Dallas Cowboys Final 7-Round Mock Draft Prediction: Reloading the offense
By Reid Hanson
With the 88th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select
Alec Pierce. 88. 123. Pick Analysis. Cincinnati. player. Scouting Report. WR
Logic says WR is a top-2 need, if not the biggest need altogether, for the Dallas Cowboys. Cooper is gone, Gallup will likely miss games as he recovers from ACL surgery, and Cedrick Wilson isn’t standing by in reserve.
WR is one of the most valuable positions in the NFL and with so much NFL-ready talent hitting the draft each year, many teams have decided to stop paying veteran WRs and start churning through WRs on rookie contracts. With that said, I believe there’s a good chance the Cowboys push WR to the third round if their favorite picks aren’t available at Pick 24 or 56.
Enter everyone’s favorite third rounder, Alec Pierce.
Pierce stands 6-foot3, 211lbs. He has long arms, explosive legs, and 4.41 speed making him a top guy on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freak List. The Dallas Cowboys have an affinity for WRs that boast intangibles and Pierce has them.
#3 #RAS WR 2022
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 13, 2022
Alec Pierce is a WR prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.82 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 51 out of 2768 WR from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/cQXuHGOnQX #RAS pic.twitter.com/KRd3yWqwG8
What he doesn’t have is a very branchy route tree. He’s also lacking in route-running and physicality. He’s a big play weapon but only has five 100-yard games in 30 career starts indicting he’s not a No. 1 WR and will need complementary players around him.
He’s a big play weapon but only has five 100-yard games in 30 career starts indicting he’s not a No. 1 WR and will need complementary players.
Luckily, the Dallas Cowboys have the right players to surround him. CeeDee Lamb led Dallas in receptions last season and will likely do it again. He’s the volume target who is always open, even when he’s not open. Michael Gallup is the physical sideline WR. He can play X and handle press.
Pierce can be the Z (his ability to handle press is questionable) and can stretch the field. Old school Cowboys fans can think of him as an Alvin Harper type. 72.5% of his receptions resulted in first downs or touchdowns indicating he’s a big play machine.
Pierce is here in the third for a reason. He’s raw and he’s a gamble but he if Dallas uses him to his strengths he could be just what they need without overlapping the skillsets of CeeDee or Gallup.