Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft 2023 (reloading the roster)
Dallas Cowboys pick 176 – Clayton Tune, Quarterback, Houston
Everyone wants to find their own version of Brock Purdy. When you’re a seventh-round pick and get your team to the NFC title game, it’s going to be easy to get GMs and coaches to buy into what you’re selling. But picking quarterbacks is easier said than done.
For the Dallas Cowboys, the easy ‘go-to’ answer as a quarterback prospect has been TCU quarterback Max Duggan. However, I’m not going there with this pick. I believe there are more talented quarterbacks in the draft if you wanted to use draft capital on one.
It’s going to be important for the Dallas Cowboys to pick a quarterback that has physical traits that are worth developing and worth investing in. Dallas should be positioning themselves to grab Clayton Tune from Houston.
There won’t be much pressure for this prospect considering the situation he would be walking in. Was there ever a thought that Dak would be replaced with a prospect in the early rounds? Maybe a little but shame on me for believing that. However, picking up a quarterback who they can plug into their system for the next two years should be the game plan. Tune would be that exact project for Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer.
He is not going to wow you with the measurables. He goes about 6’3″ 220 pounds with pretty decent arm strength. He is a local kid out of Carrollton, TX. Mobility isn’t on the level of Anthony Richardson or Bryce Young, but he isn’t a statuesque quarterback either. His movement skills are definitely underrated but perfect for a west coast system.
He’s probably going to be one of the more mature rookie quarterbacks coming in at 23 years old, but he still has enough upside to be worthy of this draft status. He is the type of young prospect that you could trust as your backup quarterback should something happen to Dak. Will Cooper Rush follow Kellen Moore to Los Angeles? Maybe. Regardless, this is the prime time for the Dallas Cowboys to bring in some new blood.
As you watch him play, it’s clear that he is comfortable reading defenses. That’s important considering the offense he will be learning his rookie season is one of the more difficult offenses to absorb. By all accounts, he was a good leader at Houston and that’s a major transferrable skill that the Dallas Cowboys look for.