The Cowboys struggled after quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5, finishing the 2020 campaign with a 6-10 record. The offensive line, usually a strength for Dallas, was injury-riddled even before the first snap of the year. After Travis Frederick retired in the offseason, the Cowboys lost La’el Collins for the season with a hip injury. Tyron Smith was then sidelined early in the year with a neck injury, followed by Zack Martin midway through the season with a calf injury. The Cowboys struggled to replace their starters, and the weakened offensive line hindered Ezekiel Elliott and spelled trouble for the crew of backup quarterbacks in Dallas. While the Cowboys will be hoping for a healthier 2021 season for the offensive line, adding depth would at least partially alleviate worries of a repeat situation.
The Cowboys have considered trading away the 10th overall pick but have yet to do so. If they don’t trade down, the most likely selection at No. 10 overall would be a cornerback to play opposite of Trevon Diggs. Anthony Brown agreed to a three-year deal last offseason but only started eight games in 2020. Elsewhere in the secondary, Xavier Woods’ departure to Minnesota leaves a hole at safety. The Cowboys can look to fill that gap in first-year defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense with one of their six Saturday picks.
Last year, Dallas used its first-round pick on CeeDee Lamb, who started 14 games and finished the season with over 900 receiving yards. Diggs was the Cowboys’ second-round pick, and fellow cornerback Reggie Robinson II was their fourth-round selection. Quarterback Ben DiNucci, drafted in the seventh round, earned a start against Philadelphia in Week 8 after Andy Dalton suffered a concussion the previous week.
Click here for the entire 2021 NFL Draft order and keep reading to see who the Cowboys take in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Dallas Cowboys 2021 NFL Draft Picks:
- Round 1, pick 12 (from PHI) - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
- Round 2, pick 44 - Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky
- Round 3, pick 75 - Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA
- Round 3, pick 84 - Chauncey Golston, DE, Iowa
- Round 3, pick 99 - Nahshon Wright, CB, Oregon State
- Round 4, pick 115 - Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
- Round 4, pick 138 - Josh Ball, OT, Marshall
- Round 5, pick 179 - Simi Fehoko, WR, Stanford
- Round 6, pick 192 - Quinton Bohanna, DT, Kentucky
- Round 6, pick 227 - Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina
- Round 7, pick 238 - Matt Farniok, G, Nebraska
Click here to see all of Dallas’s picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Check out draft picks for other teams in the NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles 2021 draft picks