Dallas Cowboys Complete 7-Round Mock Draft 2023: Roster Management

Building a team

I have heard people refer to the Philadelphia Eagles as a stacked team. That is another false narrative.

Stacked teams do not exist in the NFL. Teams roster churn all the time. Well, maybe not the Cleveland Browns. Stacked football teams exist in the college ranks, not in the NFL.

A fan base that expresses how upset they are with how Jerry Jones runs the team sure sound like him a lot.

You keep the players you identify as your core. The QB and three to four others players you view as untouchable and the rest is cheap labor. You move on a year early, not a year later.

Trust your scouts. If they found you a running back in the fourth-round. Odds are in your favor. They can find his replacement.

You don’t pay for age in free agency. Attempt to fleece teams in trades. Never make impulse decisions. Never allow yourself to be emotionally invested.

The complete waste of money and resources during Prescott’s time but people continue to push the narrative of him taking too much money. After a team wins a Super Bowl. Every player on the roster believes he’s worth more.

That has nothing to do with the quarterback unless he’s a mediocre one. If he is, then you need to sit down with your collective brain trust. Make a firm decision on whether you believe he’s your guy.

I am not talking an elite player but the guy you feel can be part of solution. If you believe he’s not that guy, draft his replacement a year ahead, and get ready to move on. Or trade him and get draft capital.

The league values the quarterback, but not all quarterbacks are equal. If you find that guy. He can get you to the dance every year.

Some quarterbacks are the solutions. Others are part of the solution. Either way. You need to know who your quarterback is and temper your expectations.

It is the responsibility of the front office to make the hard decisions and restock the shelves with cheap labor. That is not the quarterback’s job.

The quarterback’s job: Cue the Bill Parcells’ 11 Quarterback Commandments.

Teams fear the unknown. Fans are worse.

The Dallas Cowboys have shown too often they don’t believe they can find players or they overvalue their own roster. They will pay premium money to non-premium players.

Dalton Shultz is a prime example. He has shown he is a skillful player, but not a special one. You don’t franchise him. You replace him.

The Dallas Cowboys have two dozen players entering contract season in 2023. You can’t pay everyone, therefore you designate the players you deem important, move on from those you don’t, and restock the rest from the draft.

It doesn’t mean this will lead your team to a Super Bowl, but it can help you construct a balanced roster barring injury, of course.

I will never question Dak Prescott’s business decisions pertaining to his money. Too many fans care about other people’s money. None of them are taking a pay cut at their jobs.

I don’t want to hear about how much a player is making. That is their profession. It allows them to operate in a different tax bracket than you and I. Just like a lawyer is paid differently for his profession than an employee at Target. Not tossing shade at the fine people at Target.

Dak Prescott can be criticized for what he does on the field. He is not above that. I don’t care what round the player was drafted. Or how his journey led him to making the team.

Today, I am going to provide Dak Prescott with additional high-powered weaponry. I will not overlook other roster needs, either.

Winning the draft is about understanding value. Talent is one thing. Production is another. Does the talent translate into production on tape?

The draft is not only the first-round pick. It is about your entire draft class. The best drafts come from winning on day 2 and day 3. Not just day 1.

Don’t forget you can still fine talent in the undrafted free agents.

I am not a pro-trade up guy. Trading back is fine depending on what players you have on your board. Getting as many picks in the top hundred can reap rewards. That is something I would always attempt to strive for.

Later rounds don’t mean the picks are worthless. Continue to target players that have flashed on tape. Maybe they don’t fit your ideal measurements, but is there production on tape?

I look for high character guys with motors, team captains. Guys who love to play football. Drafting is not an exact science, and no one hits on every pick. Everyone has misses.

Even the greats I have missed. Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells, and Jimmy Johnson all have draft missed on their resume.

Attempt to fit the needs of your team with the best player available that fits your schemes. Every player coming out in the draft will have questions about him. The higher in the round the more questions will be asked.

Block out that noise. This time of the year is what I call lying season.

Let’s get to it and do a 7-round mock draft for the Dallas Cowboys using Pro Football Network’s draft simulator.