Why The Dallas Cowboys Need To Land Offensive Playmaker In Round 1 Of The 2023 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys need to draft an offensive playmaker in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

As the Cowboys prepare to make the 26th pick in the first round of the NFL draft, they don’t have many glaring holes. However, they do have a few question marks at key positions.

Dallas has several positions that they need to address as they seek to compete with the Philadelphia Eagles for NFC supremacy. Those three positions are the following: running back, tight end and wide receiver.

While many will offer differing opinions as to which position is the priority, one thing is for certain — the Cowboys need to land an offensive playmaker ready to contribute immediately in the first round.

Despite picking late in the first round, there won’t be any shortage of options at either position for Dallas. And if the Cowboys do like a player that is projected to go earlier in the first round, they can always trade up — as team owner Jerry Jones and EVP Stephen Jones hinted at while speaking to reporters during Dallas’ pre-draft media conference with reporters.

“Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said there are trade discussions happening, but nothing concrete,” Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken wrote. “‘Very few trades are done in the back end.’ Little sense today on how board will fall. ‘I just think it will be a game-day decision, if you will, on how it evolves.’”

If the Cowboys trade up a few spots in the first round, they’d be in position to land the draft’s best running back in the University of Texas’ Bijan Robinson. The Unanimous All-American is making the rounds due to being linked to a number of teams, with some draft experts projecting Robinson to be drafted as high as No. 10 to the Eagles.

Considering Tony Pollard is coming off of a broken fibula injury and has never proven to be a full-time starting back, Dallas may find it vital to seek Ezekiel Elliott’s replacement by drafting Robinson.

As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes, teams believe Robinson is in the class of Elliott and New York Giants star Saquon Barkley.

“I’ve had a bunch of teams tell me Bijan Robinson and Jalen Carter are the best players in the draft, and that Robinson is in the class of Saquon Barkley and Zeke Elliott,” writes Breer. “So Thursday night will be a great litmus test on the extent to which RB value has deteriorated.”

Outside of Robinson, there are other options at running back at the No. 26 pick such as the University of Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs.

When looking at other positions of need for the Cowboys, tight end is rich with prospects, with Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and the University of Georgia’s Darnell Washington all within reach with the Cowboys’ No. 26 pick.

Dallas is looking to fill the void left by Dak Prescott’s former safety blanket in Dalton Schultz. While Jake Ferguson showed potential during his rookie season as an oft-used tight end behind Schultz, the Cowboys may want a pass-catcher with a higher ceiling.

For example, Mayer has been compared to a number of tight ends, including Rob Gronkowski and Cowboys great Jason Witten. Matt Miller of ESPN actually projects Dallas to select Mayer with the 26th overall pick.

“There is no way in hell Jerry Jones passes up a Jason Witten clone if he’s on the board,” said a rival scout.

“That’s how one rival scout with over 20 years in the business described this projection,” writes Miller. “Mayer would be a safety valve in the middle of the field for Dak Prescott; he caught 180 passes for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons in South Bend. Mayer is a great run-blocker but also might have the best hands of any pass-catcher in this class.”

Considering Prescott’s struggles last season — he led the NFL with 15 interceptions despite missing five games — having a safety valve over the middle at tight end is extremely key if Prescott is to take care of the football better during the 2023 season.

And lastly, wide receiver may be the position of least concern amongst the three positions of need. However, considering Michael Gallup is coming off a disastrous season following his recovery from an ACL injury, the Cowboys may want to find a young option capable of filling the No. 3 role behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.

Some believe the Cowboys could draft wide receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College. The speedy receiver has a small frame (5-foot-9, 182 pounds), which doesn’t align with head coach Mike McCarthy’s prototype for receivers — 10 of his 19 receivers drafted were either 6-foot-1 or 6-foot-2 — but he has the skill set to play the slot receiver role for Dallas. Flowers is projected to drafted around No. 25 overall by big boards.

Regardless of what position the Cowboys decide to address in the first round, they need to hit it big with an offensive playmaker. Whether or not Dallas gets it right with their pick could be the difference between a Super Bowl appearance and another early playoff exit for the Cowboys.