Now that the Super Bowl is over, it’s a great time to take another early look at what the Dallas Cowboys could do in the 2020 NFL draft.

A new coaching staff adds to the intrigue of the Cowboys’ draft because there are many unknowns as to how the new staff will affect draft tendencies. Still, it’s a great exercise to get an understanding of the prospects who could be available and the kinds of decisions the Cowboys will have to make when they go on the clock.

With that in mind, let’s dive headfirst into a seven-round mock draft for the Cowboys’ picks.

Note: To keep things as realistic as possible, The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine was used to make this mock draft. So if you’re upset a player is still available when you don’t think he should be, take it up with them.

Round 1, pick 17 overall

A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa

Interestingly enough, many of the names most commonly mocked to the Cowboys (Grant Delpit, Javon Kinlaw, Henry Ruggs III) were all off the board once pick No. 17 came around, leaving Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa as the next-best choice.

Epenesa isn’t the most exciting first-round prospect because he lacks the high-end athleticism that could push his potential through the roof. He isn’t the edge-bending speed merchant the Cowboys have used opposite DeMarcus Lawrence, but he is a high-floor prospect who would improve the defense from the moment he walks on the field, especially if Robert Quinn departs for big money elsewhere.

Epenesa carries dynamite in his hands, battering offensive linemen with an assortment of long arms and powerful bull rushes. On top of the power, his hands are well refined, showing the rare ability to counter or sequence moves together after his initial move fails.

Because of his lack of speed around the edge, Epenesa uses his power to shorten the corner, enabling him to have a lot of success as an outside rusher despite his athletic limitations.

Epenesa’s power and hands also translate to the run game, but his footwork could use a little polishing. He has a tendency to step and gain depth with his inside foot first when he’s on the front side of an outside zone run, which can allow a tackle to outflank and potentially reach him. Epenesa’s power allowed him to compensate in college, but the footwork will need cleaning up in the NFL.

Outside of some minor technical flaws, Epenesa’s biggest issues are all athleticism- and flexibility-based, as he appears to have a middling first step and upfield burst to go along with limited hip flexibility. This is why the NFL scouting combine will be crucial for his draft stock.

Epenesa may not have the ceiling of some of the other edge defenders in this class, but he has the highest floor outside of Ohio State’s Chase Young. After the year the Cowboys just had on defense, a safe pick in the first round maybe isn’t the worst idea.

Round 2, pick 51

Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia

With Anthony Brown and Byron Jones scheduled to enter free agency as Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis enter contract years, the Cowboys could look to bolster their cornerback depth early in the draft depending on how they attack free agency.

If the Cowboys opt to target a cornerback in the draft, then Virginia’s Bryce Hall would be an excellent option in the second round. In 2018, Hall was viewed as one of the best cornerbacks in the country and a near first-round lock, but an ankle injury that limited his 2019 participation to just six games has caused his stock to tumble, which is why Dallas could steal him here.

Listed at 6-1, 200 pounds, Hall possesses the ideal height, weight and length to thrive on the outside in today’s NFL. He isn’t an elite athlete for the position, but his intelligence, length and ball skills more than make up for it.

If you’re looking for a cornerback who can make plays on the ball in the air, look no further than Hall, who led the nation in pass breakups in 2018 with an absurd 21 pass deflections to go with two interceptions.

Hall thrives in zone coverage, where his size can alter throwing windows and his football intelligence puts him in position to make plays. He takes on and passes off receivers in zone coverage and shows a nice ability to match vertical routes when needed. And unlike a lot of corners in college football, Hall actually has a good amount of experience in press coverage, which should allow him to translate a little better to the NFL than some of his peers.

His size also gives him the capability to slide inside to provide man coverage on “big slot” receivers and tight ends, which is important in today’s NFL, where tight ends are inching closer to just being big, inline receivers.

Hall is also a willing tackler who can provide an effective fill or force defender against the run. He’s not a big hitter by any means, but he gets the job done.

Unfortunately, Hall lacks the speed and quickness to recover when he doesn’t win at the line of scrimmage. This is why technique is so important for him because his lack of elite athletic ability gives him little room for error against speedier receivers.

Hall would immediately provide important depth to the Cowboys’ secondary, and depending on who else Dallas brings in, he could see a lot of time on the outside in nickel defense when Lewis would slide inside to the slot corner position.

Round 3, pick 82

Leki Fotu, NT, Utah

The Cowboys are starving for some more beef on the inside of their defense.

Luckily for them, it’s on the menu in the third round.

While Leki Fotu’s lack of pass-rush ability should preclude teams from taking him before the third round, his skill set is a boon for the Cowboys at pick No. 82.

Listed at 6-5, 337 pounds, Fotu is exactly the kind of nose tackle the Cowboys have needed but would never pick in the past: excellent at absorbing blocks to keep his linebackers clean in the run game.

While he typically mirrors the feet of offensive linemen in an effort to maintain his positional leverage and gap responsibility, Fotu does have sneaky quickness that will enable him to penetrate and make plays on occasion.

This goes well with Fotu’s power. When blockers start to brace for his power, he can use a little bit of quickness to win and keep the opposition guessing on his plan of attack from play to play.

Leki Fotu forces the Oline to stay on the double!

You can't leave Leki until he's off the line or just tied up with 2 blockers. That's what makes him so dominant. You have to stay on the double! That leaves LBs free to play. When you leave the double, Leki makes you pay! pic.twitter.com/aUuS3Xpr73 — Hans Olsen (@975Hans) November 18, 2019

Fotu projects well as a nose tackle in the NFL because he can read blocks while using his upper and lower body with equal devastation in the run game. His powerful hands allow him to control blocks and reset the line of scrimmage, while his lower body and core enable him to anchor at the point of attack and against double-teams.

While he’s nowhere near being an effective pass rusher yet, his sneaky athleticism, hands and disruptive nature should give Dallas some hope that he can develop in that area.

Still, Fotu’s skill set is one the Cowboys have needed for quite some time, and though he lacks pass-rush ability, his ability to defend the run would make him an immediate contributor in the defensive line rotation before stepping into a starting role in Year 2 or 3.

Round 4, pick 122

Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC

Although wide receiver isn’t a big need -- especially since it appears the Cowboys will attempt to bring Randall Cobb back -- Michael Pittman Jr. is just too good of a value to pass up at this spot.

Pittman showed glimpses of high-end receiver play throughout college, but he didn’t truly break out until his senior year, when he hauled in 101 catches (on 133 targets) for 1,269 yards (12.6 yards per reception) and 12 touchdowns.

The catch.



The run.



Michael Pittman Jr. extends USC’s lead 🔥



(via @Pac12Network)pic.twitter.com/Rb40BfUWju — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 21, 2019

At 6-4, 215 pounds, Pittman is a large target who is extremely effective in contested catch situations, displaying strong hands and impressive leaping ability. On catchable passes in his college career, Pittman had just five drops, according to Pro Football Focus. His sure hands and giant catch radius would be great additions to a Cowboys receiver corps that nearly led the NFL in dropped passes last season.

USC WR Michael Pittman Jr. with the quick feet👀 pic.twitter.com/J39nK7flxi — PFF Draft (@PFF_College) January 21, 2020

Pittman still needs refinement in his releases off the line of scrimmage and overall route running, but he’s nowhere near deficient in either area. He actually does a good job of using deception to create separation with his routes. Because he lacks high-end athleticism, Pittman has refined the pacing of his routes, which enables him to generate late separation after lulling cornerbacks to sleep.

All in all, Pittman is a big-bodied and sure-handed receiver whose consistency would enable him to quickly earn Dak Prescott’s trust. Pittman’s presence also gives Dallas some protection in case Michael Gallup or Amari Cooper get injured in the future.

Round 5, pick 156

Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic

If Jason Witten is not brought back, Harrison Bryant is a great value in the fifth round and projects as a solid No. 3 tight end initially.

Bryant is one of the most productive tight ends in this class, having hauled in 65 catches (on 94 targets) for 1,004 yards (15.4 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns in 2019. He also led all tight ends in first-down receptions, according to Pro Football Focus.

Check out our tight end Harrison Bryant. FAU Football !! pic.twitter.com/4N81R93RO1 — Dr. Richard Staller (@Dr_Staller) November 24, 2019

Listed at 6-5, 242 pounds with impressive athletic ability, Bryant has the appearance of a mobile tight end but, in actuality, shows a willingness to throw his weight around as a blocker. He’s nowhere near a finished product and would likely get displaced by most NFL edge defenders, but his willingness and attitude in the run game are great indicators that he should develop nicely in that area.

Bryant lacks refinement as a route runner but shows good balls skills to make plays in contested catch situations. He does, however, have an issue with drops (eight in 2019).

His size and athleticism also make him an impressive deep threat who can stretch the seam. Bryant caught eight of his 11 targets that were 20-plus yards downfield in 2019 and led all tight ends in deep receiving yards (yards accumulated on passes 20-plus yards downfield).

Overall, Bryant is the kind of high-upside player the Cowboys can feel great about taking a chance on in the fifth round. The payoff won’t be immediate, but it could definitely become much greater with proper development down the line.

Round 7, pick 233

Antonio Gibson, RB, Memphis

The Cowboys love to look for their No. 3 running back late in the draft, having selected one in the sixth (Darius Jackson) or seventh round (Mike Weber, Bo Scarbrough) in three of the past four drafts.

After finding success with dipping their toes into the Memphis running back pool last year (Tony Pollard), the Cowboys keep the trend going by selecting Antonio Gibson with their last pick in this scenario.

Stuck behind NFL-quality backs like Pollard and Darrell Henderson, Gibson didn’t receive much playing time before 2019. And much like Pollard, Gibson played both in the backfield and in the slot for the Memphis offense.

While Gibson didn’t see a ton of carries, he made the most of the ones he did get, carrying the rock 33 times for 369 yards (11.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He saw more action as a receiver and was similarly effective, securing 38 catches for 735 yards (19.3 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. On top of all of that, Gibson broke an absurd 16 tackles as a running back to go with 17 broken tackles as a receiver.

As you might have guessed, Gibson is an incredibly elusive ball carrier. Moreover, his 6-1, 223-pound frame enables him to absorb and bounce off contact well. Trying to tackle him in the open field is like trying to get a firm grasp of a bar of soap in the shower.

Gibson also brings a good deal of special teams value to the table, which is a must for a Day 3 running back. He was a valuable return man for Memphis, averaging 28 yards per kick return to go with one kick return touchdown.

Gibson would be an ideal option as a No. 3 running back whose play-making ability could earn him a small role on offense sooner than later while he serves as a major special teams contributor.

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