Cowboys 2023 NFL Draft odds: Dallas favored to select tight end with first round pick, but top-rated Michael Mayer may be gone at No. 26 overall

The Dallas Cowboys haven't taken a tight end in the first round of the NFL Draft since selecting LSU's David LaFleur at No. 22 overall in 1997. The Cowboys pick 26th in the first round of next week's draft in Kansas City, and Caesars Sportsbook oddsmakers favor a tight end at +190 to be the position they choose with that selection – or wherever their first pick lands.

That Dallas offense will look a bit different this year with running back Ezekiel Elliott, No. 1 tight end Dalton Schultz (now in Houston) and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (now with LA Chargers) all gone. Head coach Mike McCarthy will call plays for the offense. Schultz had 57 catches for 577 yards and five scores in 2022. The current No. 1 tight end on the roster is Jake Ferguson, who had 19 catches for 174 yards and two scores last year as a fourth-round rookie out of Wisconsin.

Will Notre Dame All-American Michael Mayer be available at No. 26 overall? Not likely, as he's the -175 favorite at DraftKings to be the first tight end off the board, followed by Utah's Dalton Kincaid at +145. Georgia's Darnell Washington is the next TE listed at +800.

FanDuel offers a prop on which team lands Mayer, and Dallas is the +350 favorite, but it might have to move up to get him with Green Bay (+500) picking 15th and also linked to Mayer. The Chargers (+600) at No. 21 are said to be interested in him as well. Mayer is given an over/under draft spot of 21.5, with the Over a -180 favorite.

Mayer is Notre Dame's all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 180 and led the FBS in tight end catches over the past two years with 138. His 16 receiving touchdowns in that span was No. 2 for his position. Since 1994, only four offensive skill position players from Notre Dame have been drafted in the first round: QB Brady Quinn, WR Michael Floyd, TE Tyler Eifert and WR Will Fuller.

That Dallas takes a defensive lineman or edge rusher with its first pick is a +210 second favorite, followed by receiver (+500), offensive lineman (+550) and running back (+550).

If former Texas star running back Bijan Robinson is available at No. 26, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones may be tempted, but Robinson has an O/U draft spot of 15.5. Pete Prisco's latest mock draft for CBS Sports has Robinson slipping to No. 26 for Dallas.

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