LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on against the Washington Football Team during the third quarter at FedExField on December 12, 2021 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Cowboys Trade Up, Draft 6-7 Georgia Lineman in Latest NFL Mock
FRISCO – The Cowboys were once again ousted from the NFL postseason tournament before the NFC Championship game and are now faced with an offseason full of questions.
Some of those questions involve the contract status of pending free agents, but others include the draft. Dallas has some potential holes to fill this offseason and April’s NFL Draft could be an important time for the Cowboys.
Pro Football Network recently released its latest mock draft and has Dallas projected to make a trade in the first round to add a big offensive lineman. PFN says the Cowboys will trade up with the Texans and select Georgia’s Amarius Mims.
“With Georgia OT Amarius Mims falling down the order, the MDS pulls off the only automated trade in this 2024 NFL Mock Draft,” Hodgkinson explains. “It makes sense, too, with the Dallas Cowboys needing talent and youth on the offensive front.”
The Cowboys have enjoyed two future Hall of Famers along the offensive line for the last decade, but age and injuries are catching up with Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has addressed this to a point by extending Terence Steele and drafting Tyler Smith.
Smith seems to be a long-term solution, while the jury is still out on Steele, who comes at a high price.
While Mims didn’t get a lot of playing time at Georgia and might lack the experience to have an immediate impact, his size and upside are undeniable. Mims is 6-7, 340 pounds – large even by NFL standards.
Mock drafts include the word “mock” for a reason and speculation is surely fun. But whoever the Cowboys take in the first round almost surely needs to be able to make an immediate impact.
Last season with their first selection, the Cowboys took defensive tackle Mazi Smith out of Michigan, who struggled to find playing time until injuries necessitated it.
Dallas needs a home run first-round pick regardless of the position. But it would be nice for the Cowboys to find a long-term contributor on the offensive line.
