NFL
Dallas Cowboys 3-Round Mock Draft 2.0
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.
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The Dallas Cowboys are still America’s Team, even though they haven’t hoisted the Lombardi Trophy since the mid-’90s. That means eyes around the country will be glued to TV screens as Jerry Jones and son Stephen make the organization’s picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. With the proceedings now just a week away, here is the three-round Dallas Cowboys mock draft 2.0.
Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft 1.0
In the last Sportscasting.com three-round Dallas Cowboys mock draft, Jerry Jones and company solidified the offensive line, took a wide receiver to help replace Amari Cooper, and selected an edge-rusher to fill the void left by Randy Gregory leaving. That mock draft looked like this:
- Round 1, No. 24 overall: Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
- Round 2, No. 56 overall: John Metchie III, WR, Alabama
- Round 3, No. 88 overall: Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati
As the draft gets tantalizingly close and final draft boards start to solidify, nothing about the Cowboys’ needs change. However, players have moved up and down draft boards which means the Jones’ will take the same positions, albeit with different players in a different order in this Dallas Cowboys mock draft 2.0.
Round 1, No. 24 overall: Zion Johnson, G, Boston College
I want to go on record that I think Kenyon Green from Texas A&M (who I had here in the last Dallas Cowboys mock draft) is the best pick for the ‘Boys. However, predictions are all over the place as to where Green will go. He could come off the board inside the top 20 or early in Round 2. I don’t think he makes it that far, though, because Jerry Jones will stop his fall here if he’s available.
All that said, if Green does go No. 17 to the Los Angeles Chargers on No. 21 to the New England Patriots, Boston College’s Zion Johnson is a fine consolation prize. The 6-foot-3, 312-pound guard isn’t wildly athletic, but he plays with great physicality that should make him an excellent run blocker for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard right away.
Plenty of Dallas Cowboys mock drafts have more exciting picks for Jones and his team. There are pass-rushers, linebackers, and wide receivers here, depending on where you look. The thing is, Jones has been pretty transparent that he’s taking OL here and has taken plenty of linemen in Round 1 in the past. That’s why you can book Green or Johnson in this spot.
Round 2, No. 56 overall: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State
Now, this Dallas Cowboys mock draft can start getting flashier! The fun starts with one of the late risers in the draft process, Penn State edge-rusher Arnold Ebiketie, falling to Jerry Jones and No. 56.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound pass rusher didn’t start playing football until 10th grade when he came to the States from Cameroon, so he’s still raw. But he had a nice three years at Temple before transferring to Penn State and dominating in 2021. He put up 9.5 sacks, 18 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles last season.
If Ebiketie makes it this far, it would be an excellent pick for the Cowboys as a ready-made Randy Gregory replacement. And, although they never played together, pairing Ebiketie with fellow Nittany Lion Micah Parson seems like some nice synergy.
Round 3, No. 88 overall: Calvin Austin II, WR, Memphis
Amari Cooper is gone to the Cleveland Browns. Michael Gallup is out for an unspecified amount of time with a serious knee injury. Outside of that, the Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy are looking at CeeDee Lamb and not much else to start the season (with all due respect to Simi Fehoko, Noah Brown, and James Washington).
A receiver is a must next week, which is why Jerry Jones picks Memphis wideout Calvin Austin II in the third round of this Dallas Cowboys mock draft. Austin is a 5-foot-8, 170-pound speedster who ran a blazing 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine.
Yes, Austin is small and may actually remind Cowboys fans of another small, fast WR who was a draft bust and was ironically also named Austin. Tavon Austin spent two relatively unproductive seasons in the middle of his career in Dallas, but Calvin Austin II has a fearlessness that most pass-catchers his size don’t possess.
At worst, Calvin Austin II should be a plus return man right out of the gate for Dallas. At best, he could be a unique, game-breaking weapon. Also, won’t Cowboys fans get a good vibe from the team taking a WR at pick No. 88?
All stats courtesy of Sports Reference
