With the NFL draft inching closer and closer, it’s worthwhile to work through different scenarios that could arise for the Dallas Cowboys. Therefore, today, we are going to take a look at a scenario where the Cowboys trade back in the first round to stockpile more picks so that they can acquire more assets to round out the roster.

In this scenario, the Cowboys will trade the 17th and 179th overall picks to the Baltimore Ravens for the 28th and 60th overall picks. According to Draftek’s NFL Value Trade Chart, the 17th and 179th overall picks combined are worth 968.6 points whereas the 30th and 60th overall picks combine to be worth 960 points, making it an even trade all things considered.

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

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 think a player wouldn’t have been available at the pick he was selected, take it up with them.

Round 1, Pick 28: AJ Terrell, CB, Clemson

Clemson’s AJ Terrell is one of the most well-rounded cornerbacks in this class who would be an excellent addition to the Cowboys secondary.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Terrell has good size to go with excellent athletic ability for the position. Terrell is very patient in press along with displaying an impressive ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage in an attempt to disrupt the timing of their routes.

He also possesses the full range of movement skills to stay sticky with receivers no matter what route they are running. Terrell’s size and deep speed already make him tough to beat over the top, but when you combine Terrell’s ability to pin receivers to the sideline, it makes things even more difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

Good example of AJ Terrell mirroring the WR's break from trail. Does a nice job reading the hips then cutting the WR off to the sideline. pic.twitter.com/sTHjsY4jzb — johnowning (@JohnOwning) March 28, 2020

One of Terrell’s best traits is his ability to anticipate and mirror a WR’s break — both from off and press alignments — which enables him to minimize throwing windows for opposing QBs.

In zone coverage, Terrell possesses the awareness, ball skills and reactive athleticism to thrive in the NFL, as his football intelligence really shines when assigned an area of coverage.

Terrell is an extremely confident player who never gets down on himself no matter the situation. Even against LSU, where he was beaten a couple of times by Ja’Marr Chase, Terrell never displayed any fear.

In fact, Terrell made sure to repeatedly challenge the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner at the line of scrimmage, which is a great sign for how Terrell is going to handle the ebbs and flows that come with playing cornerback in the NFL. Everyone gets beat so it’s imperative that cornerbacks have a short-term memory and can bounce back fast because if not, things can snowball and get out of hand quickly.

Ultimately, Terrell has the size, speed, movement skills and football awareness to thrive in almost any defense, making him a perfect fit for Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s scheme.

Round 2, Pick 51: Ashtyn Davis, S, California

Continuing their efforts to target the secondary early in the draft, the Cowboys select California’s Ashtyn Davis with the first of their two second-round picks in this trade down in the first-round scenario.

It’s unfortunate a surgically repaired groin kept Davis from participating in the NFL combine’s on-field drills because the former track star was sure to put on a show and likely wouldn’t be available this late into the second round.

Off coverage in the slot from Ashtyn Davis here. Understands he has help in the deep middle so he plays outside leverage and drives on this skinny post for the INT. pic.twitter.com/fewTMBP5Pz — johnowning (@JohnOwning) December 9, 2019

Nevertheless, Davis’ loss is the Cowboys’ gain, as they selected a coverage first safety who thrives in deep zone coverage with the additional capability to defend receivers and tight ends from the slot. Davis is slightly undersized, as he is listed at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, but his athletic ability more than makes up for it.

By signing HaHa Clinton-Dix in free agency, it indicated that the Cowboys want their safeties to be interchangeable. So rather than the traditional strong safety who mostly lines up in and around the box and free safety who usually lines up deep, it appears the Cowboys want safeties who can thrive from any alignment, with a strong emphasis on coverage ability over run support, seeing as how both Clinton-Dix and Woods thrive in coverage but are merely average against the run.

This almost perfectly encapsulates Davis’ safety skill set. As a converted cornerback, he thrives in coverage — both when aligned deep and in/around the box — but struggles some when defending the run. The former walk-on isn’t afraid to throw his weight around but he struggles to come to balance at the tackle point, making him susceptible to elusive maneuvers by the ball carrier. He just needs to do a better job of playing controlled in pursuit because he plays with enough physicality to be effective in run support after adding some necessary bulk in the NFL.

Nevertheless, the cherry on top of Davis’ skill set is that he thrives on special teams to the point where he was named Cal’s Most Valuable Special Teams Player as a freshman. Therefore, given the likely event that Davis begins his career as a reserve (Mike McCarthy and Mike Nolan typically don’t hand rookies starting jobs immediately), he can still provide a valuable role on special teams while fulfilling his responsibilities as the team’s third safety.

Round 2, Pick 60: Julian Okwara, DE, Notre Dame

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the Cowboys once again take advantage by selecting a stud draft prospect whose draft stock is suppressed by a late-season injury.

If Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara doesn’t break his left fibula against Duke (ninth game of Notre Dame’s season), it’s likely that he wouldn’t have made it out of the first round, let alone the 60th overall pick. Nonetheless, it’s to the Cowboys’ benefit, as they get to select an extremely talented edge rusher whose best days are still ahead of them.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms, Okwara has the ideal frame to play right defensive end in the Cowboys defense. On top of that frame, Okwara also brings elite athletic traits to the table, evidenced by the fact that he reportedly ran a 4.6 40-yard dash after recovering from that broken fibula.

Okwara hitting a 2-hand swipe to beat the hands before cornering. pic.twitter.com/L1p91jg8jV — johnowning (@JohnOwning) March 6, 2020

Okwara’s timed speed translates to the field, as he possesses an innate ability to stress opposing tackles’ pass sets with his upfield burst off the snap. Okwara possesses enough flexibility in his hips and lower-half to bend around the corner with balance and momentum. Combine that with Okwara’s ascending repertoire of hand techniques and you have a defensive end prospect dripping with NFL potential.

Okwara just tossing an RG out of the club. pic.twitter.com/NgKJZfJHtA — johnowning (@JohnOwning) March 6, 2020

On top of that, Okwara possesses rare play strength for his size then enables to play way above his weight class. Okwara is only listed around 250 pounds, but his hands are extremely heavy on contact, which is why Okwara was very effective as an interior rusher and as a bull rusher off the edge.

Overall, Okwara provides the Cowboys with an enticing long-term solution at right defensive end opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. Moreover, if Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory are able to return off suspension and play at a similar level, then Okwara would help Dallas create one of the most underrated and pass-rush potent DE rotations in the NFL.

Round 3, Pick 82: Van Jefferson, WR, Florida

While the Cowboys often use free agency to fill immediate needs on the roster, they ignored the slot receiver position after Randall Cobb signed with the Houston Texans, which makes sense given the incredible depth at the wide receiver position in the 2020 draft.

Florida’s Van Jefferson would be an ideal target in the third round to fill Dallas’ need at slot receiver. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Jefferson is a good athlete, but he’s not a burner either, which is why he relies on his refined route-running to create separation from defensive backs.

Van Jefferson: slant gawd. He’s the second-best route runner in the draft for my money.



He wins with his hands, feet, tempo, head fakes; you name it. Jefferson may not be a burner, but he’s quick as hell and knows how to sell his routes. He can play. pic.twitter.com/OL1R8c3zOU — KP 🏁 (@KP_Show) April 2, 2020

Jefferson is a menace in the short-to-intermediate portions of the field, as his quickness and route-running ability earn him a good amount of separation in those situations. Furthermore, Jefferson’s ability to create separation provides him the space necessary to be a better-than-average yards-after-catch threat in the NFL.

Jefferson’s effective hands enable him to make the most of his route-running ability, as he doesn’t bail out defenders with bad or untimely drops (just four drops in 2019). Jefferson isn’t going to play above the rim and put a DB on a “You Got Moss’ed” highlight, but he does possess soft hands that can snatch ball both in and outside his frame.

Jefferson’s library of releases and stems enable him to win a lot with minimal contact. However, he does struggle when DBs are able to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage or breakpoint, which is why Jefferson should fit in primarily as a slot receiver early on in his career. Though, if he adds some strength, it’s not out of the question that he could develop into an effective outside receiver down the line.

Jefferson is also a little overaged, as he will be 24 years old when/if training camp begins for the 2020 season. That puts a cap on his ceiling a little bit and is a reason why such an advanced route runner would be available in the middle of the third round.

Nonetheless, Jefferson is the perfect replacement for Cobb at slot receiver for the Cowboys. His route-running ability should enable him to contribute immediately.

Round 4, Pick 123: Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA

Yes, the Cowboys signed Blake Bell in free agency, but there’s no way that will keep them from drafting a tight end that they like. And one of the tight ends they’ve shown a lot of interest in throughout the pre-draft process is UCLA’s Devin Asiasi.

Per NFL Network’s Bobby Belt, Asiasi was scheduled to be one of the Cowboys 30 pre-draft visits, which has been a good indicator as to the Cowboys’ draft plans in the past.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, Asiasi possesses NFL caliber size for the position to go with likable traits as an inline pass catcher and blocker. While Blake Jarwin projects to be the team’s primary tight end who can be flexed out on a consistent basis, Asiasi could develop into the team’s long-term No. 2 tight end (though it’s important not discount Dalton Schultz in any TE competition) who plays mostly in-line.

I’ll cap off my Devin Asiasi preview with some blocking clips. High effort blocker but I would like him to take better angles. All he has to do sometimes to win the block is turn his body, he has a tendency to take guys on straight up. Overall, love him as a player! pic.twitter.com/rn5Arhj6Gs — Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) April 4, 2020

As a blocker, Asiasi needs to take better angles and do a better job of using his feet and hands to turn defenders at the point of attack. But he shows impressive pop on contact to go with a lot of effort. The size and effort level are there, he just needs to become more technical to really thrive as an in-line blocker in the NFL.

UCLA TE Devin Asiasi doing a nice job creating some separation down the seam versus a safety squatting in off coverage. Uses his eyes and an inside stick to move the safety off his spot, then a strong chop to clear contact and separate. pic.twitter.com/8qj9hMeKP6 — johnowning (@JohnOwning) April 5, 2020

As a receiver, Asiasi still isn’t a nuanced route runner but he does show an ability to get in and out of his breaks efficiently, and he can stretch the seam and create separation versus off coverage. Asiasi also displays a good ability to find and sit down in the voids between zone coverage. Moreover, Asiasi possesses soft hands, which enable him to take full advantage of the opportunities that are presented with him.

He can also do stuff like this pic.twitter.com/M29D8PpaTc — johnowning (@JohnOwning) April 5, 2020

After the catch, Asiasi has some Jarwin to his game. He’s able to build momentum quickly, making it tough for many defensive backs to bring him down. He can also hurdle defenders, as evidenced in the above clip versus Utah.

Altogether, given that the Cowboys are likely looking to boost their tight end depth with an eye toward in-line types, Asiasi is someone who’s definitely worth keeping an eye on during day three of the draft.

Round 5, Pick 164: Khalil Davis, DT, Nebraska

Once the draft gets to the fifth round, teams are either targeting less valuable positions or players with defining traits at valuable positions. By selecting Nebraska’s Khalil Davis in the fifth-round, the Cowboys are taking a chance that Davis’ elite athleticism will help him develop into a contributor at the NFL level.

A 308 lb. man just ran a 4.76



That man is Nebraska’s Khalil Davis.pic.twitter.com/dKSCSw4WOl — PFF Draft (@PFF_College) February 29, 2020

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 308 pounds, Davis is a little short and is lacking a bit in the strength department for a defensive tackle. Still, Davis’ movement skills are easy to identify on film, as he’s routinely a better athlete than the opposition up front, which is evidenced by the 4.75 (official time) 40-yard dash at 308 pounds.

.@HuskerFBNation DT Khalil Davis had a strong first day. Beats Oregon’s Calvin Throckmorton on this rep. Quick first step and uses his leverage to his advantage. #ShrineBowl pic.twitter.com/TlYW157b2k — Andrew DiCecco (@ADiCeccoNFL) January 14, 2020

Davis skill set needs a lot of fine-tuning, but he does showcase an effective arm-over to beat blocks and generate pressure as a pass-rusher. Moreover, his pure athletic ability makes him dangerous on stunts and when slanting across a blocker’s face.

If Davis can continue to get stronger and more refined in his game, then he can develop into a nice rotational piece of the Cowboys’ defensive line.

Round 7, Pick 231: Mike Panasiuk, NT, Michigan State

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Mike Panasiuk is a high effort defensive tackle whose lack of pass-rush ability probably locks him into a nose tackle role in the NFL.

Given that he’s a seventh-round pick, Panasiuk isn’t dripping with enticing traits, but he is a hard-charging, high-effort nose tackle with a nice get-off and impressive play strength. He plays with low pad level, which enables him to win the leverage battle at the point of attack and control single blocks at the point of attack.

Panasiuk would essentially be a young and cheaper version of Antwaun Woods for the Cowboys. Therefore, Panasiuk could be a great practice squad option initially before stepping into a backup nose tackle role once Woods leaves the team in free agency (scheduled to become a free agent in 2021).

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