2024 NFL Mock Draft: Dallas Cowboys full 7-round projection in late-January

Round 2, Pick 56: Xavier Legette, Wide Receiver, South Carolina

Brandin Cooks will be let go in order to save $4 million in 2024, and Michael Gallop will likely be a casualty next year. The team needs to add a young receiver who will be on a rookie deal for the next four seasons, and someone who doesn't have to make a large contribution this coming season.

That player is South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. He is the definition of prototypical size for the position, measuring 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds. He's not just big. Legette runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.3 seconds. He hauled in 71 receptions this past season for 1,255 yards and 7 touchdowns. He will be groomed to fill Gallup's spot as the team's number two target in 2025.

Round 3, Pick 87: Javon Bullard, Safety, Georgia

The Cowboys are set at cornerback with Trevon Diggs returning in 2024 and the emergence of Daron Bland in 2023. It would be nice to add a nickelback (much nicer than adding Nickelback), but the Cowboys would have to reach, and Jerry Jones does not reach for picks.

The Cowboys have Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson under contract through 2025 and 2026 respectively, but Jerry Jones is not afraid to take the best player on the board. In this case, it's Georgia safety Javon Bullard. Bullard has a great nose for the ball, and elite tackling skills, but is a tad on the slower side for safeties. Expect the Cowboys to use him as a linebacker/safety hybrid, similar to Jabrill Peppers.