SB Nation NFL mock draft: Cowboys hope No. 12 pick can fill void left by Jourdan Lewis’ departure
Will Johnson, the cornerback out of Michigan, should pair well with Trevon Diggs.
All the Cowboys have seemingly done this offseason is sign former first-round draft picks in free agency and make the news for Jerry Jones saying something disrespectful about ta prominent NFL agent or what have you.
The first part is an interesting strategy. The latter part I’m not so sure of.
Either way, the Cowboys continue to remain interesting and amongst the headlines. The real question is, however: Will they be able to stand out with their first-round draft pick?
Let’s go ahead and find out!
With the 12th pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Dave Halprin of Blogging The Boys selected Michigan cornerback Will Johnson to pair with current standout Trevon Diggs.
12.) Dallas Cowboys: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
Halprin: With Trevon Diggs’ injury timeline unclear, and the loss of Jourdan Lewis in free agency, the Cowboys have one healthy CB they can count on right now. Plus, they may not be able to afford DaRon Bland next year in free agency. Will Johnson is a top-tier zone CB, a perfect fit for Matt Eberflus’ defense.
Analysis: I can’t say it much better than Halprin above. The Cowboys are in a predicament with their cornerback room and getting the chance at any cornerback in the draft here at No. 12 is too good to pass up. Instead of selecting our second-ranked cornerback in Texas’ Jahdae Barron, Dallas instead goes with Johnson who was a five-star recruit in high school and a Third-Team AP All-American this past season.
Johnson has great size (6’2, 194) to pair with elite instincts and an aggressive play style that only comes by knowing you’re one of the best players every time you step on the field.
Top five remaining players:
- Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
- Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
- Malaki Starks, S Georgia
- James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
- Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
The Cowboys took the first cornerback off the board, but it was not our top corner in Texas’ Jahdae Barron. Behind Travis Hunter this cornerback class gets a bit murky in terms of preferred rankings, but either, way Dallas is getting a really good player in Johnson. Next up are the Dolphins who have a few more needs than you’d want for a team hoping to rebound and compete in the AFC in 2025.
Can you imagine tight end Tyler Warren playing alongside Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle? Sounds pretty good to me. Stay tuned to see if Miami chooses to continue leaning into the offense or if they decided to reinforce the other side of the ball!