We are just a week away from the biggest event of the draft season, the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Dallas Cowboys have a huge draft ahead and this is the best and longest look they will have at some of the top options in this year’s draft.
From the 26th to March 4th, the Cowboys will be able to interview players, get full measurements, watch them in drills, and clock them in the 40-yard dash.
This is when we get a sense of the guys that they are most interested in.
The combine always comes around right before free agency begins, which means this is the Cowboys shot to pick the positional groups they want to target in the draft and which ones they will put more of a free agent focus on.
Dallas has pushed all their chips into the coming season, and the combine is the first big step towards building that roster.
With all this in mind, here is a look at three guys to keep your eyes on at the combine.
LSU WR, Brian Thomas Jr
If you have been keeping an eye on the Cowboys’ potential draft plan, you know that Brian Thomas Jr is a name fans bring up a lot for the 1st round.
There is good reason for this, to say the least.
At 6’4″, 205 lbs, Thomas brings insane production at LSU and the kind of vertical threat ability you do not see from guys his size.
Thomas led the entire FCS with 17 receiving touchdowns last season, and he did that while sharing targets with future top-10 pick, Malik Nabers.
LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. has cemented himself as a first round pick for me after his rapid development in 2023. Not many guys at his size that can take the top off of a defense and transition the way he does pic.twitter.com/VDxl6F8Bkk
— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) January 17, 2024
This is a guy who is going to turn heads at the combine with his size, speed, and deep ball tracking skills.
He is also a great yards-after-catch threat, which has become the biggest trend for receivers in the NFL.
It would be a risk for Dallas to go receiver in the first round considering their needs on the offensive line and at linebacker, but we can’t ignore the need at wide receiver that is developing.
The Cowboys are likely to cut veteran Michael Gallup before next season, and when you look at the depth chart with or without him, Dallas is lacking at the position.
Thomas brings star potential to the table and could blossom opposite of CeeDee Lamb.
This could become a match made in heaven if Thomas kills it at the combine, so keep an eye out for him.
Texas RB, Jonathon Brooks
The combine is going to be a huge moment for former Texas Longhorn, Jonathon Brooks, but not for the reason you would expect.
There is no anticipation for a Brooks 40-yard dash or performance in the running back drills, but rather, teams are going to get an extensive medical look at Brooks as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Brooks, in my view, is the best running back in the 2024 draft, but his medical status is going to hold his draft stock down.
#Longhorns RB Jonathon Brooks was absolutely incredible this season. The fact he rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 TD (6.1 YPC) while missing every game from mid-Nov through the CFP due to injury blows my mind.
Here's a handful of his best plays this season. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/WChi9BiF7p
— Blake Munroe (@BlakeMunroeOTF) February 9, 2024
Whether or not he is progressing well is going to show up on the medical reports at the combine, and you can bet that the Cowboys are going to be very interested in what the doctors have to say.
His talent would make him the best running back on the Dallas roster.
If the Cowboys walk away from the combine feeling good about what they saw, Brooks might become their top option to fix their weaknesses at running back.
Starter Tony Pollard is once again set to hit free agency, and he is coming off a lackluster season, while backup Rico Dowdle has yet to show he can be an RB1.
The weakness at the position and the potential value of getting Brooks later than he should because of his injury make this a great match.
Keep an eye on the reports that come out on Brooks and his health after the combine is over.
Texas A&M LB, Edgerrin Cooper
Almost every Cowboys mock draft you will see over the next few months will include former Texas A&M Aggie, Edgerrin Cooper.
He is one of the top linebackers in this draft and may be available in the second round.
Being able to pick up a linebacker like Cooper in the second round gives you a clear-cut starter at a major position of weakness, and the ability to use your first-round pick on a different positional group of need.
Don’t let Cooper’s lack of first-round buzz fool you, he is really talented and he brings a lot to the table that Dallas simply does not have at linebacker right now.
Edgerrin Cooper will continue to climb up draft boards. The Texas A&M prospect (#45) is your prototypical modern linebacker with an ideal frame, length, athleticism, and versatility. As a run defender, he is quick to trigger downhill and has a wide tackling radius. pic.twitter.com/nNiEjvUrLX
— Brandon Carwile (@PackerScribe) February 18, 2024
Cooper tallied 30 tackles for loss, 205 total tackles, and 8.5 sacks in three seasons at Texas A&M.
That is ridiculous production.
He brings the size you want at 6’3″, 230 lbs, and he might shock people with his 40-yard dash time at the combine.
You have to keep an eye on Cooper next week for the sole reason that he is fun to watch; his combination of speed, size, strength, and range will be on full display in the linebacker positional drills.
This fit makes a lot of sense for Dallas, and you can bet they will be watching Cooper like a hawk in Indianapolis.
