Cowboys mock draft: 5 players who won’t be back in 2025 and rookies who will replace them

Despite another win on Sunday and, theoretically and mathematically, still being alive for the playoffs, it'd be hard to find many Dallas Cowboys fans who are currently happy with where the team currently sits. And with Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones recently indicating that it could be an offseason of more of the same, there are chances that the team's best chances to improve moving forward — as they have been for some time — lie in the NFL Draft.

What's particularly interesting for the Cowboys and what the front office projects to be a quiet offseason is that the organization could have quite a lot to replace while also juggling a looming extension for star pass rusher Micah Parsons. Numerous key players, franchise legends and big names are scheduled to hit free agency. And many of those guys won't be back in 2025.

In relation to the NFL Draft, the draft could be the best spot for some of those players to be replaced. So let's take a look at five Cowboys who won't be returning to Dallas in 2025 and, just as importantly, draft prospects who could slide in to replace them both in terms of the player and how the franchise should prioritize them.

5. RB Ezekiel Elliott

Who could've predicted that bringing washed-up Ezekiel Elliott back into the fray wouldn't work out the way the Jones family thought it would? If you answered anyone in their right mind, you'd be correct. But now set to hit free agency once again and already relegated to a tertiary role in the offense at best, letting Zeke walk could not possibly be an easier decision for the Cowboys in the 2025 offseason.

The bigger question might be fellow pending free agent Rico Dowdle. However, given his recent surge since fully being given the reins as the Cowboys lead running back, I suspect that Dowdle will be re-signed and should come relatively cheap given a limited sample size of him in that role. What then becomes important is finding usable depth to pair with Dowdle in the backfield, which could change what we've thought Dallas' plan could be at running back for some time.

Cowboys draft replacement for Ezekiel Elliott: Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)

While everyone wants to make this easy and draft Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft for the Cowboys, I don't think that's the best course of action. Instead, taking a later-round flier on a player like Arizona State's Cam Skattebo would make a ton of sense.

Not projected to come off the board until Day 3 of the draft, the fifth-place finisher in Heisman voting could make a world of sense for the Cowboys as a versatile change-of-pace threat for Dallas' offense. After amassing 1,569 rushing yards, 506 receiving yards and 22 total touchdowns this season, though, it makes more than enough sense.

4. QBs Trey Lance and Cooper Rush

Now that Jerry Jones has finally admitted defeat when it comes to Trey Lance, we can start to make actual progress when it comes to Dallas' backup quarterback situation. Lance is set to hit free agency and there should be no signs that he'd return to the Cowboys given the fact that the coaching staff isn't even inclined to play him with Dak Prescott out of the equation.

On the flip side of that, Cooper Rush is also set to hit free agency again but I'm inclined to believe this should be the end of the line for the longtime backup. Yes, he's been steady for the Cowboys in recent weeks but the ceiling is also quite clearly defined. Dallas can do better and should absolutely start looking to do better in whatever way they can. No, that isn't trading a fourth-round pick for the next Lance but it should involve looking in the draft.

Cowboys draft replacement for Trey Lance and Cooper Rush: Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss)

Jaxson Dart isn't going to cost anything more than a Day 3 pick but could offer a lot of what Dallas was seemingly trying to get out of Lance. Dart has dual-threat ability that could be highly valuable in a backup role but also comes with far more experience and polish as a passer.

Over three seasons with Ole Miss, Dart threw for 10,213 yards and threw for at least 20 touchdowns in each season. More importantly, he threw only a combined 11 interceptions over the last two years after throwing 11 in his first season in Oxford. His ability to create but also protect the football would provide Dallas with a lot of tools to work with behind Dak.

3. WR Brandin Cooks

Of the many issues with the Cowboys this season, the lack of ancillary pass-catching prowess behind CeeDee Lamb has been glaring no matter who is at quarterback. Brandin Cooks missing a good portion of the season certainly contributed to that shortcoming as well. But let's be honest, the best days of Cooks as a secondary pass-catcher, much less a primary, have since passed.

Cooks is set to be a free agent this offseason and, with his decline in ability along with an apparent inability to stay healthy, the Cowboys would be best off letting him walk. That, however, is contingent upon the front office's ability to replace him and make sure that Jalen Tolbert isn't the team's No. 2 receiver entering the season. Free agency could play a role in that but so too could the team's prioritization of the position in the draft.

Cowboys draft replacement for Brandin Cooks: Jayden Higgins (Iowa State)

Using a Day 2 pick on Iowa State's Jayden Higgins would make a world of sense for the Cowboys. After a strong 2023 campaign for the Cyclones, Higgins really exploded this season, catching 87 passes for 1,185 yard and nine touchdowns. What's more, his profile is one that Dallas' offense lacks outside of Lamb right now.

With a 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame but the ability as a route-runner and athlete to win against man coverage plus be a contested-catch winner, Higgins would be invaluable on the outside as a ball-winner and someone to demand attention off of Lamb. That's a force multiplier for Lamb, Prescott and the entirety of the offense if they can get him in the building.

2. OG Zack Martin

It's going to be exceptionally strange to see Zack Martin not on the Cowboys offensive line but it's absolutely the position that the team is going to find itself in. The perennial All-Pro was already showing clear signs of decline before suffering a season-ending injury. Now, all signs point to retirement for Martin. Even if that's not the case, it'd be difficult to see Dallas bringing him back given his fall off.

What makes that more difficult is that Martin isn't the only question on the offensive line. Tyler Guyton has struggled as a rookie, Cooper Beebe is still learning center, and the Terence Steele contract could be one the Cowboys look to get out of to create more financial versatility this offseason. That means that they might be looking to plug multiple holes on the offensive line or, at minimum, look to shuffle things around.

Cowboys draft replacement for Zack Martin: Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas)

With that likely shuffling in the trenches, using the team's first-round pick on a player like Texas' Kelvin Banks Jr. (or LSU's WIll Campbell) would fit the Cowboys' M.O. The decades of success in the regular season have been predicated upon a strong offensive line and Dallas needs to get back to those roots, which Banks could help them do.

I have full confidence in Banks with his combination of size, strength and movement skills to succeed right away at either tackle or guard. That's perfect for Dallas in trying to find the right combination, which we've already seen them do with Tyler Smith. Banks could fit into that mold and get the O-line back to being a strength for this team.

1. EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence

Another tough pill that Cowboys fans are going to have to swallow is saying goodbye to DeMarcus Lawrence. Put simply, the longtime veteran who has spent his entire career in Dallas has declined. He's not nearly as productive or effective as he was even at the beginning of Parsons' career on the opposite edge and, more crucially, has simply struggled to stay on the field. It's an easy spot for the organization to find a cheaper solution.

What's more, unless someone falls in the Cowboys' lap (which isn't out of the question), Dallas has the flexibility to potentially wait in the draft. When Sam Williams returns, he can be a rotational piece to take some pressure off and really set this group up nicely. That's why, at least in planning, the Jones family should consider EDGE a top need to replace Lawrence but not the top need for this roster.

Cowboys draft replacement for DeMarcus Lawrence: Jared Ivey (Ole Miss)

Frankly, I love a lot of this edge class, particularly in the first three rounds. If Abdul Carter fell to the Cowboys in Round 1, they'd have to jump on that. I also wouldn't hate Nic Scourton or a gamble on Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams if they were there as well, especially depending on how the offensive line class falls.

But if Dallas waits, then a player like Jared Ivey has my attention, specifically as a replacement for Lawrence. Ivey is versatile in his ability to both rush the passer but also hold up extremely well against the run with a big frame and solid discipline. Off a breakout year with nine sacks at Ole Miss, he could potentialy be available in the third round and work perfectly into the Cowboys' plans.