NFL

Dallas Cowboys 3-Round Mock Draft

Disclosure
We publish independently audited information that meets our strong editorial guidelines. Be aware we may earn a commission if you purchase anything via links on our pages.
(L-R) Alabama WR John Metchie III, a Dallas Cowboys helmet, and Cincinnati DEMyjai Sanders. Metchie and Sanders are second- and third-round picks in this Dallas Cowboys mock draft.

Any Dallas Cowboys mock draft you see will likely address the same issues. The Cowboys were a good — not great — team in 2021 and, as such, have specific holes to fill vs. wholesale talent upgrade needs.

For the Cowboys 2022 NFL Draft to be a success, Stephen and Jerry Jones will have to add players at positions of need. The most pressing needs are interior offensive and defensive line, wide receiver, edge rusher, and linebacker. Corner and safety could be areas of interest later in the draft, but Dallas doesn’t have the same level of need there.

In this Dallas Cowboys mock draft, the fictional Jones’ will fill three major holes with their first three picks, taking two SEC stars and a crucial player from a College Football Playoffs team.

Round 1, No. 24 overall: Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M

Dallas Cowboys mock draft makers want to get cute and give the team a pass rusher or a linebacker in the first round. Those positions are flashy and fun to write about. However, Jerry Jones has already told people what he plans on doing at No. 24. 

The Cowboys owner/de facto draft guru recently told reporters regarding offensive lineman, “We’ll get one unless Lamb or Parsons is there,” per Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken on Twitter

There won’t be a CeeDee Lamb or a Micah Parsons around at the 24 spot this year, so Jones will follow through on his initial plan and take a lineman. Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum should be gone by No. 24, so it will be between guards Zion Johnson from Boston College and Kenyon Green from Texas A&M. 

The 6-foot-4, 323-pound Green started at four offensive line positions and may even be able to play center in the NFL as well. As for 2022, he’ll start at LG for the Cowboys in Week 1. 

Round 2, No. 56 overall: John Metchie III, WR, Alabama

Jerry Jones will make the safe, smart pick in Round 1 in 2022 because he’ll think he can find his CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons in later rounds. The first player in this Dallas Cowboys mock draft that Jones will feel is a steal in the second round is Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III. 

After trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys have Lamb and Michael Gallup — who tore his ACL in Week 17 — at wideout. Jones will look to give Dak Prescott another weapon on the outside, and Metchie could be a steal at No. 56. 

The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Canadian caught 96 balls for 1,142 yards and scored eight touchdowns in 2021 before tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship game. By comparison, the player he replaced for ‘Bama had 106 catches for 1,999 yards and 17 TDs in his career. That player was Miami Dolphins star rookie Jaylen Waddle

Metchie would likely be a Day 1 pick if not for the injury, so Jones will see this to get his new Lamb at a discount. 

Round 3, No. 88 overall: Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati 

Now for Jerry Jones to find his 2022 Micah Parsons in this Dallas Cowboys mock draft. Myjai Sanders was a key defensive disruptor for the surprising College Football Playoff participant Cincinnati Bearcats. However, as the team’s top pass-rusher in 2021, his stats weren’t great.

Sanders only posted 2.5 sacks, but that didn’t tell the whole tale of his season. He still finished in the top five of FBS players for QB hurries, according to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy on Twitter.

The other issue with Sanders is that he played at 242-pounds at Cincinnati but showed up to the combine at 228-pounds due to an illness. That same illness seemed to affect his measurables in Indianapolis as well. The good news is, at his pro day, Sanders was back up to 247-pounds and looked much more explosive.

Sanders was a second-round pick at best heading into the draft process, but, despite getting his weight back up, his combine likely hurt his draft stock. That loss will be the Cowboys’ gain as he slips to Big D in the third.

All stats courtesy of Sports Reference

RELATED: What the Dallas Cowboys’ Plan of Attack Must Be for the 2022 NFL Offseason

Author photo
Tim Crean
Sports Editor

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.

Get to know Tim Crean better
Author photo
Tim Crean Sports Editor

Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sportscasting in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.

All posts by Tim Crean