The 2016 NFL Draft is right around the corner and that means Jerry Jones’ trigger finger is getting itchier by the second. Of course, his son Stephen Jones now allegedly calls the shots from the Dallas Cowboys’ war room, but Lord knows he’s got at least a little of that wheelin’ and dealin’ gene too. And the draft-day trade options for the Boys are more than plentiful in this awkward offseason.
For a team like Dallas that’s in position to get right back to title hunting this season with a healthy franchise quarterback, drafting “purely” is a very realistic scenario. In fact, the Cowboys would be making a mistake by not taking the best player available at No. 4, regardless of position. The only other option would be to trade back and stock up on middle-round picks, which could also be the best route for the Joneses.
As crazy as it would be to pass up Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa, Carson Wentz or Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4, this year’s draft class is incredibly stocked with second-round talent and the incredible drop-off among quarterbacks after the top three gives Dallas a ton of leverage in trade talks. After the Cleveland Browns take one of those three young passers with the second overall pick, the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles are the only other real possibilities for signal-callers in the top 14.
But at No. 15, the Los Angeles Rams are ready to make headlines and sell tickets in their new (old?) West Coast home, and they are loaded with a pair of second-round picks ripe for swapping. If they stay put in the first round, they might have Paxton Lynch fall to them, but everyone knows they want one of the bigger names in this quarterback class: Carson Wentz or Jared Goff.
If the Rams were to offer the Cowboys that No. 15 pick and both of their second-rounders in exchange to move up to No. 4 for Wentz or Goff, you better believe the Joneses would pull the trigger.
Dallas needs to come away with a game-changing pass-rusher in this draft and then a starting-caliber player in the secondary, a new young running back and a potential Tony Romo heir are all other priorities. With this move, they could take Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson at 15 and then underrated players like Utah running back Devontae Booker, Boise State safety Darian Thompson and Oklahoma State hybrid pass-rusher Emmanuel Ogbah in the second round, or even go quarterback with someone like Michigan State’s Connor Cook, although that wouldn’t be the best value pick in the world.
Sure, giving up two second-rounders to move up nine spots in the first round is nearing the fringe on a fair deal, but the Rams are in need of a headline-maker under center to put butts in the seats at the L.A. Coliseum this fall and Stan Kroenke owes Jerry a favor for making that a possibility in the first place. The Cowboys’ colorful owner would undoubtedly propose such a trade if Kroenke doesn’t call him with the offer first.
If Dallas could come away with four value picks to fill all its holes within the top 45 picks, then a deal like this would be almost perfect. Add in the Joneses’ tendency to pull the trigger on draft day and Vegas should go ahead and set the odds on this one.