The Manning scenario played out in the latest mock draft<\/a> from Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling. He has the Cowboys with the No. 8 pick and Manning is on the board when Dallas is up in that spot.<\/p>\n However, Easterling has the Cowboys going for Indiana wideout Charlie Becker instead. Manning, meanwhile, goes to Cleveland with the No. 15 overall pick.<\/p>\n Easterling believes the Cowboys won’t want to extend Pickens, which will lead to Dallas drafting Backer as his replacement.<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t expect the Cowboys to pay top dollar to keep George Pickens as their WR2 across from CeeDee Lamb, and if he ends up leaving in the offseason, they\u2019ll need a capable replacement,” Easterling wrote.<\/p>\n We tend to agree with Easterling about Pickens. The Cowboys will have bigger fish to fry and it just doesn’t make much sense to pay a massive sum of money to yet another receiver.<\/p>\n Even co-owner Stephen Jones has hinted that backing up the Brinks truck for Pickens may not be feasible<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The situation we have with George Pickens going alongside CeeDee.. I don’t know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market,” Jones said. “So, yeah. That’s going to be a real difficult situation as we move forward. We’ve managed to figure out how we can do it for this year.<\/p>\n “Certainly, if everything works out the way we think it is, which CeeDee and George both have huge years again, then it’ll be a bigger challenge next year. George is really wanting to put back-to-back years on top of one another so it’ll help his market. And certainly I know at some point, as does every player in this league, will want to be rewarded with a long-term contract. So that certainly puts pressure on us to have a unique situation there.”<\/p>\n Charlie Becker scouting report Indiana’s Charlie Becker (80) leaps for the ball during the Indiana versus Northwestern football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Here’s more on Becker, per Easterling:<\/p>\n “Becker brings an impressive blend of size (6-4, 208) and athleticism to the table, with the hands and body control to win contested-catch situations, along with a knack for making big plays in clutch moments,” Easterling said.<\/p>\n Becker posted 34 catches for 679 yards<\/a> and four touchdowns last season, and he ripped off a whopping 20 yards per reception, which shows his big-play ability.<\/p>\n Becker is on pace to smash those numbers in 2026, as he’s already up to 19 catches for 370 yards and six scores in four contests this season.<\/p>\n If he stays on that pace, it won’t be a question of Becker being a first-round pick, but rather how high he goes in the first round.<\/p>\n The Cowboys would be wise to opt for a receiver in the 2027 draft if Pickens departs. Becker would be a fine option to replace him and would allow Dallas to allocate its resources elsewhere.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter\u00a0<\/a>for more free coverage from\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m40zxtdmt38d52mmgh.jpg\" "\\"Indiana")
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