Blogging The Boys
The latest news around your Dallas Cowboys.
If the Cowboys are looking for a ready-made replacement for Zack Martin, Donovan Jackson may be it.
Jackson’s versatility to play guard or tackle at a high level is incredibly intriguing, and NFL teams are seeing it too, with most projections having Jackson go in the late first to second round.
Brian Schottenheimer has told reporters that the Cowboys want to put their best five offensive lineman on the field when Week 1 of the 2025 season rolls around, regardless of position. If that’s the case, then Jackson is a player you’d want because you can draft him and figure out where to slot him amongst the rest of your group after that.
When projected first-round pick Josh Simmons suffered an injury midway through the season last year, Jackson slid from left guard to left tackle. In his first game, Jackson struggled mightily against Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter, who is widely considered to be one of if not the best overall prospects in this upcoming draft class. After that game, he did not give up a sack the rest of the season, and didn’t give up any sacks while he played at left guard either.
The question for the Cowboys is after losing Zack Martin, do they feel confident enough in the players in the room right now (ex. Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Robert Jones) to be able to play at a high enough level for 17 games? If they don’t and feel like they need to grab someone who can or can develop into that kind of player, then Jackson fits the bill of a prospect that could be a great long-term addition.
Some possible selections after the first couple of rounds of the draft.
Third round
No. 76: Alfred Collins, DT, Texas
Comment: We liked Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner (DeSoto). Turner is 6-3, 290 pounds and can clog the middle. He went to Las Vegas at No. 68. Nothing wrong with Collins, though, who comes in at 6-6 and 332 pounds. You got to have big men up front. Collins wore a protective boot over his left foot at Texas’ pro day, so it gives us pause, but overall, we believe Collins will produce. Detroit beat us for Ole Miss edge rusher Jared Ivey, a player with some skills. Jaylin Noel (WR, Iowa State), Elijah Roberts (edge, SMU) and Jared Wilson (center, Georgia) had our interest.
Fifth round
No. 174: Robert Longerbeam, CB, Rutgers
Comment: A few players who drew our interest were guard Connor Colby from Iowa, who went No. 166 to Houston, and edge rusher R.J. Oben from Notre Dame, selected by the Jets at...
