With a new defensive coordinator and numerous holes to fill on defense, the early NFL mock drafts are heavily assuming that the Dallas Cowboys will be going double-defensive players with their pair of first-round picks in April.
The latest mock draft from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has Dallas taking one of the same players his cohort Daniel Jeremiah did, along with an “athletic freak” in the secondary.
Here’s who Brooks had the Cowboys taking with picks Nos. 12 and 20, and why:
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Pick No. 12: Sonny Styles
Linebacker, Ohio State
Comment: “The Cowboys need more speed and playmaking potential at linebacker. Styles is a freak athlete with the explosiveness to thrive as a sideline-to-sideline defender in a see ball, get ball scheme.”
California quarterback Fernando Mendoza, center left, is sacked by Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk, center right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Butch Dill / AP
Pick No. 20: Keldric Faulk
EDGE, Auburn
Comment: “The void left by the trade of Micah Parsons might prompt the Cowboys to load up on pass rushers in the offseason. Faulk is a bit of a project as a pure QB hunter, but his explosive traits could intrigue a coaching staff that believes in a draft-and-develop philosophy.”
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Faulk was also the Cowboys’ pick at No. 20 in Jeremiah’s mock draft, and both commented on how raw a prospect the 6-6, 285-pounder is.
Faulk is said to have elite athleticism with a need for more polishing. He’s one of the draft’s youngest prospects at just 20 years old, so there’ll be plenty of time for growth.
Styles, meanwhile, is ranked by most as one of the top defensive prospects in the draft. Spending all four seasons with the Buckeyes, Styles won a national championship with Ohio State two seasons ago while compiling 100 tackles, 6 sacks and a forced fumble. Last season he finished with 83 tackles, a sack and an interception, and was named a First-Team All-American.
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