Cowboys' Surprising Mock Draft Pick

0:00On April 5th most mod drafts have the Dallas Cowboys grabbing a linebacker, cornerback, edge rusher or safety with their 20th overall pick this year. But draft analyst Tony Pauline from Essentially Sports flipped the script in his latest projection. He has them taking Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling at number 20 after snagging cornerback German McCoy at 12. Pauline points the left tackle Tyler Gaiden as the reason for the switch. And Gaiden, a first rounder from the 2024 draft, has been a bus so far. In his rookie year he allowed 6 sacks and 26 pressures with weak profile ball focus grades in run blocking and pass protection. This season got worse with injury sidemining him for 7 games. When healthy he gave up 2 sacks and 31 pressures, tanking and pass blocking again. The Cowboys could slide Tyler Smith over from guard, but Smith called himself an all pro there and wants to stay put. Freeling ranks as a top tackle prospect, number 2 on some boards, but he might not fall

1:02to 20. Experts question if he's vested left tackle or right, plus he only started 17 college games and struggled in run blocking last year despite. Elite, pass protection, it's smart contingency if no top defenders are left at 20 and they skip trading back. Still, beefing up that defense feels like priority, one for Dallas to contend.