Cowboys news: Players from Texas that could be of draft interest

Six players from Texas’ Pro Day that could be Cowboys’ draft targets – Tommy Yarrish, Dallascowboys.com
The Dallas Cowboys could consider drafting a few Texas Longhorns after their dominant 2024 season.

If the Cowboys want to turn to a burnt-orange product to become another difference maker for them in the 2025 NFL draft, they’ll have their fair share of options to choose from across all three days of the draft process. Here are six names from Texas’ Pro Day that make sense for Dallas, and where the Cowboys could see them selected:

Matthew Golden, WR

Golden has arguably been the fastest rising prospect throughout the entire NFL draft process, and a strong combine performance likely cemented him into the first round after running a 4.29 40-yard dash, the second best among all participants. At Texas’ Pro Day, Golden once again looked the part, with crisp cuts in his routes and flashes of that 40-time catching passes from Quinn Ewers. The lone blemish on his day was a deep ball that went through his hands, but otherwise Golden hauled in his other eight targets. When the ball hits his hands, it doesn’t move, and Golden drew “Ooo’s” and “Ahh’s” from the crowd after each of his reps. If the Cowboys believe that Golden is the man to compliment CeeDee Lamb, they’ll need to select him in the first round, because his stock is sky-high.

Alfred Collins, DT

Defensive tackle Alfred Collins was seen in a walking boot on his left leg and did not participate in any drills during Texas’ Pro Day. A university spokesperson did not reveal what the injury was, and Collins did not speak to reporters, so we’ll see what comes out of that situation. When healthy, Collins has shown the potential to be a potent run stuffer in the middle of the defensive line with a good amount of twitch and athleticism for his size at 6’6, 332 pounds. The uncertainty of the injury puts Collins’ stock status in the air, but he’s likely a plausible option for the Cowboys on Day 2 to fill their need at defensive tackle.

Jahdae Barron, DB

The Longhorns may have been looking to save the best for last, as Barron and some of the other defensive backs were the last of Texas’ players to work out in front of scouts. Barron was sharp in his turns during the three-cone drill, and flew around the field in coverage drills just like he did on tape when he won the Thorpe Award in 2024. Versatility is the name of Barron’s game, and he told reporters that he belives the fact that he can play corner, nickel, dime and even safety in the defensive backfield makes him the best cornerback prospect in this class. If Dallas shares that same belief and Barron falls to the 12th overall pick, then that’s likely where they’ll need to select him.

Ranking the importance of extensions the Cowboys need to take care of – RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys
Outside of Micah Parsons, the front office has a few other vital extensions to work on this offseason.

Second in action… DaRon Bland

Last week saw the cornerback market rise for the second time this offseason when the Houston Texans paid Derek Stingley Jr.. This is the way that the game goes.

Paying DaRon Bland is about more than just playing some game, though. He may be coming off of a tough season for the standards that he set in 2023, but he is arguably a huge part of the defense and secondary moving forward. Given the uncertainty surrounding Trevon Diggs, you can argue that he is an essential part of it moving forward.

You know what else, though? Not to be cold or calloused, but Bland is coming off of a down season as mentioned. If the Cowboys were to be proactive and approach him in his first offseason of eligibility – while not coming off of a performance that he knows he is capable of – does it not stand to reason that the price will be lower than it could be?

This is the dangerous game that the Cowboys have lost in the past. To use one example, the Cowboys could have extended CeeDee Lamb and/or Dak Prescott after the 2022 season. Consider that the latter was coming off of a season filled with interceptions. Getting to one or both of them at that point could have led to a slightly friendlier deal, at the very least it would have led to a friendlier market rate. But as we all know, the Cowboys decided to wait and both Lamb and Prescott turned in stellar 2023 seasons which gave them all the more leverage.

This is an opportunity to not make that same mistake again.

Third and vital… Tyler Smith

The prioritization here is not about ranking the importance that the players hold relative to the team. If this were the case then it would feel awkward having Tyler Smith be down at three. Smith has had an interesting career with the Cowboys in that he was a decision that the front office stood against the world on and was proven right about. There were very few who agreed with them selecting him in the first round back in 2022.

To his credit, Smith has turned into the star that Dallas foresaw in that first round. Beyond being an amazing player, he is now positioned to be the leader of the offensive line for the future with Zack Martin having retired. He has an apprentice under his wing in fellow first-rounder Tyler Guyton. He is the perfect candidate to pay and take care of.

The Cowboys must decide if they want to pick up Smith’s fifth-year option this offseason (Kaiir Elam too now) and obviously will, but that does not mean that they can’t or won’t get an extension done. We know that he is a part of the long-term future of this team. Getting a deal done makes perfect sense.

Dallas Cowboys urged to trade for explosive WR before NFL Draft – Randy Gurzi, Dallas Cowboys on SI
If Jerry Jones wanted to create buzz around the Cowboys before the draft, a trade like this would do it.

There’s another option as well, which would be adding someone through a trade and Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team has a big name in mind. Valentino brought up four trade ideas he would like to see before the draft, and has Dallas trading for Tyreek Hill.

Hill has voiced frustration in the direction the Miami Dolphins are headed, which has his name being floated as a trade piece. Valentino says the Cowboys could land him without using their first round pick, allowing them to still add a game-changing running back.

”After a decade of avoiding free agency splurges, Jerry Jones can drop a hammer by making such a gutsy investment into Hill. It shouldn’t cost him a first-round pick, either, meaning he can add a star tailback and Hill. Dallas would surely need to extend Hill’s contract to ease his future cap hits, but the Cowboys finally have the cap flexibility to not stress it.” — Valentino, The 33rd Team

Such a move would be a splash and could be enough to put Dallas back into the contender conversation. It’s just difficult seeing Jerry and Stephen Jones suddenly throwing caution to the wind and going for the home run.

Next Man Up: Spann-Ford showed durability as a rookie – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
An overlooked member of the roster, TE Brevynn Spann-Ford.

The Present: Spann-Ford was able to play every game last year because he was reliable blocker who could occasionally get open and make plays, but he wasn’t the first or even second option on many plays. He caught nine passes for 88 yards with a long of 18 yards. But being a playmaker is where Spann-Ford can take the next step in his game. It won’t be easy this year with both Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker still young players ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Future: The reason Spann-Ford got here is also the reason he can’t get complacent. The Cowboys won’t stop looking for young, talented tight ends, which means Spann-Ford will have to likely win another roster battle to stay on the 53 this year. It doesn’t look like Ferguson and Schoonmaker will go anywhere right now and with Stephens coming back from injury, plus the Cowboys likely to add a couple more rookie tight ends, Spann-Ford will have his work cut out for him. But at 6-6, 260, he does have an advantage in size that others usually don’t. If he can continue to be a rock-solid run-blocker with a playmaker-element added to his game, he could be a player that has a role on this team for years to come.