2023 NFL Draft: What do the Cowboys need? Projected picks in every round

With essentially all of the starting spots in defense addressed after some smooth moves in free agency, the Cowboys are in a perfect position coming into this year’s Draft. That’s of course, before we even mention the trade for former Defensive Player of the Year cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, as well as the addition of an established No. 2 wide receiver in Brandin Cooks.

Addressing the Cowboys’ needs

As mentioned before, the Cowboys come into Draft night in a relatively solid position and with that in mind, the Jones brothers - Jerry and Stephen - disclosed what their thinking was heading into the all-important night with the 26th overall pick. “We may be interested in going down, or maybe up,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Monday. “Or we might sit there, but keep us on your mind.” Do consider, that Dallas haven’t made any significant trade-ups since 2012, the team selected LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne sixth overall after sending its 14th overall pick and 45th overall pick (second round) to the Rams.

“I just feel like where we’re picking at No. 26, it’s so difficult to know right now,” Cowboys COO, EVP and director of player personnel, Stephen Jones, said about potentially shifting their 26th overall selection. “You’ve got to let the draft play out, and that takes hours. You’ve got plenty of time to be talking about it as guys are coming off and guys are starting to fall that you might like. Not unlike what happened with CeeDee Lamb [17th overall in 2020 NFL Draft] a couple of years ago. You really don’t know until it happens. You can read all of the mock drafts, you can see all of the things that we’re told quietly by other general managers, but you’ll never know until you’re there.”

The 2023 NFL Draft is going to be unique

One of the interesting things to note about this year’s Draft, is that the large majority of teams don’t have as many first-round prospects on their draft boards. As Stephen Jones explained, the Cowboys have around 15-17 prospects graded as first-round level, compared with what it usually stands at which is 20. With that in mind we can expect to see some intriguing scenarios playing out on Thursday night. “You’re not going to know anything close to what we might do,” Jerry Jones said. “Because I don’t.”

Tony Pollard is central to the Cowboys’ Draft strategy

As you probably know, the Cowboys have got a star in Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard. League leader in scrimmage yards per touch with 5.9 in 2022, Pollard has recently returned from a broken fibula which he suffered during Dallas’ divisional round playoff loss at the San Francisco 49ers. With that said, expect him to play a major role in how the Cowboys go about addressing the running back position. Pollard will turn 26 at the end of this month and heads into the 2023 season on a franchise tag with a fully guaranteed salary of $10.09 million.

“It’s going to be a tough decision as we move forward where’s Tony going to be, Pollard, and how he fits,” Stephen Jones said Monday. “He’s going to be here this year, and he’s franchised and that shows you what we think of him. We also like to look at keeping him around here for the next three or four years as well.” With that said, it’s interesting to note that Dallas has not passed on the idea of going after Texas’ running back Bijan Robinson, who is considered one of the Draft’s most coveted prospects overall. “I’m sure when that first day is over [of this year’s NFL Draft], he’s certainly gonna have a team, and you never know,” Jones said.

What then do the Cowboys need?

For starters, it would be fair to say that the Cowboys need the following positions: OG, S, DL, LB, RB, C, TE. With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of what that could look like in the Draft across the seven rounds, as well as a look at the 26th pick specifically:

Projected Cowboys 2023 draft picks per round

Projections for Cowboys’ 26th overall pick