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NFL Draft: 4 Players the Dallas Cowboys Should Target With the No. 24 Overall Pick
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’ 2021 season ended in disappointment yet again. A late-game scramble with no timeouts ended the team’s Super Bowl dreams. Now it’s time to regroup and plan for 2022. That planning starts with the 2022 NFL Draft.
As a playoff team, the Cowboys don’t pick until No. 24. Despite the late first-round pick, the franchise should be able to find a solid player and address one of its most significant needs.
Here are four players the Dallas Cowboys should target with the 24th pick in the NFL draft.
Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M
In my three-round Dallas Cowboys mock NFL draft, Kenyon Green is the pick. The 6-foot-3, 323-pound guard is the type of lineman Jerry Jones loves. He is a big road grader who can open holed for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Green is also an improving pass protector. He played every line position but center at Texas A&M and could fill in at tackle in a pinch for the ‘Boys.
Boston College’s Zion Johnson is another option here. However, Johnson doesn’t offer the size or versatility that the Cowboys seem to prefer with their linemen. Also, Jones has been candid about going with an offensive lineman unless a massive prospect falls to 24, so Green seems like the most likely selection.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa
The other offensive lineman that Jerry Jones might not be able to pass up if he falls is Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. Current center Tyler Biadasz has played well in two seasons in the middle of the line, but PFF did grade him as the weakest link on the 2021 unit. With Connor Williams gone, guard is a much bigger need. But Linderbaum might be too special to pass up.
The Iowa snapper is slightly undersized at 6-foot-2, 296-pounds, but he’s a generational prospect at the position. His NFL.com scouting report compares the player to All-Pro Jason Kelce, and NFL Next Gen State gives him a 99 “Elite” grade.
Jones knows an incredible value in the NFL draft when he sees one (e.g., Micah Parsons). This means, he might jump all over Linderbaum if he slips.
George Karlaftis, EDGE, Purdue
In addition to losing key offensive linemen in 2022 free agency, the Dallas Cowboys shockingly lost defensive end Randy Gregory as well. That leaves an aging and injured DeMarcus Lawrence, decent young prospect Dorance Armstrong Jr., and journeyman Tarell Basham as the team’s DE options for 2022.
Adding a dynamic young rusher would help the Cowboys’ defense immensely. After the incredible seasons by Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, adding one more dynamic playmaker on that side of the ball could set Big D’s Big D up for massive success for years to come.
Purdue’s George Karalaftis, the Greek god of pass rush, is 6-foot-4, 266-pounds of pure motor that doesn’t stop until he gets to the QB. This is an NFL-ready DE and, as an underappreciated Big 10 pass rusher with no quit in him, it’s hard not to see the J.J. Watt vibes.
Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas
Jerry Jones says he’ll take an offensive lineman unless a CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons falls to him at No. 24 in the NFL draft. It wouldn’t be a shock if Jones saw 6-foot-2, 225-pound Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks as another Lamb.
The Dallas Cowboys need to replace Amari Cooper, especially with Michael Gallup’s return from injury timeline unknown. An “A.J. Brown (with more wiggle),” as his NFL.com scouting report calls him, could be just the player to do that. Burks caught 66 balls for 1,104 yards and scored 11 touchdowns last season. And he plays faster than his 4.55-second combine 40-yard dash indicates.
Burks could be the thunder to Lamb’s lighting, and that sounds right up Jones’ alley.
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