Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Trade Downs and Double Ups

Dallas Cowboys 2nd Round, Pick 33

Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, LSU

Picks Traded: DAL (33) for JAX (44 and 75)

This probably wasn’t the player you were expecting and have many questions. Allow me to answer them before you close out of your browser!

A vocal group of Cowboys fans, me included, would like to see Kyle Pitts wearing the star on their helmet. An elite playmaker with elite athletic ability, adding him to an offense with Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Blake Jarwin, and Dalton Schultz could score points for days. It was also convenient because, with the expectation that Michael Gallup doesn’t re-sign with the team in the 2022 offseason, the former Gator has the versatility to line up anywhere on the line of scrimmage essentially filling in the void left by Gallup.

The obvious problem with this selection is the Cowboys would essentially be forced to grab a cornerback with their second-round pick and said player likely won’t be as skilled as Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn. (Caleb Farley is absolutely in the picture but back issues are hard to gauge no matter how the medical tests go)

Enter Terrace Marshall! His stock allows the Cowboys to grab the best defensive player available at pick 10 while waiting until the second round to grab that fun skill player. I did have to trade up to grab him, but you’ll see very quickly it wasn’t that much. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds he is a taller and more explosive version of Dallas’ own Michael Gallup.

On the 2019 National Champion team, Marshall was a very good third option for Joe Burrow grabbing 46 completions for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns. As the only starting receiver to return to school the following season, he grabbed another 48 completions for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Marshall returned to a worse quarterback situation, as the clear cut number one option, and exceeded his previous season statistics while playing five fewer games. Projecting someone like him will be easy at the next level because his skill set is so valuable in today’s game. See if you recognize this summary:

He displays good athletic ability displaying good acceleration and foot speed to challenge DBs leverage out of release and route stem displaying solid foot and hip fakes in his break to generate separation quickness in the intermediate and deep middle areas of the field. Competitive toughness can take a hit as he doesn’t display consistent aggression but he does display to adjust to balls in the air and body control and hands to grab passes and land in bounds. He will suffer from concentration drops especially in the short areas of the field.

Obviously, I was explaining Marshall, but this description is eerily similar to what Gallup is as a player right now. The Cowboys ask Gallup to win vertically as an outside X or Z receiver and he has consistently shown the ability to do that. If he only does wear the star for one more year, then Marshall can fill the same role with hopefully similar production. The tiger gets one year as WR4 before he can become WR2/3. (Number just depends on alignment, I wouldn’t worry too much about that.)

I have no further closing arguments!