Mock Draft 3.0: Murray no longer No. 1 and Cowboys get a coveted safety, tight end

The first-round is based on the Fan Speak simulator and is true to the prospect rating, which is why Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa was picked first by the Arizona Cardinals.

Common sense and every reasonable indicator have the Cardinals going with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray.

Kliff Kingsbury is going to get his man.

Book it.

But on this draft, Murray goes fourth overall to the Raiders, which would be a coup for coach Jon Gruden.

Also interesting to note is that Missouri’s Drew Lock is the second quarterback taken, going 11th to the Cincinnati Bengals. No other quarterbacks are taken in the first round and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins doesn’t go until the second round to the New York Giants.

Of course, as much as teams insist on taking the best player available, they have to take the best player that fits on their roster.

This is where the Cowboys draft comes in.

The Cowboys don’t have a pick in the first round, thanks to the mid-season trade with the Oakland Raiders to acquire Amari Cooper.

Dallas doesn’t pick until the second round, 58th overall. They also don’t have a pick in the sixth round but they have two in the fourth round.

The Cowboys are certainly at the mercy of the teams picking in front of them so it’s hard for them to target a specific prospect. But it’s well understood that safety is a position of focus in the second round with six pre-draft visitors from that position, including four prospects in top 60.

Suffice it to say, the Cowboys would be quite happy if things turned out the way we picked them.

Here is the first-round mock No. 3 followed by a full draft of seven Cowboys picks:

Dallas Cowboys (10-6)

Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Clarence E. Hill Jr. covered the Dallas Cowboys as a beat writer/columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1997 to 2024.