We’ve seen the draft scenario’s, we all have ones we like. Some prefer to trade up, some prefer to trade down.
Which one are you?
This year’s draft has depth like i’ve never seen before. Despite it’s lack of “elite” players, the Cowboys are going to benefit from a draft that is stocked full of starting caliber players all the way through rounds four or five.
The one issue the Cowboys will face is, do they trade the 18th pick?
Lets get one thing straight from the get-go, the Cowboys love offensive guards Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack. These are franchise caliber players that fit a very specific need for this team.
However, there remains a strong likelihood that these players are gone once the Cowboys get on the clock.
So what if they were? Do you reach for a player that fits a specific need just to do it?
I think it’s tempting to say, “just select D.J. Fluker or Sylvester Williams” but I don’t know that it’s the best move for this franchise.
The Cowboys only have six picks and are in a position to acquire more by trading down and ultimately they would be able to take advantage of the deepest draft in years.
Regardless, the Cowboys need to come out with, at a minimum, three starters. By trading down they’ll be able to move to the end of the first round and add potentially an additional second or third.
Players that I currently have available in picks 1.25 – 2.05 are: Sylvester Williams, Jonathan Cyprien, DaMontre Moore, Datone Jones and Jesse Williams. Any one of those players would upgrade the Cowboys in some respect.
Now this is where we cash in, hypothetically, say they get an additional second round pick. Then they can end up with any combination of: Justin Pugh, Larry Warford, Kyle Long, Eric Reid, Kawann Short, DeAndre Hopkins or Barrett Jones.
This is widely speculative and I know that. However, you can’t discount how attractive it is for the Cowboys to acquire an additional high pick. The Cowboys are in a situation where they need to upgrade a lot of positions while maintaining a “win-now” philosophy. Too me, that means that they need to get multiple high-end prospects that can propel this team to legitimate contention. Trading out of 18 is the way to do it.
The Cowboys will need trade partners. With Minnesota and San Francisco targeting specific players and having multiple picks, you have to believe that the Cowboys will have more than enough suitors.
Draft day is a few days away, teams are uncertain and so are fans. One thing we can feel confident in is that Jason Garrett is going to investigate every option in a way to not only build this team, but save his job.
