News: BTB: Cowboys Draft 2016: Could The Team Be 'Hyping Up' Carson Wentz?

[NewsBot]

Carson Wentz's stock has gone through the roof over the past few weeks. Could the Dallas Cowboys' interest in him spark a trade up?

When it comes to the NFL draft, smokescreens are used to affect other teams' draft boards. In the past, teams have leaked medical information to hurt the draft stock of a player. While it's the most important event of the NFL offseason, it needs to be said that the draft is a game, and how well franchises play this game could have real implications on the future of their team.

In the past few weeks, Carson Wentz has gone from a small-school, blue-collar kid at North Dakota State to a legitimate top-5 draft pick in this year's class. Sitting with the fourth-overall pick, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves at an interesting position. Despite holding one of the better spots for the draft, the Cowboys are a team that has the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs in 2016. Knowing that as well as the fact that Jerry Jones is known to move around on draft day, the Cowboys could be in the market to trade back and pick up some extra picks in the process.

To do this, there has to be a team that loves a guy. That team has to be willing to give up multiple draft picks to select their guy. In 2012, the Washington Commanders gave up three first-round picks as well as a second-round pick to draft Robert Griffin III. Because the quarterback position is the most important position in football, many teams will be in the market for one in this year's draft.

The Cowboys coached a roster for this year's Senior Bowl and on that roster was perhaps the draft's biggest mystery in Carson Wentz. For the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, Wentz was impressive in front of NFL scouts and coaches in Mobile, Alabama. He showed off his football intelligence, his arm strength, his ball placement, as well as that "it" factor that so many draft analysts look for in a quarterback. One team that surely took notice of all of these things were the Cowboys. Jerry Jones shook his hand and traded laughs with him, Jason Garrett has spent a ton of his time with him, and he was the clear focal part of the Cowboys-led North squad's offense.

If the Cowboys have their eyes set on Super Bowl LI in 2017, then drafting a quarterback might be less likely, while drafting a defensive guy like Jalen Ramsey or Myles Jack or even drafting an offensive play-maker like Laquon Treadwell is definitely in the equation. If this is indeed the Cowboys' play, then maybe the Cowboys are making a smokescreen of their own by hyping up a guy like Wentz.

Sure the Cowboys have a need at the quarterback position and the Cowboys will have a better feel than any team in football in terms of knowing what Wentz can bring to the table in the NFL. However, when NFL teams see Wentz, they see him flash a ton of potential, but the mystery with him is that he was doing this against FCS-level teams. Nevertheless, because all of the intangibles are there with him, this could tempt a quarterback-needy team to pull the trigger and bring him into their offense.

Some teams that could be in the market for a quarterback are the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets, the St. Louis Rams, and, maybe the main target, the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns hold the second-overall pick and if they select California's Jared Goff, it would immediately establish Wentz as 'the next guy' to take. If one of the above teams absolutely falls in love with Wentz, then the Cowboys would be the perfect team to call up and figure out a trade with.

Being in the position they are in trading back may not resonate that well with fans, but because the Cowboys have so many needs, mainly across the defense, this might just be the move that needs to be made to immediately help the team in 2016 and beyond. By trading back, the Cowboys would pick up more picks in a deep defensive class that boasts a ton of unique linebackers and defensive tackles, two positions of which that the Cowboys will need to upgrade at some point this offseason. Dallas' interest in Wentz may be real, but his potential and the eye test from watching him alone will push a team to make a play for him, giving the Cowboys the perfect chance to stock up with draft picks. This may just be the Cowboys' plan the whole time.

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[MichaelWinicki]

Yes, that's what I think is happening.

 

[Bowdown27]

Yes, that's what I think is happening.

I think so too. They're looking at bosa jack Ramsey or treadwell. Impact offensive guy or top 5 d guy who can immediately affect the defense. I like jack w lee.

 

[erod]

I can see this.

Either they want Goff, or they want quarterbacks to be drafted to push another player down to No. 4.

Hard to tell what teams really are thinking.

 

[4lifecowboy]

I think it is to drive up the price for teams looking to trade up. The best players on our board could probably be had at 10th spot.

 

[robjay04]

I don't really see anybody hyping anything. The media may be hyping it---the staff had an opportunity to coach Wentz for a week and they were asked questions so they answered the questions in a politically correct way.

The team doesn't even have their draft board together, they haven't had any formal meetings with players nor has their been a combine. I doubt all of the extensive research has been done on the background of these players either. The team has no idea what they are going to do with that pick and they may not know until the day of the draft.

 

[Dhragon]

We've seen Romo get better each year. 2014 IMO was his best year. Yet he is getting to an age when most QBs start to level off then decline. So even if Romo does stay healthy next year ( a VERY big if ) there is a decent chance he'll never be as good again as he was in 2014 anyway due to age ( not everybody is Brady who seems to be elite even in his old age - must be cheating there as well ). And with Garrett's offense, that will be very bad news indeed.

So if the supposition of this article is correct, then all we are doing is building up the defense while the offense starts to decline. There will be no improvement unless Romo becomes the 2014 version of himself ( while possible not probable IMO -either age or injuries or both will derail him at least to some degree ). We will be spinning our wheels.

We'll most likely be around that lovely 8-8 mark we are so familiar with. The better QBs in upcoming drafts will always be gone at where we pick and we'll be stuck drafting the Conner Cook quality QBs where the odds are most definitely not always in your favor.

Still think we need to draft QB at #4 while we have that chance. The only thing otherwise which might appease me is if we can get some teams #1 this year AND their #1 next year. That way we could package two #1s next year to move up to possibly get a high QB next year when maybe Jerry will finally get that the future is important as well as the present.

 

[Risen Star]

Yes. Because teams look to the Cowboys for personnel evaluations.

What's that? Jerry and Stephen like him? There must be something there.

Pffffffft. You guys live in a fantasy land.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

Like so many on here like to say, we were a missed call on a Dez's catch away from the championship game. Last year it was because Romo and Dez were out most of the year. So why would they want to spend so many high picks on defense? Defense wasn't the reason for last year's 4-12 record.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Like so many on here like to say, we were a missed call on a Dez's catch away from the championship game. Last year it was because Romo and Dez were out most of the year. So why would they want to spend so many high picks on defense? Defense wasn't the reason for last year's 4-12 record.

Certainly the passing offense was abysmal.

But the defense led the league in fewest take-aways with 11. Carolina had 39.

Dallas was also 25th in sacks.

So there is some work to be done on defense.

 

[reddyuta]

BTB has fallen off the map.Every article they publish is " why the cowboys should not take a QB at 4". Talk about agenda, it's a shame because they used to have good content on there.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

BTB has fallen off the map.Every article they publish is " why the cowboys should not take a QB at 4". Talk about agenda, it's a shame because they used to have good content on there.

And if they don't take a QB at #4?

 

[Mr Cowboy]

BTB has fallen off the map.Every article they publish is " why the cowboys should not take a QB at 4". Talk about agenda, it's a shame because they used to have good content on there.

I think that this BTB site may be like Jerry himself, always looking for the nice, shiny toy and going that route, instead of building for the future, and sustaining future success.

 

[reddyuta]

And if they don't take a QB at #4?

I am fine if they pass on a QB only if it's not BPA.the repercussions of passing on a Qb when we the 4th pick is huge.if Goff or Wentz becomes a franchise QB and we passed on him for a DB or LB then fans will never forgive Jerry after 20 years of futility.that might actually be the turning point of our franchise.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I am fine if they pass on a QB only if it's not BPA.the repercussions of passing on a Qb when we the 4th pick is huge.if Goff or Wentz becomes a franchise QB and we passed on him for a DB or LB then fans will never forgive Jerry after 20 years of futility.that might actually be the turning point of our franchise.

A team is always going to be facing that dilemma, i.e. "What if the guy we pass on becomes a star?"

I remember when the Cowboys passed on Joe Montana.

It happens.

Bottom line is that there are no guarantees.

 

[Alexander]

Two of them, both NFL personnel executives, spoke to NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein.
"One said 'Boy, that North Dakota State kid is way overrated.' And the other one texted me and said 'After watching him for a full week, there is no way I would draft Carson Wentz in the first round,'" Zierlein said on The Pick Is In podcast. "Now, by most media accounts, the draft media, Carson Wentz did just fine. A lot of people called him a winner of draft day. Depends on what you're looking for. But that's an example of how people can see these prospects very, very differently."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...aft-wentz-in-round-1?campaign=Twitter_nfl_cfb

 

[Alexander]

 

[Alexander]

I think it is to drive up the price for teams looking to trade up. The best players on our board could probably be had at 10th spot.

If that is what Dallas is doing, it won't work. It never works. I have yet to ever see anything people describe as a Jones "smokescreen" ever amount to anything--if they even exist in the first place.

 

[MrPhil]

Not sure I buy this theory to be honest. That said, if it is true and they do pass on either Goff or Wentz in a trade down, they better hope that whichever QB they pass on does not become the next legit franchise QB. I personally think that would be disastrous for the Cowboys, even more so if the players they get out of the deal turn out to be JAGs.

Lets face it, Dallas has not been stellar in the middle rounds of the draft in recent years.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

If we don't take one of the top 3 QBs and solidify our QB for the future, we better take one of the top 3 DTs and solidify our D-line. Give me a D-line of Hardy/Gregory Crawford Billings/Robinson/Rankins Lawrence and we'll have two strong lines (O and D) for the future. Don't waste this opportunity to solidify our future by getting a guy like Ramsey, Bosa or Jack.