The Dallas Cowboys had an awful 2024 season. Dallas only won seven games during the regular season and missed the playoffs. The Cowboys certainly suffered from injuries to key players like Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. It did not help that Dallas was not very aggressive to add talent during the offseason.
The Cowboys seem to have learned from that failure. They are making a concerted effort to get better this offseason, making a number of interesting moves. First, they replaced Mike McCarthy with Brian Schottenheimer at head coach.
Dallas also made several moves during free agency to improve the roster. The Cowboys brought in several defensive players, including Kaiir Elam, Jack Sanborn, Kenneth Murray Jr., Payton Turner, and Dante Fowler Jr. These players seem to align with the defensive philosophy of new DC Matt Eberflus.
Dallas is expected to make most of its improvement during the draft.
The Cowboys will have 10 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, including the 12th overall pick.
But who could the go after?
Below we will explore who the Cowboys could select in this seven-round 2025 NFL mock draft from the PFN simulator.
WR Matthew Golden – Texas – 12th overall
This is far from the first time the Cowboys have been linked with Texas WR Matthew Golden.
Golden is a talented wide receiver who thrived during his one collegiate season at Texas. He was also a capable receiver at Houston for the first few seasons of his collegiate career.
Golden is a big play waiting to happen. He has that intangible “it” factor that helps him perform in the most important moments.
He is also a dangerous kick returner, which adds addition value for NFL teams.
If the Cowboys selected Golden, he would instantly become the WR2 in Dallas behind CeeDee Lamb. Adding Golden to an offense with an already established WR1 could do wonders for him during his rookie season.
It's hard to argue with this pick, excellent work by the Cowboys here.
EDGE Princely Umanmielen – Ole Miss – 44th overall
The Cowboys make another smart addition with Umanmielen in the second round.
The edge rusher out of Ole Miss brings loads of pass rush production to the table. He is a finesse player who boasts excellent burst and bend, allowing him to sneak past offensive linemen with ease.
Umanmielen logged 10.5 sacks in 2024 in 12 games, though he only had six starts.
He does have trouble setting edges and holding up in run defense. As such, he would likely be a designated pass rusher during his rookie season.
I love this pick for the Cowboys, especially because Umanmielen has unique strengths that other players like Marshawn Kneeland seem to lack.
If this pick actually happened, I believe the plan would be to have Kneeland eventually be the early-down player and Umanmielen the third-down player opposite of Micah Parsons.
RB TreVeyon Henderson – Ohio State – 71st overall
Dallas makes a trade to move up the board for a talented running back.
In this scenario, the Cowboys send the 149th overall pick to Baltimore to move up five spots in the third round. They then use that pick to select Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson.
It is easy to understand why the Cowboys would fall in love with Henderson. He is a well rounded back who can play on all three downs.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein even compared Henderson to Jahmyr Gibbs, at least in terms of what role he have see early in his NFL career.
Henderson's ceiling is likely lower than Gibbs', but that is still a very encouraging sign for his production as a pro.
Henderson would immediately become the lead back in Dallas, overtaking Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams.
EDGE Jack Sawyer – Ohio State – 174th overall
Sawyer is an edge rusher who wins primarily with power.
If this pick happened in real life, it would likely be because the Cowboys are shocked to see Sawyer still on the board in the later rounds.
There is no immediate path to starting for Sawyer, especially after the Umanmielen pick.
Sawyer's best path to the field as a rookie could be as an interior edge rusher on obvious passing downs where the Cowboys may deploy a “NASCAR package” on defense.
G Marcus Tate – Clemson – 204th overall
Tate has good size and strength, but he has suffered multiple injuries over the past three seasons.
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As a result, it is difficult to project how Tate will translate to the NFL. If durability is a concern, then Tate could potentially have a very short NFL career.
In Dallas, Tate can sit behind Tyler Smith and Robert Jones and learn the NFL game.
The best-case scenario for Tate is that he becomes a consistent backup who could have some upside if he remains healthy.
RB Trevor Etienne – Georgia – 211st overall
In many ways, Trevor Etienne is a similar back to his brother Travis.
Etienne missed three games in 2024 because of a rib injury. He was also suspended for the season opener because of a DUI arrest.
It should be no surprise that Etienne's draft stock has tanked as a result.
The Cowboys scoop him up in the later rounds in this simulation. He would simply serve as depth for the Cowboys, especially after the addition of Henderson.
Etienne would likely start the season on the practice squad, or perhaps as RB4 behind Henderson, Williams, and Sanders.
EDGE Barryn Sorrell – Texas – 217th overall
Dallas adds yet another edge rusher in Sorrell.
Fans would likely love this pick, as he played his college football at Texas.
Sorrell is a powerful edge rusher who lacks the length most NFL teams prefer from the position. He boasts good technique and is a consistent player as a result.
Sorrell would be a rotational player at best in Dallas. He does have enough upside to justify a late-round pick.
CB Isas Waxter – Villanova – 239th overall
Waxter is a long, physical cornerback who brings plenty of passion to the football field.
He could join the Cowboys as a developmental cornerback, or perhaps switch positions and play strong safety.
Either way, Waxter is a long shot to make the final roster in Dallas.
WR Kyren Lacy – LSU – 247th overall
This pick is a decent dart throw at a receiver.
Lacy is facing some legal troubles after he played a role in a fatal car crash in December of 2024.
Understandably, many teams have removed him from their draft boards.
Ultimately this is simply a seventh-round lottery ticket that could turn into something for Dallas.
