Disclaimer: The following totally based on pre-
draft evaluations by Athletic's writer Dane Brugler
& post-draft assessments by Athletic's writer Jon
Machota, the writer of this article. Actual perform-
ances during preseason as well as injury(ies) to &
performances by these & current players will ...

.... significantly impact the actual players to either
make it to the 53-man roster or make it to the prac-
tice squad (as well as going thru waivers & possi-
bly being signed by another team during the wai-
ver process for players not named to the 53-man
roster):

May 2 2023
https://theathletic.com/4479851/2023/05/02/cowboys-undrafted-free-agents-ranking/

~~~

1 - OG T.J. Bass, Oregon: Dane Brugler projected the
6-4, 317-pound Bass to go in the 5th or 6th round,
ranking him 14th among guards in this class. He
played left guard and left tackle over the last 3 sea-
sons for the Ducks.

Brugler wrote in The Beast: “He has the body thick-
ness and force behind his well-placed punch that’s
desired for interior work. Overall, Bass doesn’t have
high-level reactive athleticism to easily counter &
keep blocks centered, but he gives as good as he
gets because of his heavy hands & desire to finish.”

~~~

2 - FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State: The Cow-
boys really haven’t used a true fullback on the roster
under Mike McCarthy. Jamize Olawale was the last
one and that was in 2019, Jason Garrett’s final sea-
son. Nick Ralston was on the roster for 4 games in
2021 but he played only one offensive snap.

The role has largely been filled by offensive line-
men, like Connor McGovern, & tight ends, like Blake
Bell. Brugler had Luepke 21st among the running
backs in this class with a 6th-7th round grade.

~~~

3 - LB Isaiah Land, Florida A&M: It’ll be interesting
to see where the Cowboys line him up. Land was
an edge rusher in college, totaling 26 1/2 sacks over
the last 2 seasons. But at 6-3, 236, he projects as
more of a linebacker at the NFL level.

Brugler ranked him 18th among the linebackers in
this class with a 6th-round draft grade. “Land needs
to continue strengthening his body to become stout-
er for NFL front-seven play, but he has the athletic
traits to hold up in space & the rush skills to chase
the quarterback on sub-downs,” Brugler wrote.

“He is a high-end developmental prospect with ‘buy
low’ stock that has boom potential for a team willing
to invest.”

~~~

4 - DE Tyrus Wheat, Mississippi State: This is the high-
est-graded player by Brugler that the Cowboys added
after the draft. He had a 4th-round grade on Wheat,
ranking 19th among all edge rushers. Viliami Fehoko,
who Dallas drafted in the 4th round, was ranked 24th
among the edge rushers.

In 34 games with the Bulldogs, Wheat totaled 18 1/2
sacks and 27 tackles for loss.

“Wheat doesn’t have elite length or explosiveness, but
he is a physical edge setter with the front-seven ath-
leticism that will speak to different schemes,” Brugler
wrote about the 6-3, 263-pound Wheat. “With his ver-
satile skill set and motor, his best NFL fit is standing
up as outside linebacker in a 3-4 base.”

~~~

5 - OT Earl Bostick Jr., Kansas: He would possibly have
to beat out [5th round draft pick OG] Asim Richards to
make the roster. ... Brugler had Richards ranked as the
14th best tackle in the class. He had Bostick at 17th
with a 6th-7th round grade. Over the last 2 seasons,
Bostick started 25 games, all at left tackle.

“Bostick moves with the slide quickness & athletic
body control expected of a former tight end, but play
strength & timing aren’t currently on an NFL level, es-
pecially in the run game,” Brugler wrote. “He has the
developmental tools that will give an NFL team opti-
mism.”

~~~

6 - DE Durrell Johnson, Liberty: The 6-3, 250-pound
Johnson was one of the Cowboys’ pre-draft visitors,
so this addition isn’t a surprise. He was not projec-
ted to get drafted. He had nine sacks & 27 1/2 tac-
kles for loss last season.

~~~
7 - CB Myles Brooks, Louisiana Tech: Brugler had a
6th-7th round grade on him, ranking 32nd among all
cornerbacks. Eric Scott Jr, who the Cowboys drafted
after trading into the top spot in the sixth round, was
ranked 60th among all corners. Scott is a little taller
& has longer arms.

Brooks had 7 interceptions & 22 passes defended in
24 games over the last 2 seasons.

~~~

8 - WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Fresno State: He’s the
highest ranked (31st, according to Brugler) of the 4
wide receivers on this list. At 5-11, 172, he projects
as an NFL slot wide receiver. It’s probably going to
be difficult for any of these wide receivers to win
that final roster spot over some other bubble WRs ...

.... like Houston, Simi Fehoko, Dontario Drummond,
& 7th-round pick Jalen Brooks. [see following post
about Moreno-Copper for a more optimistic & thor-
ough analysis of his talents & the full list of the re-
ceivers Moreno-Cooper is competing against:
https://groups.google.com/g/alt.sports.football.pro.dallas-cowboys/c/HGHW-omvNL0/m/cbv_bwjIBAAJ ]

~~~

9 - WR David Durden, West Florida: He was No. 33
on Brugler’s list of wide receivers in this class. “Dur-
den will need to prove he can match up vs NFL speed
& strength, but he has the athletic profile & instincts
(as a receiver and ball carrier) to earn an NFL roster
spot in camp,” Brugler wrote.

“His value on special teams (as a return man & gunner)
could give the edge.”

~~~

10 - TE Princeton Fant, Tennessee: Brugler’s 28th ranked
tight end is undersized, but he scored 9 touchdowns last
season. “Fant is strength- and technique-deficient as a
blocker,” Brugler wrote about the cousin of Seahawks TE
Noah Fant, “but his athletic upside as a utility H-back &
special teamer will be his ticket to an NFL camp.”

~~~

11 - CB D’Angelo Mandell, BYU: The 6-2, 189-pound Man-
dell played in 53 games during his college career, break-
ing up 4 passes with no interceptions.

~~~

12 - WR Jose Barbon, Temple: He caught 72 passes for
918 yards & 2 touchdowns last season. The 5-10, 182-
pound Barbon clocked a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash.

~~~

13 - WR/TE John Stephens Jr., Louisiana: He has excel-
lent size at 6-5, 232 pounds, making a move to tight end
a possibility. He caught 14 passes last season for 284
yards & 3 touchdowns.

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