It seems that in nine out of ten mock drafts, experts and insiders have the Dallas Cowboys taking an offensive lineman in the first round.

And hey, it certainly does appear to be the likeliest outcome for the 24th overall pick following the departures of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz and the value near the end of the first round might be there in the form of an interior offensive lineman or a developmental tackle.

But recently, NFL insider Peter Schrager stirred the pot by passing on multiple intriguing lineman on his mock draft to make the flashy, sexy pick for the Cowboys: WR Xavier Worthy, out of the Texas Longhorns.

What made the pick unpopular on social media  for the most part was the fact that Duke's Graham Barton – the consensus top center of this year's draft class – and Georgia's Amarius Mims – a massive tackle prospect with limited experience – were still on the board at 24th. Jackson Powers-Johnson, the center oftentimes mocked to Dallas, was also available in this scenario

At the end of the day, teams are often better off picking the best player available instead of reaching to fill a need, so as long as Worthy is ranked higher on their draft board, there will be not much to argue about regarding the pick if things fall the way Schrager views them. 

But there's another specific argument that I'd make regarding Worthy and why it might be the best choice possible if he's there when the Cowboys are on the clock.

Making the case for Xavier Worthy over OL

There's no question that the Cowboys' claim to go all in this offseason was nothing but a big, fat lie. Things are looking much more like a one-year rebuild season instead of a "go for broke" approach as multiple star players and coaches are on one-year deals while Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, and CeeDee Lamb have yet to receive contract extensions.

But if the Cowboys are looking for a prospect that can make up for a lackluster free agency and make a big impact right away, Worthy might just be their guy.

By opting for Worthy, the Cowboys would likely get the biggest immediate impact maker possible. With his generational speed (recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time ever at the NFL Scouting Combine coming in at 4.21), the offense would have a true burner that could change the way defenses play coverage against Lamb and Co. 

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The Cowboys  would get more than a speedster as well, as A to Z Sports Film Room analyst James Foster describes: "Fluid athlete with joystick change-of-direction skills, very sudden in & out of breaks, CBs struggle to mirror him at full speed, twitchy movements at the LOS to separate laterally & avoid press."

In other words, Worthy isn't somebody that would come in and do nothing but run go routes. He's a more complete route runner than that and most of his weaknesses stem from his small size.

Having someone with that kind of speed could lead the Cowboys to seeing more one-on-one opportunities for Dak and CeeDee while also providing a deep threat element for the offense.

Meanwhile, Mims and Oklahoma's Tyler Guyton are two tackle projects that would take some time to mature while the interior linemen they could target would likely be plug and play starters but far from finished products.

The Cowboys neglected their need to improve the run game in free agency with a quiet free agency so the best way to go might just be putting all the chips on Dak letting it rip in 2024 and hope for the best. If that's the case, adding Worthy makes even more sense.

Bill Belichick might’ve removed major obstacle in the way of potential Cowboys pairing down the road

Seems significant.