2020 NFL Mock Draft: Do the Cowboys still have viable dynasty weapons?

In the last week, I was able to use the new Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator to put together a seven-round 2020 NFL mock draft for the Dallas Cowboys. The team has gone through a plethora of changes this offseason and will look completely different next year. The cornerstones are still in place, however, with the fantasy-relevant trio of Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper all returning. But, what about the draft? The Cowboys will surely be adding some weapons next week, but how will that talent impact the viability of their fantasy football stars in dynasty leagues?

By breaking down who I believe the Cowboys will add in the 2020 NFL Draft, we can predict whether or not they will find more or less success than last season. The team had some high points, but they also severely disappointed. But, if you have some of these players on your dynasty rosters, you are likely in a good place. Will that be the same in 2020?

Another #CowboysNation mock draft with @PFN365 simulator! With a full break down available here https://t.co/8M6Vj8gIpi pic.twitter.com/sFRBLdTwRY

— Ryan Gosling (@rygosling) April 13, 2020

How the Cowboys can make Dak Prescott the must-own dynasty weapon in 2020 

The Dallas Cowboys were the epitome of frustrating last season. Fantasy football-wise, they were inside the top-10 in both total offense and defense. Yet, somehow they found themselves sitting outside of the playoff picture with an 8-8 record. They were a top-five offense, averaging 3.1 touchdowns per game and 27 points per game overall. They moved the ball at will, averaging 431 yards.

Prescott had his best season in his young career, as he turned in the second-best fantasy performance for a QB in 2019. The only quarterback that played better was Lamar Jackson.

Dak finished the year with 4,902 passing yards, a 65.1% completion percentage, 30 TDs, and only 11 interceptions. From a fantasy standpoint, he generated 337.78 fantasy points and was able to play in all 16 games. All of this was done with his receivers leading the NFL in dropped passes with 36. What makes him such a vital dynasty piece is that he is still only 26 years old.

With the Cowboys still refusing to sign Dak to the long-term contract that he wants, they instead opted to use the franchise tag on him this season. For fantasy, this could prove to be important. He will once again be looking to increase his payday by putting up some impressive numbers. There is nothing better for a fantasy football quarterback than a desire to impress for a big contract.

While Prescott may not seem like the most appealing fantasy name, he has never finished outside the top-12 quarterbacks in fantasy scoring. The team was able to bring back his lead weapon in Cooper on a long-term contract extension, and the only elements he lost were Jason Witten and Randall Cobb.

Who do they target in the 2020 NFL Draft? 

What the Cowboys need to do in the draft to help Prescott is add both a skilled slot receiver and continue to build up their offensive line. In my mock, the Cowboys added Minnesota WR Tyler Johnson in the fourth round. Surprisingly, Cobb had his best season since 2015 last year with the Cowboys and will be missed in the slot.

Johnson is a force in the slot. With the Golden Gophers last year, he compiled 86 receptions for 1,318 yards and 13 touchdowns, garnering him first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Jeeeez Minnesota WR Tyler Johnson knows how to cook at the LOS. Hesitation release, attacks outside shoulder, plants and slants. Easy 6. pic.twitter.com/5mmx8Z9xTr

— Rob Paul (@RobPaulNFL) April 28, 2019

If you look at what Cobb was able to do in the slot, 828 yards and three TDs, inserting Johnson in his place would be considered an upgrade, in my opinion. If you simply compare the size of Cobb and Johnson, you will see that the young Golden Gopher is not only heavier but also taller. Cobb comes in at 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds, whereas Johnson is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. Johnson uses that size to dominate in 50/50 catches.

Cobb finished WR41 in fantasy last season. Due to his age, he isn’t much of a factor in dynasty. However, if Johnson lands in Dallas, he would be a late-round sleeper that could have a top-30 fantasy finish. Prescott loves to throw to the slot. A lot of those passes were going to Cobb and Witten. In 2020, they could be going to Johnson.

Will the offensive line be elite enough to help Prescott?

Much of the offensive line for Dallas will return in 2020. The most significant loss will be the surprise retirement of center Travis Frederick. In his seven years as part of the Cowboys organization, Frederick started 96 games. He played 100% of the offensive snaps in his six healthy seasons. The former first-round pick missed the entirety of the 2018 season with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system.

However, Frederick in 2019, was not the same player he was before his diagnosis. He still performed but admitted that he struggled, “I could no longer perform at my highest level.”

Luckily for Prescott and this Cowboys offense, the rest of the o-line picked up the slack. The emergence of La’el Collins at right tackle was a big part of the reason Prescott had a protection rate of 85.8%, fifth in the NFL.

Will that continue in 2020? Well, the Cowboys will now rely on the 30-year-old Joe Looney to step in for Frederick. They also have last year’s third-round pick, Connor McGovern. But in my most recent mock, I have the Cowboys drafting another center in the fifth-round, Washington’s Nick Harris.

Harris combines a stocky build and natural leverage with remarkably quick feet. His best attribute is likely going to be his ability to develop and learn from his teammates. Looney and McGovern will continue to take the lead, but Harris could develop into a reliable cog in this o-line.

In 2018, without Frederick, Prescott’s protection rate was 79.9% (22nd in the NFL) with Looney at center. If McGovern and Harris cannot develop quickly, this could have an impact on Dak and the time he has to throw the ball.

A big part of the young QB’s success in 2019 was him being more accurate than ever on deep passes. His 52.6% adjusted completion rate on deep throws — a career high — ranked third among quarterbacks with at least 30 attempts of 20-plus yards. He will need to be protected to continue this success, especially if he wants to be a top fantasy QB this season.

I do not believe the loss of Frederick is enough to hurt Prescott’s dynasty value. With the addition of a talented slot receiver and the return of the rest of the o-line, Dak will likely continue to challenge for QB1. By combining his ability to throw down-field and his rushing upside – he finished third in yards per attempt (5.3) among quarterbacks with more than 25 carries – Prescott will be a must-own dynasty QB.

Will Ezekiel Elliott continue to be a top-five RB?

Unlike Prescott, Elliott was given the long-term contract extension he was hoping for. After getting paid, Elliott produced another top-five fantasy season, finishing as RB3. His 301 carries were second in the league to Derrick Henry, and he finished the season with 1,357 yards, scoring 14 total TDs.

With the potential drop in offensive line performance, should Elliott still be a top-five dynasty option? There are a number of reasons to be concerned about him and his production with Dallas.

First, rookie RB Tony Pollard had an immediate impact on Elliott’s production last year. He went from 77 catches in 2018 to 54 a year ago. Pollard was being used more and more as the passing down back and found success in that role. However, even without the passing game, he was still able to average 19.7 points per game but that was largely due to his TDs and redzone success.

One other concern last season was Dallas’ terrible play calling. Under Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, in certain situations or packages, you knew he would be getting the ball, allowing defenses to stack the box. Even though Garrett will not be returning in 2020, Moore will still be calling plays.

We do not know how new head coach Mike McCarthy will run this offense, and the unknown is always a concern when drafting in dynasty football leagues. One element that helped Elliott in the past was that Dallas liked to run the ball. They ran 42% of the time last season and were ninth in rush attempts per game at 28. In his last full season with Green Bay, the Packers ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing attempts per game.

Luckily for Elliott, I don’t see Dallas bringing in another back in this year’s draft. But with Pollard’s role potentially increasing and McCarthy more of a pass-happy head coach, I do think Elliott could have a “down” year compared to his others. Not enough for him to fall out of top-five, but enough to make him the third option behind Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. He is still young, and in dynasty startups, you won’t go wrong with Elliott on your team, but I would be hesitant when projecting a big year in 2020.

The Cowboys will likely focus on defense in the 2020 NFL Draft, does that impact their dynasty value?

The Dallas Cowboys will focus on rebuilding their decimated defense in the NFL Draft. Among some of their needs are a second EDGE rusher, a nose tackle, and a long-term solution at safety. After losing Byron Jones, Jeff Heath, Maliek Collins, and Robert Quinn this offseason, the team needed to stop the bleeding.

They were able to do so by adding guys like Aldon Smith, Dontari Poe, Gerald McCoy, and Ha-Ha Clinton Dix to their rosters. These veteran players will help the defense, but they will look to the draft early and often to shore everything up.

In my most recent mock, I have Dallas using their first-round pick to select edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson. They then use three more draft picks to add defensive players. Ultimately, in my mind, the Cowboys will be able to add enough guys to help with some of the losses.

In 2019, the Cowboys ranked 24th in defensive fantasy points. They had 39 sacks, six fumble recoveries, and averaged 5.1 points per game. It is rare we talk about defenses when looking at fantasy football, but they can be important for two reasons.

First, as was evident last year with New England, an elite defensive unit can bring enough fantasy points to carry your team. In 2019, the Patriots averaged 10.4 fantasy points per game. However, in their first six games, thanks to a soft schedule, they were averaging over 20 points per game.

Secondly, if you know a team is going to struggle on defense, there is a good chance that they are going to need to score points to keep up with their opponents. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl with the 12th ranked fantasy football defense. But, they scored enough points so that the defense didn’t really matter.

Because Dallas’ secondary is going to be their biggest weakness in 2020, I think they will be similar to last year’s Chiefs. They will have a strong pass rush, but they will need to put up points to compete. With them bringing in so many young defensive stars in the draft, I think they have late-round value in dynasty. I would stash them, but 2020 might be a struggle. Keep this in mind when drafting their offensive weapons.

The biggest winners in 2020

The biggest dynasty winners for 2020 are Cooper, second-year receiver Michael Gallup, and tight end Blake Jarwin. In my mock draft, the only offensive weapon being added is Johnson for use in the slot. None of the receiving options will need to compete for targets with Dallas focused on rebuilding the defense.

During the offseason, Cooper signed a five-year contract worth $100 million. In terms of dynasty, he will remain the Cowboys’ number one option for the next few years. In 2019, he crossed the 1000 yard mark on 79 receptions and notched eight touchdowns. He finished as WR10 on the year.

Gallup produced an impressive season as well, with 1,107 yards and six TDs. He suffered from some drops, contributing 13 to the season total. He should be able to ameliorate his report with Prescott throughout the offseason and have an even better year in 2020.

With Witten leaving, that leaves Jarwin as the lone tight end option. Prescott relied on Witten in the endzone and on crucial third down plays. If Jarwin can step into that role, he could be a decent dynasty sleeper. He is only 25 years old and will be able to develop with the team.

Cooper, Gallup, and Jarwin are all worth bench spots on your roster without hesitation. Depending on what Dallas decides to do in the draft, this could change. If, however, they choose to go with something similar to the mock I created, then the Cowboys will be chock-full of viable dynasty weapons for years to come.