Man, I’m surprised you view it that way. Those two draft picks combined would only have the trade value of getting a little further up in the 5th round. Not to mention that when a pick is a year away, it is valued at about a round lower than it actually is, so this year that 2024 6th is only worth a 2023 7th. In the NFL, those picks hold very little value. If they held much value, you’d see teams trading back for more 5th and 6th round picks.
The hit rate for the 5th, 6th, 7th rounds is tiny. Those picks rarely hit like with Bland in the 5th. Teams just try to do it with numbers, which is why they always try for so many un-drafted free agents.
Anyway, You are actually the only place I’ve heard say that Houston got the better of this trade. Most are giving Dallas the edge by a wide margin.
Here, CBS gives Dallas an A grade and the Texans a D+, which is a pretty good representation of how the trade is viewed around the league.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft...iants-trade-down-in-post-free-agency-edition/
Here is what they say about it:
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Cowboys: A
This is the latest move in what has been a savvy offseason for Dallas. Cooks is a player that they've been eyeing dating back to the trade deadline this past season and now get him for a song. Not only do the Cowboys only give up a pair of Day 3 draft selections over the next two seasons, they also have the Texans paying $6 million of Cooks' contract for the 2023 season. Cooks is an ideal speed threat who will complement CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup in Dallas' offense. The 29-year-old receiver has been able to put up numbers over the course of his career even when he was given inconsistent play at the quarterback position, so pairing him in a Cowboys offense with Dak Prescott could bring with it a very high ceiling.
Texans: D+
It became pretty clear that Cooks no longer wanted to a part of the Texans organization, so it's admittedly difficult to try and maximize a return. While the Day 3 draft picks over the next few years are glorified lottery tickets, the more egregious aspect of this trade from Houston's perspective is the team paying over a quarter of his salary for next season. That's an unneeded expense for a rebuilding team that needs as much capital as it can get to surround whoever their rookie QB will be with talent. Speaking of that, the Texans are pretty thin at the position going forward as they roll out Robert Woods, Nico Collins and John Metchie III.
