DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – “With the 24th pick of the 2022 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys select…”
Barring a trade to move up or down, Dallas Cowboys fans will be waiting with anticipation for the words following that phrase. The first round of the NFL Draft is on April 28 and analysts are in the final stretch of researching hundreds upon hundreds of NFL prospects. One of those analysts is Dane Brulger with The Athletic.
“It’s a labor of love and it takes a full year,” Brugler said. “It’s not just watching tape and understanding what they do on the field. It’s the background. In order to know where they’re headed, we need to know where they came from.”
Brugler recently spoke with CBS DFW’s Bill Jones about who the Cowboys might take in the first round of the draft and what might happen in the later rounds.
Brugler’s first-round prediction is Boston College offensive lineman Zion Johnson. The Bowie, Maryland native weighs 316 pounds and stands at 6 feet 3 inches tall.
“I think the Cowboys would love to return to the days where that offensive line was known as the most dominant in the NFL,” Brugler said. “I just think he’d be a very safe, maybe conservative type of pick, but you feel good about the way he’s gonna stabilize your offensive line.
The Cowboys lost two starting offensive lineman this season with guard Connor Williams going to the Miami Dolphins and La’el Collins signing a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Another name in some mock drafts is Texas A&M lineman Kenyon Green. Brugler believes Green could be a dependable starter for Dallas.
“You see a guy that’s really balanced before and after contact. He’s mobile and has the competitive fire that you want.”
Another position that the Cowboys need to address is Wide Receiver following the departures of Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Two names that could be called on draft night are Arkansas’ Treylon Burks or Ohio State’s Chris Olave.
Burks’ playing style is being compared, by some, to former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant.
“Nobody in the SEC had more plays of 20+ yards last year than Treylon Burks,” Brugler said. “There’s going to be a little bit of a developmental period for him because they used to have him in the backfield and they used him in a slot where he was this more of a gadget receiver in that Arkansas offense because they wanted to manufacture touches.”
Olave is 6 feet 1 inch tall, but Brugler says the Ohio State receiver is a seasoned route runner and knows how to find the blind spot of defensive backs.
Dallas lost defensive end Randy Gregory this offseason and signed Dante Fowler as his possible replacement. However, Brugler says this year’s class of edge rushers is deep and the Cowboys could take someone like Ole Miss defensive lineman Sam Williams in the second or third round.
“You want pass rushers that make the quarterback uncomfortable,” Brugler said. “Sam Williams did that routinely in the SEC.”
Brugler said he would be surprised if the Cowboys took someone that’s not a wide receiver or offensive lineman in the first round. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of taking a linebacker if someone like Utah’s Devin Lloyd fell to the 24th pick. The Cowboys selected pro-bowler Micah Parsons with the 12th overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Watch Bill Jones’ full interview with NFL Draft Analyst Dane Brugler above.