The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a disastrous 2024 campaign that saw the team miss out on the playoffs for the first time this decade. After Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, the Cowboys spluttered to a 7-10 finish.
If watching your bitter rivals lift the Lombardi Trophy from your couch doesn’t spark change, then nothing will. The Cowboys have a lot of work to do if they are to compete in an NFC East division that features both teams that made the 2024 NFC Championship Game. In the latest seven-round Mock Draft from PFSN’s Reese Decker, the team goes all-in on its offense in the early rounds.
12) Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
“Matthew Golden was the fastest receiver at the NFL Scouting Combine and the second-fastest player (behind only Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston). His 4.29-second 40-yard dash time isn’t the sole reason he’s being considered here, but it further validates his impressive film from both Houston and Texas. The elite route runner now steps in as a true complement to a wide receiver room led by CeeDee Lamb,” Decker said.
Golden’s impressive hands and smooth route-running are far more obvious on film than his speed is. His lightning-quick 40-yard dash seems to have pushed him into the first-round conversation, but he could arguably have been there already. The Cowboys have lacked a true one-two punch at receiver since trading away Amari Cooper in 2022, they make that right with Golden.
He had 24 career touchdowns in college, including two kick return scores, and while the Cowboys already have KaVontae Turpin for their special teams role, he provides some versatility.
44) Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
Dallas overlooked its running back room in 2024 and paid the price. Only two teams managed fewer rushing yards per attempt than the Cowboys in 2024, while none scored fewer rushing touchdowns.
Quinshon Judkins has dominated throughout his college career. As a freshman in 2022, Judkins tallied 1,567 rushing yards, the second-most of all time by a freshman in the SEC. Judkins topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his three college seasons, despite splitting time with TreVeyon Henderson in 2024. After adding a top receiver in Round 1, Dallas gets a national champion in the second.
76) Jonah Savaiinaea, OT, Arizona
Dallas gets a steal in the third round of Decker’s Mock Draft, taking Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea. Savaiinaea showed his quickness at the NFL Combine, running a sub-five-second 40-yard dash at over 320 pounds. After adding some big offensive weapons in the first two rounds, trying to keep Prescott healthy enough to use them becomes the priority.
149) Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State
After spectating the fourth round, Dallas makes its first Day 3 pick in the fifth. Jordan Hancock is slight in build, so a career as a hard-hitting downhill tackle machine isn’t on the cards. He did manage two tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 2024, though, so he can be a chess piece on defense. Eight passes defended and one interception in 2024 showed off his effectiveness in the passing game.
Hancock registered a vertical jump of 41.5″ at his Pro Day, which was bettered by only one player at the NFL Combine.
174) Kaimon Rucker, EDGE, North Carolina
Kaimon Rucker’s above-average speed won’t make up for his smaller 6’1″, 254-pound frame, but his 27 bench-press reps might. Rucker managed 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss over his final two years in college.
204) Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech
Eight sacks over his final two years in college is a respectable output for a player who transferred for the 2024 season. Five passes defended in that same period highlight a playmaking tendency that could come up big at any moment.
211) Dalton Cooper, OT, Oklahoma State
After three years at Texas State, Dalton Cooper secured a move to the Big 12 with Oklahoma State. Cooper earned All-Big 12 honorable mentions in 2023 before a knee injury saw him miss the end of his final year.
217) Kaden Prather, WR, Maryland
Kaden Prather’s two seasons at Maryland were enough to see him drafted but did nothing to get teams overly excited. His 98 receptions for 1,290 yards and nine touchdowns over his final two years in college will see him get a shot in the NFL. Prather’s middling production is perhaps summed up by the fact that his promising 6’4″ frame was anchored by the worst vertical jump of any receiver at the NFL Combine (30″).
239) Craig Woodson, S, California
Craig Woodson missed the entire 2021 season with an injury but responded in a big way. After impressing in both 2022 and 2023, Woodson took a further leap in 2024. Seventy tackles (45 solo), three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and nine passes defended suggest that Woodson could be a late-round contributor.
247) Eli Cox, OC, Kentucky
Eli Cox showed off some impressive lower-body power at the NFL Combine, posting eye-catching numbers in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle, and three-cone drill. Known for his leadership, Cox may have the traits to carve out an NFL career.