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Cowboys news: Trade talk is all the rage with the draft approaching

April 19, 2024
NFL: NFL Draft
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

All the latest Cowboys news

2024 NFL mock draft with all trades: Deals for 32 first-round picks - Bill Barnwell, ESPN

An all-trade mock draft? Here is what the Cowboys do.

24. Dallas Cowboys

Chiefs get: 1-24

Cowboys get: 1-32, 3-95, 5-159

The Cowboys are about to make a big financial splash, but it’s going to be on players they already have. CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are due new deals that should reset their respective positional markets. Dak Prescott holds all the leverage in his negotiations with the Cowboys, as the quarterback is entering the final year of his deal and cannot be franchised before the 2025 campaign. Those three players have combined to make just under $48 million per year on their current deals; their new contracts could add up to $135 million per season.

The only way to make that work is to cut back elsewhere, which is why the Cowboys have let a handful of starters leave this offseason without replacements. They are going to need to draft well and draft often to thrive with such a top-heavy roster, so moving down and adding two extra picks is logical. Pick No. 159 was originally theirs, but they traded it away last year to use a sixth-rounder on Eric Scott, a safety who spent all of 2023 as a healthy scratch and turns 26 before the start of the season.

The defending champs moved up from No. 29 to No. 22 two years ago, when they sent two picks to the Patriots and landed cornerback Trent McDuffie. The Chiefs were flush with selections then by virtue of the Tyreek Hill trade, which isn’t the case any longer. This would be a move up to address a critical position: left tackle, where Donovan Smith is a free agent and Wanya Morris didn’t impress as a rookie. Jumping the Packers and Ravens makes sense if there’s somebody Kansas City trusts to protect Patrick Mahomes’s blindside.

NFL Draft 2024: Three first-round trades Cowboys could make to gain extra picks - Garrett Podell, CBS Sports

Podell offers three trade-down options for the Cowboys. Bill Barnwell already covered the trade with the Chiefs, so we’ll highlight the trade-down to #30.

Trade down to 28 (Bills) : Cowboys get: 2024 first (No. 28), 2024 fourth (No. 128), 2024 fifth (No. 160)

Trade down to No. 32 (Chiefs) : Cowboys get: 2024 first (No. 32), 2024 third (No. 95), 2024 fourth (No. 131), 2024 fifth (No. 159)

Trade down to No. 30 (Ravens): Cowboys get: 2024 first (No. 30), 2024 third (No. 93), 2024 fourth (No. 113),

An additional third-round pick would ensure Dallas ends up with one of the better running back prospects whether that is Texas’ Jonathon Brooks, an agile and elusive back who is likely a second-round pick, or one of the two better third-round options, Florida State’s Trey Benson or Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright.

The other third-round choice could be used on some help at defensive tackle or linebacker, but linebacker is probably the larger need with Leighton Vander Esch retiring because of neck injuries and DeMarvion Overshown working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered last training camp. North Carolina State’s Payton Wilson or Ohio State’s Tommy Eichenberg could be solid pickups in that range. Ditto for Clemson defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, who graded out as the NFL Scouting Combine’s most athletic interior defensive lineman, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

The Ravens could also add a piece at receiver, offensive tackle or defensive end to help them get over the hump in the AFC.

Sources: Dallas Cowboys ‘Exploring’ NFL Draft Trade - Tony Fisher, Athlon Sports

Citing sources from two NFL teams, Mike Fisher says the Cowboys are “exploring’’ a trade-down from their first-round pick at slot No 24.

[Fish explains] a theory from two other NFL teams - likely teams with first-hand knowledge of Dallas’ “exploration’’ - that the Cowboys view the “bundle’’ of players who figure to be available at No. 24 to be similar enough that a trade-down will allow them to net a quality guy plus a pick.

Pick Fit: TE fits for every Cowboys draft pick - Nick Harris, DallasCowboys.com

Would the Cowboys really go after another tight end in this draft?

Round 2, Pick 56: Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas): A local prospect that came in for a pre-draft visit, Ja’Tavion Sanders has some of the strongest hands in the draft and has a skillset at tight end that would be beneficial in run blocking schemes at the next level. His athleticism doesn’t jump off the page nor can his movement downfield create consistent separation, but his physicality and ball skills make him incredibly difficult to cover.

Round 3, Pick 87: Jared Wiley (TCU): A healthy comparison for Jared Wiley during the draft process has been Jake Ferguson, as he can hold his own in run blocking and he can stretch the seams but also break out of it in the receiving game on a consistent level. He needs to work on being more consistent with his hands at the next level, but his ceiling with his athleticism offers an offensive weapon with Pro Bowl upside.

Round 5, Pick 174: Erick All (Iowa): A receiving weapon that can run a multitude of different routes, Erick All would be a fun fit in a Mike McCarthy offense with his ability to take routes across the middle and pick up yards after the catch. While his durability is a major concern (season-ending injuries in 2022 & 2023, combined for just 10 games in those two seasons), when he is healthy he can be an athletic receiving weapon.

Panthers GM says door is open to signing former DPOY after NFL Draft - Aaron Becker, Yardbarker

Stephon Gilmore is still out there, but the Panthers are circling.

The Panthers are a young team that is still several pieces away from being a true contender. It won’t get there any quicker without its first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That’s why addressing its needs through free agency has been so important this offseason for Carolina, and general manager Dan Morgan hinted the team isn’t done making moves.

On Thursday, Morgan said the door is still open to sign veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, per Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt.

Gilmore is arguably the top free agent still available on the open market. He is coming off yet another productive season in 2023 when he registered 68 tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys must draft a 1st round DT in 2024 - Mark Heaney, Inside the Star

This doesn’t feel like the wisest use of draft resources, although if the talent is right.

Illinois DT, Johnny Newton

If you haven’t heard much about former Illinois Defensive Tackle, Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton, you are missing out. Newton is one of my favorite players in this draft class, as I have him ranked 6th amongst all players in the draft.

It also seems the Cowboys may have a similar interest. The team watched him closely during Illinois’s pro day, and his draft stock is right in the range of their first pick. Newton was the Big-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, tallying 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.

Texas DT, Byron Murphy II

Now, being as though he was a Longhorns star, you likely know more about Byron Murphy II than you do about Newton. This could also be because Murphy is being rumored as a potential top-15 pick. His talent is through the roof, and the Cowboys have noticed.

Murphy was a top-30 visit for Dallas, which is an exclusive and very important list to be on. Dallas is one of many teams who take their top 30 visits very seriously, as they usually lean on it pretty heavily when making their draft-day decisions. It also indicates that with Murphy, they don’t think he’s too far out of reach.


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