Dallas Cowboys Final 7-Round Mock Draft: Risers and Fallers
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With the 129th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select:
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Fayetteville St.. 129. player. 123. Defensive Back. Joshua Williams
*RISER*
The Dallas Cowboys have a sneaky need for a defensive back. Drafting Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams allows them to be flexibly with their decision making in the future.
The future of Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright and of course Kelvin Joseph are all in question for one reason or another. Either upcoming expiring contracts, questions of development or off-field issues.
Not to mention safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are on short deals.
Either way, the Dallas Cowboys 2022 DB room appears solid. But the NFL Draft isn’t just about players who can help you now. The 2023 Cowboy defensive backfield is anything but stable. Williams helps level things out.
Williams is a Dan Quinn pick and could be the hidden gem of the draft. He’s 6’3″ with 33″ arms. Basically the same as Wright measured last draft season.
Williams was a Senior Bowl participant after dominating the lower D2 level of college football. He played with up and down moments, but the traits and athleticism definitely stood out. Giving teams the confidence that Williams can make the leap to play with better talent.
Round four also tends to be the area where the Cowboys start drafting smaller school players:
In 2021 they selected Josh Ball from Marshall, 2020 it was Reggie Robinson out of Tulsa, and 2019 Tony Pollard of Memphis.
Obviously those schools are bigger than Fayetteville State, but in the last three seasons the Dallas Cowboys have selected only one player from a non power five conference in the first three rounds (2019 – Trysten Hill, RD. 2).
That’s where Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn and VP of Player Personnel, Will McClay will need to have a little heart to heart. Quinn being able to convince McClay of the impact a player like Williams can bring.
The difference between this pick and the aforementioned Nahshon Wright selection from a season ago is Williams has experience at both corner and safety.
As a player, his feet are well above average for his height, so he doesn’t get tangled up in the short routes while also being the ideal build for a cover 3 corner.