5 players Cowboys should draft in the first round

1. Players the Dallas Cowboys should draft in Round 1 – George Karlaftis

Finding a way to get pressure on the quarterback is a key to success in the modern NFL and the Cowboys have some key questions to answer on this front in the offseason. While 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons did generate 13 sacks as a rookie, the rest of the Dallas defense didn’t do much on that front with Randy Gregory and Dorace Armstrong being the only other Cowboys to generate at least four sacks.

Both of those players are free agents that could be tough to retain given Dallas’ salary cap issues so finding another edge rusher to work with Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence will be a key for the Cowboys. The most intriguing edge rusher who should be available at No. 24 is Purdue’s George Karlaftis, who brings a physical presence on the edge that could nicely complement Parsons’ speed-based attack.

Karlaftis racked up 7.5 sacks for the Boilermakers last season while also contributing 54 tackles to demonstrate his value as an all-around defender. The Cowboys could also use Karlaftis as a swiss-army knife thanks to his impressive size, which would allow Karlaftis to kick inside on passing downs to rush the quarterback alongside Parsons and Lawrence.

Finding good pass rushers in free agency is often quite expensive and Dallas has too many holes to fill on its defense to splurge on a player like Harold Landry. Drafting Karlaftis at No. 24 would be the perfect fit for the Cowboys’ defense and allow Jones to efficiently utilize his resources to address Dallas’ needs this offseason.