The last few mock drafts to sneak in under the wire saved the biggest surprises for the very end. We’ve got some names that might be new first-round possibilities as the picks are about to start for real. In other draft news, we’re using the team’s own words to guess at what they’re really thinking at tight end and offensive line, a top defender reveals what Dan Quinn told him about how he’d be used in Dallas, and a coveted running back picks his ideal quarterback… much to the chagrin of the Cowboys faithful.
Meanwhile, there’s a mass exodus happening in Boulder as dozens of Buffaloes players decide the Coach Prime circus isn’t worth sticking around for, the Cowboys explain how they’re viewing the new S2 cognition test, Coach McCarthy speaks on the players he’s expecting to make the proverbial jump in Years Two and Three, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces who will make the emotional presentation when Cowboys legend Chuck Howley is finally welcomed to Canton. That and more, right here in your News and Notes.
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Cowboys Wire’s final 2023 1st-round mock draft: 5 QBs, 4 WRs, 3 trades :: Cowboys Wire
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Buckle up; Thursday’s first round feels like it’s going to be a roller coaster ride. This final mock of the season sees two teams swap picks inside the top 12; the Cowboys then traded back from No. 26. The Saints used that selection to take wide receiver Zay Flowers; Dallas comes back with the 29th pick to take Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. (They lose out on O’Cyrus Torrence and Jahmyr Gibbs with the move.)
2023 mock draft: NFL Nation reporters make first-round predictions :: ESPN
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The network’s NFL Nation beat reporters mocked their teams’ first-round picks just before the real thing. Todd Archer selected Iowa State’s Will McDonald IV for the Cowboys. “A defense can always use more pass-rushers,” Archer argued, even though “pass rush is the strength of the defense at the moment.” Tight ends Darnell Washington and Sam LaPorta were his other considerations.
Top DE prospect reveals Dan Quinn’s possible plan :: Voch Lombardi (Twitter)
Cowboys’ McCarthy definitely has a type at TE. Who fits it in Class of ’23? :: Cowboys Wire
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“As many 6-4, 250 pound men that can play on four downs: I don’t think you can have enough of that body type on your team,” the coach said. All four current Cowboys tight ends are right there; so are the top four TE prospects in this year’s draft class. McCarthy has come to believe that tight end has evolved into a primary position in today’s game, so he may use a high pick on one this time around.
Bijan’s pick for QB won’t make Cowboys fans happy :: NFL on ESPN :: (Twitter)
2023 NFL Draft: Six potential surprise first-rounders :: NFL.com
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There’s always one or two names who sneak into the first round and take the pundits by surprise. On Thursday night, keep an eye out for Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison, Syracuse tackle Matthew Bergeron, Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson, Michigan cornerback DJ Turner II, Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, and Forbes, the aforementioned cornerback from Mississippi State.
Cowboys ‘feel great’ about Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko; will likely still draft OL early :: Cowboys Wire
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McCarthy is encouraged by what he’s seen from the team’s younger and mostly inexperienced linemen, but the front office firmly believes that “you like to have, in a perfect world, eight or nine guys that you feel comfortable going into the game.” Drafting another big body (or two) up front is likely to happen, and the team’s best OL returns have come on early-round picks.
Announced: 2023 Cowboys draft events calendar :: The Mothership
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Fans in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have a full slate of draft events to choose from this weekend at The Star in Frisco. Live coverage of all the picks will be shown on the big screen at Tostitos Championship Plaza, accompanied by player autograph signings, performances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue, lawn games, and live music. Saturday’s activities include a 5K road race.
McCarthy excited to see which second- and third-year Cowboys make ‘the jump’ :: Cowboys Wire
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The new draft class will get the attention, but McCarthy is eager to see which second- and third-year Cowboys can make the proverbial jump, skillwise. That group includes early bloomers like Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith, promising talents like Sam Williams and Quinton Bohanna, and long shots with much still to prove, like Markquese Bell and Simi Fehoko.
Dallas Cowboys become latest NFL team to use S2 Cognition tests :: Dallas Morning News
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Not every team is using the S2 Cognition test, but the Cowboys have been “very impressed” with it as a way to quantify split-second reaction times to visual stimuli on a computer screen. The S2 has replaced the famous Wonderlic test, but McCarthy was quick to point out that it’s merely “another tool” for evaluating a player. “I know as a coach, you don’t want to get too far away from the video,” he explained.
Cowboys contingent throws down for Stars’ Game 5 win :: Dallas Stars (Twitter)
Bob Lilly to present Chuck Howley at 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement :: Pro Football Hall of Fame
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The man so intertwined with the franchise’s history that he is called, simply, “Mr. Cowboy” will present linebacker Chuck Howley during the Class of 2023’s enshrinement this summer. Lilly was among the former teammates who told Howley he had been voted into the Hall. The two played in back-to-back Super Bowls in the early 1970s; Lilly also helped induct Howley into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 1977.
Colorado’s transfer portal exodus: The numbers behind Deion Sanders’ extreme roster purge :: The Athletic
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Coach Prime’s arrival in Boulder has not been positive for everyone. Nearly 20 Buffaloes players entered the transfer portal on Monday alone, just two days after the team sold out the stadium for their annual spring scrimmage. In all, 41 players have left since Sanders took over the program. That’s record turnover in a new coach’s first six months. “We’re gonna reload and get some kids that we really identify with,” Sanders said.
Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire