Who thought we’d be talking NFL Draft during Wild Card week? Well, here we are.

Finishing 2019 with an 8-8 record, the Cowboys will select 17th in the 2020 NFL Draft. We’ll have plenty of time to talk draft prospects over the next couple months, but the mocks are already coming out with the regular season coming to a close.

Matt Miller’s latest post-regular season mock draft went up on Bleacher Report this week, so we should talk about who the Cowboys are projected to take. Matt slotted South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw to Dallas, citing his versatility and size as reasons fans should be excited about the acquisition.

“A 6’6”, 310-pounder who I’ve compared to Arik Armstead, Kinlaw has dominated in the SEC for two seasons while showing a positional versatility (he would be great in a 3-4) and toughness that will have coaches falling in love with his game.”

Kinlaw finished the 2019 season with 6 sacks, 2 pass deflections, and 35 total tackles. In 2018 Kinlaw saw similarly impressive sack production on the interior with 4.5, and should immediately offer a strong pass rushing upside to whichever NFL team lands him in the draft.

Kinlaw is the type of rusher that Rod Marinelli would absolutely love to have, even though Rod is most likely out the door after a dissapointing 2019 season. Still, Kinlaw would fit right in and help take some of the pressure off edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence.

Despite his size and strength, Kinlaw does need to grow as a run defender, but his explosion off the ball points towards a high ceiling there as well. Even in his current form, Kinlaw is a really good football player with Pro Bowl potential in the near future.

I’m far from through watching and learning about this draft class, but Javon Kinlaw would be a very strong selection for the Cowboys in the middle of the first round.