Dallas Cowboys Complete Mock Draft 2023: Upgrade Season

The Dallas Cowboys select Darnell Wright, Offensive lineman, from the University of Tennessee.

As a fan, I’m still holding out hope for tight end Darnell Washington but the way the wind is blowing a different Darnell is the target and offensive lineman wouldn’t be a shocker. Dallas has consistently been a team that does not mind picking offensive linemen in the first round. This year will probably be no exception.

The Dallas Cowboys will continue to build a wall around their franchise quarterback Dak Prescott to give him every opportunity to succeed.

Over the last ten seasons, Dallas used first round picks on offensive lineman in three of the nine drafts (Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith). While not a large sample size in itself, I have to admit that the front office has a knack for picking Pro Bowl talented players as lineman at a minimum. So, if Darnell Wright is the pick at 26, I would feel somewhat comfortable that this may be a home run pick for the Dallas Cowboys.

One thing that should allow fans to sleep better at night is the fact that Dallas will solidify their offensive line for the next five years. This pick will improve the team’s offensive line size and strength. At the NFL combine, Wright weighed in at a whopping 334lbs. He carries that weight well in his 6’5″ frame. In 2020, he lined up on the right side, and then the left side in 2021 and back to the right side in 2022. It’s been mostly at tackle, but he definitely projects better at the guard position.

Teaming up Tyler Smith and Darnell Wright would release Tyler from the constraints of bouncing from interior to exterior and relegate Tyron Smith to the swing tackle position. Secondly, if Terrence Steele isn’t ready or isn’t the guy he was prior to the injury, you have an insurance policy in Wright.

So, while Darnell Wright isn’t the sexiest pick, he may be potentially the nastiest pick and that is what the Cowboys should be aiming for. Gone are the days of the soft Dallas Cowboys teams that would fold under the thumb of tougher minded teams and here to stay is the team that will line up and hit opponents right between the eyes. Darnell will lead the way with that.

Wright wasn’t my initial choice by any stretch of the imagination. To be completely honest, I’m not a proponent of spending first round picks on offensive lineman in back-to-back years. However, I have accepted the realization that lineman may be the direction Dallas is heading.