{"id":811907,"date":"2026-03-14T13:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T13:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811907\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T13:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T13:07:17","slug":"dallas-cowboys-mock-draft-that-fills-roster-needs-after-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/811907\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys mock draft that fills roster \u2018needs\u2019 after free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Dallas Cowboys have been more active in free agency this year than in years past, but still have some holes along the roster to fill. It\u2019s not for lack of trying to fill them. They did try to pull off a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby, but was outbid. They also tried to sign Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, but the were unable to close the deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Despite missing on those players, the Cowboys had still quietly had a pretty successful free agency. They still have certain positions of \u201cneed\u201d they need to address, but there\u2019s still plenty of time to do just that. The moves they\u2019ve made so far had them set up pretty well for the draft, for the most part.<\/p>\n<p>Cowboys free agency so far<\/p>\n<p>Added Rashan GaryAdded Jalen ThompsonAdded P.J. LockeAdded Otito OgbonniaAdded Sam HowellAdded Tyus WheatAdded Matt HennesseyAdded Colbie DurantRe-signed Javonte WilliamsRe-signed Sam WilliamsRe-signed Princeton FantFranchise tagged George PickensTraded Osa OdighizuwaTrading Solomon Thomas<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">After these free agent moves the Cowboys biggest remaining roster \u201cneeds\u201d are linebacker, cornerback, edge and maybe even defensive tackle. Knowing that, we should have a better understanding of the player\/positions they could be targeting in April when the draft gets underway. So with that in mind, that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to attempt to do today. For this exercise we decided to stand pat with each pick and not make any trades.<\/p>\n<p>1.12: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Teams in need of LB help selecting ahead of the Cowboys addressed the position via free agency. That means the best LB in the draft could slide right in their lap at 12. Styles is not only a perfect fit at MLB, but is an impact starter from Day 1 as a rookie. His addition changes the entire dynamic of Dallas\u2019 defense for the better.<\/p>\n<p>1.20: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Cowboys did sign free agent CB Colbie Durant to be a starting option, but with the concerns with DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel that may need to continue to upgrade the position. Jermod McCoy should reinsert himself as the top-ranked CB this year after his Pro Day and could be a plug-and-play starter as a rookie.<\/p>\n<p>3.92: WR Skyler Bell, UConn<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Despite having arguably the best WR duo in the league in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys could still stand to upgrade and add depth to the position. Skyler Bell is a crisp route runner who can play inside and out with legit deep speed. He could challenge for Ryan Flournoy for the WR3 job as a rookie.<\/p>\n<p>4.112: OLB Key0n Crawford, Auburn<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The Cowboys added a starter in Rashan Gary and depth via free agency, but none of them really provides much juice as pass rushers. Keyon Crawford is an underrated edge player in this year\u2019s draft class. He\u2019s an explosive\/twitchy athlete who is just starting to scratch the surface of his talent. He\u2019s a great fit in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>5.152: LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Even after drafting Sonny Styles earlier, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see the Cowboys add further depth at MLB by selecting Kaleb Elarms-Orr. He\u2019s someone they\u2019ve shown significant interest. Due to his speed, comfort in coverage, and tackling reliability he\u2019s a high-upside prospect with true three-down ability.<\/p>\n<p>5.177: DT Nick Barnett, South Carolina<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">After trading Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas and signing free agent Otito Ogbonnia, the Cowboys could be looking to add more depth at DT. Nick Barnett is a run-stopping nose tackle who could probably play 4i as well. He doesn\u2019t offer much as a pass rusher, but he\u2019s a stout run defender who would be a good rotational piece.<\/p>\n<p>5.180: S VJ Payne, Kansas State<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Despite already signing Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency, Dallas may not be done upgrading the safety position. Christian Parker seems to value versatility at the position and VJ Payne is someone who is capable playing in the box, the slot, as well as deep. He has the potential to compete for a starting job as a rookie.<\/p>\n<p>7.218: RB Adam Randall, Clemson<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The RB depth behind Javonte Williams is currently unsettled. Adding more competition is never a bad idea and that\u2019s exactly what Adam Randall would do. He\u2019s relatively new playing RB after making the transition from WR. But at 6\u20193\u201d, 232 pounds with 4.5 speed he\u2019s an intriguing RB prospect with the receiving skills of a receiver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys have been more active in free agency this year than in years past, but still&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":811908,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2066],"tags":[230,229,91200,257,437,2461,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-811907","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-cowboys","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-cowboy-mock-drafts","11":"tag-dallas-cowboys","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys-draft","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116227686802540388","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/811908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}