2025 NFL Mock Draft: Cowboys 7-round mock projection doesn’t include Ashton Jeanty

Especially with the Dallas Cowboys spiraling quickly, you're going to see hundreds of 2025 NFL Mock Draft projections that have America's Team selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. And the logic is certainly there. The Cowboys going overboard in devaluing the position has hindered the offense with and without Dak Prescott. So an upgrade is needed — it just doesn't have to be in the first round.

Jeanty is a phenomenal player who can be a workhorse at the NFL level. The Cowboys, however, don't need to overreact. Running backs who would be immediate upgrades can be had later in the 2025 NFL Draft. More importantly, there are far more holes that Dallas needs to address given the way the roster will shake out going into next season.

If it's not Jeanty, though, what can the Cowboys do? That's what we're eyeing in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft for Dallas.

Round 1: Cowboys pivot off Ashton Jeanty for defense

I was prepared to not take Jeanty anyway but, in the simulation I ran, he was already off the board anyway, making that decision even easier. And given the success that the Cowboys have had after taking Micah Parsons in the first round, why not look to Happy Valley again for another freak of an edge rusher, Abdul Carter?

DeMarcus Lawrence is set to be a free agent this offseason and is likely departing the franchise that drafted him after a long tenure. Meanwhile, the depth on the edge has been in question regardless, so taking a swing on a player like Carter is hard to ignore. With 8.0 sacks and 24 hurries on the year, Carter has become a fully formed star-caliber pass-rusher this season with elite get-off and explosiveness now paired with a developing arsenal of rush moves.

Quietly in this conversation, the Cowboys have not yet locked up Parsons to a long-term contract. So adding a potential first-round contingency plan there would behoove Dallas. Filling a hole and also protecting yourself is good business, especially when doing so with a player who has the limitless upside of Carter.

Rounds 2 and 3: More beef on defense, more sizzle on offense

Mazi Smith looks like a legitimate bust and, while it's still early in his career, that's becoming a real problem for the Cowboys in the trenches. I fully expect the organization to bring back Osa Odighizuwa in free agency this offseason but that's not enough. It's a spot Jerry Jones needs to invest and someone like Tennessee's Omarr Norman-Lott could make a ton of sense for that.

Norman-Lott has been a big breakout candidate this season, even in a deep rotation with the Vols. He still has four sacks and 13 hurries as a pass-rusher but has improved as a run-stuffer as well. His emergence along with his 315-pound frame along with some impressive explosiveness at that side make him an attractive early-Day 2 draft pick and someone who could make an immediate boost for this defe

I'm not the only one who knows that the Cowboys desperately need wide receiver help but it does feel like it's not being discussed nearly enough. With this top-heavy roster construction, it's CeeDee Lamb and then a lot of unproven commodities in the receiver room right now in Dallas. And with Brandin Cooks all but gone this offseason (even if he's been on IR much of the year), that makes looking at someone like Evan Stewart impossible to look past.

Stewart has experience at both Oregon and Texas A&M prior playing outside and in the slot and is in the midst of his best season yet with 47 catches for 609 yards and five scores. His big issue has been consistency. At the same time, though, in Oregon's biggest moment to date this season against Ohio State, he was dominant and had potential NFL defensive backs in a blender. His speed, change-of-direction and overall juice are off the charts. In Round 3, that's well worth a flyer if you're the Cowboys in need of more help — much more than Jonathan Mingo provides.

Round 4 and 5 (Picks 145, 168): Finally a RB for Dallas

With the emergence of DeMarvion Overshown down the stretch, linebacker may not be as pressing of a need for Dallas as it once seemed. However, with Eric Kendricks showing a bit of his age, someone like Deontae Lawson entering the fray would be a big step up for the Cowboys defense.

The Alabama product has been middling in terms of his coverage ability but his run defense is his calling card, which Dallas sorely needs. Lawson does need to cut down on missed tackles a bit but, on the whole, his downhill explosiveness and nose for the ball would represent a nice upgrade in the middle of the defensive unit.

Finally, we get a running back off of the board and it's one that the Cowboys would have to be excited about in Devin Neal. After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, Neal is about to do it again at Kansas this season with 926 yards and 12 touchdowns through 10 games.

Neal might be best in a committee approach but adding his explosive ability and good vision with a returning Rico Dowdle or even a replacement-level veteran would be miles better than what Dallas' offense has offered this season so far. Maybe the Cowboys could be a bit more aggressive than this but I like the idea of Neal-Dowdle combo more than passing on an elite prospect like Abdul Carter for a Jeanty.

Offensive line has the potential to become a much more pressing need for Dallas once the draft rolls around. Zack Martin seems as if he's on the fast track to retiring and there's a world wherein the Cowboys also could look to get out from Terence Steele's contract. As of now, though, we'll only look to a depth spot with Dylan Fairchild and project that the team eyes a Martin replacement in free agency.

The Georgia product, for his own merit, has been an elite pass-blocker this season but with some shortcomings in the run game. That's, unfortunately, been part of the problem for Dallas this season but it's hard to overlook a player who hasn't given up a sack over 1,184 snaps the past two years with the Dawgs.

Rounds 5 (Picks 170, 171) and 6: Dak's new backup

When Trevon Diggs and Daron Bland are healthy, the Cowboys have the top two cornerbacks set up nicely. However, veteran Jourdan Lewis is set to hit free agency this offseason and could end up needing to fill that role in the slot. Upton Stout could potentially help with that.

Stout has been good-not-great for the Hilltoppers in coverage, specifically struggling the most in zone. However, he's a top-tier run defender this season after moving primarily to the slot. More importantly, though, the hope for Dallas is they move on from Mike Zimmer and bring a more versatile defensive coordinator, something that would play to Stout's own versatility well.

Both Cooper Rush and Trey Lance are set to hit free agency and the former, in my estimation, is the only one who would be under consideration to return. However, I prefer looking at a younger, higher-upside option like Jaxson Dart as someone who could come into the backup role behind Dak Prescott. At Ole Miss, Dart has thrown for 3,406 yards, 22 touchdowns and only four picks. He's quite effective in both the intermediate and deep parts of the field and, while not super toolsy, he could absolutely represent an upgrade at the QB2 spot for the Cowboys roster.

Dan Quinn found a way to mitigate the Cowboys' lack of emphasis on the safety position effectively. Mike Zimmer... not so much. So while it's a sixth-round pick, going after a player like Andrew Mukuba could be highly beneficial for Dallas. While the Texas product by way of Clemson does struggle at times against the run, he's one of the best coverage safeties in the country, allowing just a 37.5 passer rating when targeted this season. That'll play in this secondary, especially with Malik Hooker not getting any younger.

For the final pick of the Cowboys' draft, I have no qualms taking another swing at receiver. Again, the depth is less than ideal. So Will Sheppard would not just be a flyer but a player with a chance to make the 53-man roster with relative ease. A big body at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Sheppard is a player Dallas doesn't quite have in the receiver room right now. He's been the red-zone and deep threat for Shedeur Sanders and could be a nice outside complement to CeeDee Lamb for Dak.