The Cowboys are likely to have a host of needs in the 2027 NFL Draft, but in CBS Sports' mock, they go in a bizarre direction.
We have just concluded the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Dallas Cowboys managed to hit it out of the park according to various draft experts.
Caleb Downs is the centerpiece of it, as he now looks to be the leader of Christian Parker's defense and usher in a new era of Cowboys football.
But with the draft now done, it has pushed some to think ahead to the 2027 draft, and which teams could be selecting. Yes, you read that right.
Projecting a year out from the draft is risky business, as we know how quickly things can change, and for Cowboys Nation, they'll hope this prediction will change, because in truth, it doesn't make much sense at all.
CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson has put together his 2027 mock draft, and has the Cowboys picking at No. 23. That's neither here nor there.
But it is who he has the franchise selecting that is a genuine head scratcher.
He's got the Cowboys taking Iowa guard Kade Pieper.
"Pieper is an athletic interior lineman who shines in pass protection and in zone schemes," Wilson writes. "As he continues to improve functional strength, he has the potential to become one of the best interior OL in the class."
Now, why this is such a confusing pick is that if we look at the Cowboys' guards right now, they are, well, studs.
Tyer Smith currently occupies the left guard position. He's not going anywhere, and Tyler Booker is at right guard. He's not going anywhere.
So why would the Cowboys, in the first round, take a player who, unless by the time the draft rolls around, is head and shoulders above Booker, who, in his second NFL season, is poised to take another leap?
It would be a pure depth addition, and that is not how you want a franchise using a first-round pick.
Plus, T.J. Bass is the backup guard, so the decision to take Pieper would be puzzling to say the least.
If anything, given the uncertainty around George Pickens' long-term future, a receiver could be the position Dallas targets in the first-round.
But guard? With a three-time Pro Bowler in Smith and a player who could easily have a handful of Pro Bowls in Booker, the move confuses me.
The Cowboys aren't about to draft a guard when you could argue that they are set at the position for the next decade, right?