Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Trading out of the First Round

Round 2, Pick 44

WR, K.J. Hamler

Penn State

There are a ton of attractive WRs on the board in Day 2 and Dallas should get a shot at most of them here at the top of the second round. The usually suspects have been picked: Jalen Reagor, Laviska Shenault, Denzel Mims, and Justin Jefferson are gone.

Michael Pittman Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, K.J. Hamler, and Tee Higgins remain. Of the group, Dallas has made contact with Pittman, Higgins and Hamler. They could go a number of directions here. Pittman, a favorite prospect of Sport DFW’s Adithya Pradakaran, is a pretty neat idea here in the second. He projects as a true X receiver and would allow Dallas the opportunity to move Amari Cooper, one of the best route runners in the NFL, a chance to move inside when Dallas goes to 11 personnel. Amari would feast. Sign me up.

Tee Higgins is probably less of an option. His testing numbers have put him in a free fall and I think Dallas is really looking to add speed to their receiving corps this draft. This brings us to Hamler.

Hamler, is a 5-foot-9, 179lb missile. He didn’t run at the Combine so no official time is in the books for him, but watching the game film it’s clear the kid is a track star and as fast as anyone on the field. Roar Lions Roar recently did a piece proving his speed, so if you have doubts, be sure to drop in

Hamler fits into the slot on Day 1 with the Dallas Cowboys. He’s a polished route-runner who can cut like Cole Beasley and break deep like DeSean Jackson. His open field moves and shimmy-and-shake ability make him a weapon as a screen target as well as a jet sweep option.

His catch radius is small and his ability to win contested catches is limited, but Hamler is a player who wins with separation and YAC so those limitations are minimized. His drops are very concerning. Pro Football Focus gave him a 17% drop rate last season. That’s ugly.

Technique and hand discipline are largely to be blamed making this a somewhat fixable issue. But let’s be clear, it’s his ability to separate and his big plays (3rd in FBS since 2018 in big plays from the slot – 41 plays of 15+ yards).

Note: I think it’s important to point out, this, like the one before, is not a pick I want to make but rather a pick I think the Cowboys will make if they trade back like this.