Dallas Cowboys Complete Mock Draft 2023: Upgrade Season

The Dallas Cowboys select B.J. Thompson, Edge Rusher, Stephen F. Austin University.

Before you go down the road of “another small school kid”, he played his freshman year at Baylor prior to making the transfer to SFA.

Does the name Azur Kamara ring a bell? He was an undrafted free agent for the Dallas Cowboys that had traits and freakishly athletic body profile but was extremely raw at the position. He was a one trick pony who couldn’t add another trick. The Dallas Cowboys DC wants another project, and Jerry Jones obliges.

Thompson is 6’6″ 240 pounds. Let’s pause there for a minute. That height will get the job done but the weight leaves something to be desired, hence the label “project”. He’ll have to put a few stones in his pocket early on to play any type of run support at the next level. When you talk about an 80-inch wingspan, you tend to overlook some of the deficiencies. Maybe this is a waisted pick but maybe the Cowboys hit and find a diamond in the rough.

He doesn’t have a plethora of pass rush moves at his disposal at this point. He uses mostly athleticism to get past tackles which is to be expected from this type of prospect. With the Dallas Cowboys though, you are plugging him in a room with the likes of Micah Parsons, Demarcus Ware and Dante Fowler to some degree. You would expect that he’ll pick up a move or two from those guys.

Practice squad is where you hope to stash him for the first year or two. That’s easier said than done in this NFL with certain positions especially as a pass rusher. As raw as Kamara was, Kansas City had such a need they plucked him away and added him on their 53-man roster. I’m banking on traits and with a sixth round pick I’m sleeping easy on that investment. The return could be monumental.