Cowboys Assumed to Select “Explosive Playmaker” as No. 2 Wide Receiver
Getting a receiver to back up CeeDee Lamb is not going to be the top priority among all the concerns the Cowboys might address in the NFL draft, especially if Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup continue to play as well as they did in Week 10.
However, the skill position players are expected to be well-represented in the 2024 draft, and if all goes well, the Cowboys might not be able to pass on one. In Sports Illustrated’s most recent mock draft, which has LSU standout Malik Nabers as the top Cowboys NFL draft pick at No. 22, that is how things end up shaping up.
In his sophomore season, Nabers amassed more than 1,000 receiving yards; however, in his first ten games as a junior, he gained 1,284 yards—the most in all of college football—and had ten touchdowns. Two weeks ago, in a defeat to Alabama, he amassed 171 yards on ten catches.
Luke Easterling, the site’s draft expert, writes: “The Cowboys may be forced to make a decision if the board proceeds in this manner due to the wealth of talent among the pass catchers. With opposition teams having to worry about Lamb, Nabers—an explosive playmaker who thrives after the catch—would be even more dangerous.
Positions with Skill Could Rule First Draft Day
The skill positions are unquestionably in their dominant position throughout the NFL mock draft circuit. Five months before the draft actually takes place, quarterbacks are the ones receiving the most attention. Drake Maye of North Carolina and Caleb Williams of USC are the two players who could contend for the first pick.
However, on the first day of the NFL Draft, wide receivers might rule. Six quarterbacks and six receivers are selected in the first round of SI’s mock draft. There are five quarterbacks and seven receivers at Pro Football Focus. With eight wide receivers selected in the first round of its mock draft, USA Today predicts the largest volume of wide receiver dominance.
Other common first-round selections are offensive tackles and edge rushers. Those are definitely potential areas of interest for the Cowboys NFL draft pick in 2019.
Cowboys NFL Draft: A Major Pick in Nabers
It is difficult to predict whether a guy such as Nabers would be available for the Cowboys at No. 22, and it is quite unlikely that he would be there should Dallas continue to improve and fall further down the selection board.
Nabers is reportedly dominating at No. 9 according to Pro Football Focus. USA Today pegs him at number eight. If Nabers managed to get within the Cowboys’ clutches, that would be a pretty lucky slide. He would be a valuable asset for quarterback Dak Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy.
Nevertheless, it’s a good idea, particularly since the Cowboys could play Nabers on the sideline or shift him inside.
“The LSU receiver room is again stacked with NFL talent, and Nabers is right at the top,” the writer of PFF’s article about Nabers earlier in the season wrote. Due to his split time in the slot (48.9% of snaps) and out wide (51.1%), he provides positional versatility. Through six weeks, he has eight more first downs and touchdowns than the next closest receiver with a total of 38.
