An NFL analyst suggests three players the Dallas Cowboys should pay particular attention to in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Cowboys have the 12th overall pick in the first round.
Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team predicts the Cowboys will take real hard looks at defensive tackle Mason Graham, edge rusher Shemar Stewart and wide receiver Luther Burden III.
And we have some questions ...
Graham was a sure-fire Top 5 pick all season, but something changed at the NFL Scouting Combine which could see him drop to Dallas.
Graham was very light, he weighed under 300 pounds. Further, he did not work out with the rest of the defensive tackles so the scouts did not have a measuring stick to compare him to. Players take a risk when they do not work out and wait for their Pro Day.
This might end up costing Graham some money as he falls out of the first 10 picks.
Stewart, from Texas A&M, makes absolutely no sense for Dallas in our minds as he might have played his way out of the top 15. He doesn't do anything that jumps off the page and he only had 4.5 sacks in three years at A&M. He could have used his final season to bone up on his pass rushing skills at College Station,
He also does not have a lot of tackles for loss and is in interesting that Stewart came out early. He was a big benefactor of the NIL collective while in school so he certainly did not come out for the money.
He has a perfect RAS score which measures athleticism and athletic ability, but that alone does not make you a successful edge rusher in the NFL.
The third suggested pick, Burden, was an extremely talented receiver at Missouri and had a good career for the Tigers. His stock dropped a bit at the Scouting Combine.
At times he reminds of KaVontae Turpin or Malachi Corley, who was selected in the 2024 draft. He is not the best route runner and needs to be more refined in his running. His skill and athleticism take over when he has the ball in his hands.
Do the Cowboys need more than that?
Related: Cowboys Ex Blames Jerry As True Villain in Micah vs. Lawrence Feud
His route running problems are similar to CeeDee Lamb when he was at Oklahoma and Lamb is now a highly-paid, well-respected receiver for Dallas. With proper coaching, he can run better routes.
To us, Burden would be the most ideal pick for Dallas at No. 12 if they had to pick the best fit out of these three players. ... but we would frankly prefer somebody "more perfect.''
Related: 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Star RB for Cowboys, New QBs for Giants, Raiders
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM.