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Before the latest trades, the Cowboys may have had the ability to trade down for very good value. It's starting to look like that ship may have sailed.
There are still a lot of Cowboys' faithful out there hoping that Dallas can wrangle up a lot more picks in this year's draft. Who can really blame them? This is a team that is one hiccup away from losing their starting defensive end and middle linebacker for the year. They have another open case with the disciplinary committee right now for their other starting defensive end as well which is not looking good at the moment. The Cowboys will likely have to double-dip on quite a few positions in the draft.
So those that are hoping for a trade back, trust me when I say that I totally get it. In fact, I've executed trades in 6 of my 11 mock drafts. Nobody is against the Cowboys trying to find some more value and picks.However, that ship just may have left the port and Dallas needs to be prepared to pick at four.
This draft has already become a lot more interesting with teams such as the Rams and Eagles making blockbuster trades in order to secure the most important position in football. A position, in which, the Cowboys are certainly in the market for as well. However, in many ways, the Cowboys have just been pushed into the direction they were likely to go anyway. Whatever it takes to help Tony Romo and Jason Witten get over the hump.
Does that mean the Cowboys shouldn't entertain trade offers? Of course not, but what exactly would you expect in a trade back? If you are one of those that wants next year's first, you will not get it. The value is not the same as it was when the quarterbacks were still in play. The only true bargaining chips right now seem to be Laremy Tunsil and possibly Jalen Ramsey. Neither of those players will garner the capital of a potential franchise quarterback.
Many draftniks are talking about the value in rounds 2-3 and they aren't wrong. I just have one big issue with a trading back; who are you trading away from? That always needs to be considered because if they trade away from Ramsey or perhaps Ezekiel Elliott, the value drops in the middle of the first round. It's great if you can get a guy that you have high on your board who just may be slipping. However, if you trade out of the top 10 for an extra pick and now you are staring at players that you have as a second round grade on then you lose.
One of the worst scenarios that you could see is another debacle like what happened with Sharrif Floyd. Yes, the Cowboys ended up getting Travis Frederick and Terrance Williams out of that trade but they certainly looked like a team that panicked. If a guy is that high on your board, you need to be prepared to take him as Bryan Broaddus would say. We don't even need to rehash the 2009 draft as that was a complete disaster.
What it comes down to is that teams seem to be a bit trade happy this year. Maybe it's because they see a deep class at multiple positions and feel they need more picks. Tennessee executed an excellent fleecing of the Rams, but value-wise, it makes sense. The Eagles are just willing to do what it takes to secure a quarterback, you do that, you get to keep your job for a good while. Say whatever you want about that trade, but if the Cowboys are in that spot a few years from now and pull the trigger for a franchise quarterback, we'll all be champagne toasting as well.
We don't know how true some of the latest buzz around the Chargers' 3rd overall pick is, but they have even been rumored to want out of it entirely. Maybe there is a team willing to leapfrog the Cowboys to get Ramsey. Yet, the Cowboys don't seem to be linked with any bailout stories and that's good poise by them. The truth could be that they probably feel pretty good about how the draft is playing out in front of them. They will get to pick from all but three players. They will get to pick from players that they really like.
If they want Ramsey, they maybe can get him, same goes for Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa. Each of those players would be a big help for this team. The Cowboys hope to not be picking this high anytime soon and if that's true, they need a player that is going to make a huge impact right now. They can't afford to trade for the sake of trading and the value is diminishing quickly.
Who knows, maybe now that the Eagles are most assuredly taking a quarterback, could Dallas move back a few spots and still get Zeke? That's possible but it's not very likely if the Chargers take Tunsil. That's what we will most likely see next Thursday. There doesn't seem to be a team waiting in the wings to be fleeced by the Cowboys. I expect Dallas to sit and pick. What's wrong with that? They have nine picks and will need to spread those out into some players that can really help them. You always want your team to put themselves in a position to add as much value as they can, but at some point talent trumps value. There will be some seriously talented players right there at fourth overall.
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