too much for him, Proctor could eventually start as the club still has yet to truly fill the vacant 4i position in Christian Parker’s 34 defense.
Proctor had offers to play at Power 4 schools and grab the NIL money, but stayed at SE Louisiana. He’s a tweener, which is really what the role calls for, who has insane speed (clocked at just under 21 mph vs LSU). Brugler compares him to Kobie Turner, which… wow.
5.152: LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr
The Cowboys return to their 30 visit list (Downs, Hill) and grab themselves DeMarvion Overshown insurance, as he wins in similar ways and can be an effective blitzer from multiple points. He’ll be a special teams star immediately and if the Cowboys can find their green-dot guy among the safeties, will be free to be a pursuit demon as he learns the position.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Day 2 and 3 Mock Draft: Trade up nets two LBs, WR, DT
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
