A better draft strategy than standing pat in draft order

[ArtClink]

Yeah our player trade options might be slim.

But other than Parsons, Lamb and Tyler Smith, who is untouchable? In my mind anyone else is a trade option if it makes us better in the long run.

You have great, logical ideas to improve the roster. Unfortunately our GM has the emotional maturity of a teenager and loves to make impulsive decisions which overrule all the hard work that Will McClay and other scouts have done. It’s telling when there’s such a short list of untouchable players.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

I think Aubrey and Ferguson are attractive to other clubs.

For low round picks....sure. A 6th? 7th? Ok... but the OP was talking about acquiring Top100 picks. Nobody is giving a Topp 100 pick for Ferguson. Or a top 150 pick for that matter

 

[ArtClink]

But “Birth Certificate Boy” says teams like Philly, LARams and KC are doing it all wrong with free agency. He says they will regret it later. (Laughing while they polish their Lombardis)

lol and great point!!

 

[75boyz]

But “Birth Certificate Boy” says teams like Philly, LARams and KC are doing it all wrong with free agency. He says they will regret it later. (Laughing while they polish their Lombardis)

Not only Birth Certificate Boy though. Several Cowboy Zoners post their opinions under this delusional fantasy as well.

And like you said Stephen keeps waiting on this Salary Cap Grim Reaper to take those other teams down a notch and it never does.
And then you look up and those teams GMs have already made a proactive move to avoid the pending so called salary cap hell they were "supposed to" endure.

Then it just boils down to people who know how to do their jobs as compared to people who dont.

The Cowboy Front office does not know how to properly manage the salary cap.
Period.

 

[blueblood70]

When I look at the mock drafts, I don't see talents available at 12 that are significantly better than players 10 picks lower. Particularly at Dallas' areas of need. This would be a good year for a trade down.

Bob is also correct that Dallas lands almost nothing in the back end of the draft. A trade up there also makes sense.

The back end is what like the 4th the 5th the 6th the 7th??? are you telling me that teams just clean up after the 4th round? you want to show me all those consistently good players coming from the 6th and 7th round like what area of the draft we talk about back end?

In my opinion most teams take Flyers after the 5th round you know that word camp body when people are talking about free agents and guys are bringing in that's exactly what these guys are almost on any team unless you get lucky and we all get lucky in there right teams just happen to get a guy happens with undrafted free agents as well.. But that's one thing Dallas has done pretty well is undrafted free agents so that should count for something.

. So typically, there aren't a lot of happening after the 5th round... So yes, if they have an opportunity, they should trade some of those away even a 5th rounder and move up that makes sense, but it has to be the right moment, and you have to have a drape partner...

So yeah, they've had a lot good luck in the 4th round ,

outside of that recently its bland in the 5th, Anthony brown and Donovan Wilson were 6th rounders,

And I think my point is that pretty much for all teams I don't know many of them cleaning up you get lucky occasionally and that's what you're hoping for..

 

[blueblood70]

Jerry doesn’t typically trade players, likely because he thinks every year is our year (he was even a buyer at last years deadline when he knew the QB was gone…that after doing next to zero in the off-season).

The kings of misevaluation.

However if Warren is there at 12 I don’t see how that isn’t a major upgrade to the offense, then Ferguson may be worth like a 4th to the right team, which would replace the pick he threw away on Mingo.

Jerry was never any good at this, but he is getting much worse quickly, so I wouldn’t expect much in the way of wheeling and dealing to get better. They just collect players.

That's because there's not a lot of tradable players they do trade players just not in the draft very often but I don't know too many teams that are actually trading players in the draft 4 other draft picks yes it happens but it's not on a regular basis most of them are either costing too much money you're trying to do a money dump from a big salary cap hit on the star let's just say this year it could be TJ Watt or something but how many teams can do that give away high draft picks and then turn around and have to pay a guy $42 million?

Most of the draft movement as far as trades go are usually or later you're trading guys that are role players on your team to pick up some draft picks like a 4th or 5th round or something like that they're not a lot of dynamic trades for players for picks yes people trade and move up and down most of the time it's just picks...

But we picked Ferguson in the 4th round the how you think you're going to get a 4th round or for him now being he just came off an injury and his career hasn't gone too well I mean he's got all that potential in the world but you're expecting to get a 4th rounder for a guy you picked in the 4th round even though he's got a big question mark I think at best you're going to get a 5th rounder for him sometimes our fans are the ones overrating these alleged tradable players and really they're overvaluing them... I guess you can Get Lucky and find a team willing to take a risk but it's very rare..

 

[fivetwos]

That's because there's not a lot of tradable players they do trade players just not in the draft very often but I don't know too many teams that are actually trading players in the draft 4 other draft picks yes it happens but it's not on a regular basis most of them are either costing too much money you're trying to do a money dump from a big salary cap hit on the star let's just say this year it could be TJ Watt or something but how many teams can do that give away high draft picks and then turn around and have to pay a guy $42 million?

Most of the draft movement as far as trades go are usually or later you're trading guys that are role players on your team to pick up some draft picks like a 4th or 5th round or something like that they're not a lot of dynamic trades for players for picks yes people trade and move up and down most of the time it's just picks...

But we picked Ferguson in the 4th round the how you think you're going to get a 4th round or for him now being he just came off an injury and his career hasn't gone too well I mean he's got all that potential in the world but you're expecting to get a 4th rounder for a guy you picked in the 4th round even though he's got a big question mark I think at best you're going to get a 5th rounder for him sometimes our fans are the ones overrating these alleged tradable players and really they're overvaluing them... I guess you can Get Lucky and find a team willing to take a risk but it's very rare..

Ferguson is a free agent after this season, so that’s a factor on a potential return, but a fourth for him isn’t out of the question for the right team. He did make a Pro Bowl and has proven to be a decent player. But does Dallas want to pay him?

My point was tied to taking Warren at 12, which if he doesn’t bust, would be a significant upgrade.

Depends how you’re thinking though. Do you want to win as many games as you can this season even though a SB isn’t likely, or maybe take a shot at building for a year or two down the line?

Also do you want a top of the league (projected) TE, or a WR that’s probably/maybe good but not great? Personally I agree with you that WR isn’t as big a “need” as most want to believe.

If they could get a fourth for Ferg, and there’s no intent to resign him, you’ve gotta do it…even though it’s unlikely they get as good of a player as him, he is either gone after this year or needs to be paid.

Overall I’d say they need to do a better job of signing guys earlier or dealing them if that’s not the plan, but in all fairness that works both ways. Non first rounders don’t have much of an incentive to take discounts when they are only a year away from FA.

 

[Pass2Run]

I understand wanting to trade down. But the truth is, you actually can find players in later rounds. It's not about your draft position. You can draft a player in round 1 that's a complete bust or draft Mr. Irrelevant and nail a pick that beats out your busted round 1 pick.

It's all about the evaluation. Moving up doesn't assure you get a better player. It just moves you up.

 

[Sandyf]

The Cowboys enter the upcoming draft with 10 of the draft’s 257 picks. With holes at almost every position group on this roster, and with this organization’s refusal to take free agency as a serious way to upgrade the roster, we need a plausible approach that can upgrade this team quickly in the upcoming 2025 draft. Here are the Cowboys current picks by round:

• Round 1: No. 12
• Round 2: No. 44
• Round 3: No. 76
• Round 5: No. 149
• Round 5: No. 174 (compensatory pick)
• Round 6: No. 204 (from Lions)
• Round 6: No. 211 (compensatory pick)
• Round 7: No. 217 (from Titans)
• Round 7: No. 239 (from Packers)
• Round 7: No. 247 (from Chiefs)

It’s great having 10 picks but only 3 of them are in the top 100. That gap between pick 76 and 149 is huge. Having 7 picks in the back end of the draft decreases the chances of immediate impact. Five of those current picks will be in rounds 6 and 7 where most of those players will be STers or deep backups at best.

So…what if we could get aggressive and do a couple of trade downs to give us 5 picks in the top 100 instead of just 3?

• Trade down at 12 to pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick.
• Consider trading a current player on the roster in a draft pick trade.
• Use some of the compensatory picks at the bottom to sweeten a deal.

Bottom line for me: Having only 3 top 100 picks and having 7 picks from rounds 5-7 is not enough help. We should convert some of the compensatory picks and round 6 and 7 picks into less overall picks but more in the top 100.

Without some move ups, our draft picks will mostly be bottom of the talent pool.

Nice post. Agree that if we can trade down to pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd or both would be great. Hopefully there is a willing partner that wants to move up.

Guess my thought though is who is going to be at #12. What if Mason Graham doesn't go top 5-8 as expected and falls to #12. I have to take him and see if I can trade a current player for a 3rd or 4th pick. Having a DT like Graham would improve the DL greatly and help immensely with run stopping.

Trading a player in the draft usually doesn't get you as much although if the Chargers lose out on Warren TE and Loveland TE then they might give up a 3rd and 5th for Hendershot. Saints could miss out on a QB they want (probably Sanders or Dart) and might be willing to give up a 2nd for Milton though fans might not like it.

Not sure what the 6th and 7th round picks will get us in the draft as a sweetener. And can't see Dallas willing to part with any picks from 2026.

I think as fans we expect guys to be picked in by a certain round, as always there will be a number that fall far past our expectations. If we should be so lucky as to get Graham DT, Egbuka WR and Hampton RB somehow in the 1st rounds then I would consider the draft a great success.

Again, great post with a lot of interesting comments.

 

[FanofJerry]

I understand wanting to trade down. But the truth is, you actually can find players in later rounds. It's not about your draft position. You can draft a player in round 1 that's a complete bust or draft Mr. Irrelevant and nail a pick that beats out your busted round 1 pick.

It's all about the evaluation. Moving up doesn't assure you get a better player. It just moves you up.

It's about good tape players with ideal measurements in early rounds, I imagine.

I'd be looking for Sean Lee, IQ type players in later rounds that might be able to take NFL punishment and succeed once they beef up after 3 years.

I don't know what round he was drafted...but Orlando Scandrick was undersized but tough and smart and eeked out a hood career.

EDIT: Scandrick was a 5th round pick.

 

[Bobhaze]

Overall I’d say they need to do a better job of signing guys earlier or dealing them if that’s not the plan, but in all fairness that works both ways. Non first rounders don’t have much of an incentive to take discounts when they are only a year away from FA.

Regarding signing guys earlier….if we had worked on signing Parsons earlier, it would have saved quite a bit. Same for Dak in the first and second contract. Same for Tyler Smith. Sign him now and save a bunch but they won’t.

It still irks me when Stephen “Birth Certificate” Jones drones on and on about cap space when his old man is so loose and wasteful with time and contracts. Its mind numbing.

They don’t even do what they say they want to do all the time.

 

[KJJ]

When you’ve suffered through a bad season and your only consolation is a top 12 pick I believe in staying pat and take the best player available. Our luck in the second round hasn’t been very good and once you get to the 3rd round the draft become a a real crapshoot so best to stay where we are. I’m more interested in quality than quantity.

 

[Majic]

This is what irks me about the Cowboys strategy. They claim they build through the draft yet they basically traded picks to make them bottom heavy in this draft. Having 10 picks is great. But when 5 of them are in the last 2 rounds and another pick is a 5th round comp pick the idea of having 10 picks seems better than it is. I really wish they had that 4th round pick they gave away for Mingo. (seriously, why a 4th for him when they only got a 5th for Cooper?)

In any case, our last 6 picks add up to 45 points, which would get us a late 4th round pick in a trade. Would you want them to give up a 5th, 2 6ths, and 3 7ths for a late 4th giving them only 5 picks this draft?

Yes

 

[Verdict]

This team needs more top end talent. We aren't winning a SB this year. Take a star at #12. Do what you want after that but don't give up on a potential All Pro (with luck) to pick up another guy to "fill a hole". We just aren't good enough to be thinking like that right now IMO. If anything I'm being more aggressive and trading up in any of the first 3 rounds if there is a guy on the board that we feel is worth it.This year is a draft to get us moving in the right direction

I think the team should have a serious discussion about that #12 pick. If the player that is available at #12 isn’t a franchise changing player that happens to fall into their laps I would seriously consider a few trade backs at #12.

I think the Cowboys have forced a WR pick at #12 due to the perceived shallowness of this draft at WR. I don’t think we will trade back and miss taking a WR at 12. But trading back a bit MIGHT end up being the better long term move.

They could possibly trade back 3 or 4 times in the first and still get the second best RB in the class late in the first or early second round.

BPA needs to be the focus of this team.

 

[fivetwos]

Regarding signing guys earlier….if we had worked on signing Parsons earlier, it would have saved quite a bit. Same for Dak in the first and second contract. Same for Tyler Smith. Sign him now and save a bunch but they won’t.

It still irks me when Stephen “Birth Certificate” Jones drones on and on about cap space when his old man is so loose and wasteful with time and contracts. Its mind numbing.

They don’t even do what they say they want to do all the time.

I agree, and if this sounds at all remotely close to defending Jerry and his kid, please bench me immediately, but the system is a bit flawed.

First rounders are subject to a fifth year option. No player can be given an extension until after year three, and if they were not a first rounder, they are a UFA after the following season. If you have a good player that you intend to extend, why not be able to come to an agreement after two years, or even one?

The flip side is why would a player take a discount that close to FA?

Why would the players not want that to be allowed? It doesn’t obligate the owners unless they it benefits them within their own situation. They should be fine with it also.

When you put the necessary resources into scouting players, why would teams not want to lock up the ones who play well at a discount rate, which also benefits the player by being paid sooner. Who loses?

 

[Verdict]

This team needs to start thinking longer term. The Cowbis have the “luxury” of having the GM also be the owner. The 2009 draft was a complete dumpster fire. Instead of selecting players in that draft the Cowboys COULD have punted on that entire draft and then the next year they would have had the control of the entire draft.

At some point the Cowboys need to stop taking “lottery tickets” and instead flip those picks into future years for a higher round pick. The Cowboys do just as well at UDFA as they do in rounds 6-7. We need to take advantage of that.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Looking back over last 20 years, Dallas has done very well picking in the top 20 in round one. After pick 20 it gets pretty rough. So a trade down inside of top 20 would be ok IMO. In second round we have to quit taking injured guys or guys that have fallen…it has not reaped benefits very often.

 

[Verdict]

I agree. I feel one of the biggest failures of last season, and there were a lot, was playing Rush when Dak went down. If we would have played Lance we would have lost a lot more games or Lance would got his act together and put stuff on tape. He could have signed for a lot more with a new team and maybe got us a comp pick. More than likely Lance loses out. We wasted a 4th and didn’t play him and then played well enough to lose a high draft pick. Last year sucked.

I wish I could “like” this pick 100 times. It was idiotic to win meaningless games instead of improving draft position.

 

[Jarntt]

I think the team should have a serious discussion about that #12 pick. If the player that is available at #12 isn’t a franchise changing player that happens to fall into their laps I would seriously consider a few trade backs at #12.

I think the Cowboys have forced a WR pick at #12 due to the perceived shallowness of this draft at WR. I don’t think we will trade back and miss taking a WR at 12. But trading back a bit MIGHT end up being the better long term move.

They could possibly trade back 3 or 4 times in the first and still get the second best RB in the class late in the first or early second round.

BPA needs to be the focus of this team.

Or Hampton could be gone to the Bears before we are even on the clock at 12. You can't go by mock drafts. They have no clue.

 

[DFWJC]

Well, last year, Dallas traded down in the first round and landed 2 starters with the acquired picks