FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones reiterated on Tuesday that the team may have interest in trading up from the 24th pick in this week’s NFL Draft.
Speaking with reporters at the team’s pre-draft press conference from The Star in Frisco, Jones said it would be “madness” for the team to discount any possibilities.
“We always chum,” Jones said directly. “You’re always talking about possibilities or things. There’s nothing dangerous about thinking crazy things.”
This is the second time in recent weeks that Jones has made it clear he has potential interest in trading up.
“I would trade up since we’re down as low as we are in those first two or three rounds,” Jones said following an April 13th press conference announcing the team’s new partnership with Blockchain.com.
Part of the team’s interest in trading up may be related to the lack of first round talent that the Cowboys currently have on their board. Cowboys executive vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones told reporters on Tuesday that the team will end up with “somewhere between 14 and 16” first round graded players, and acknowledged that the number was lower than previous drafts.
League sources have indicated to 105.3 The Fan that the cost of trading up might not be as steep as in previous years, with several teams ahead of Dallas looking to move back in the first round.
With a lack of top-tier talent, the Cowboys picking in the back-end of the first round, and the number of teams looking to trade back, it makes sense that Jerry Jones and the front office are left weighing a number of options.
“If you had been a fly on the wall this morning, listening to our conversations, you would've heard some pretty interesting scenarios.”
If the Cowboys choose to move up in the draft, it could be in an effort to secure one of the top offensive linemen. Sources tell 105.3 The Fan that the Cowboys think highly of Mississippi State OT Charles Cross and Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning. Both could potentially play left guard in 2022, and be groomed as a future replacement for Tyron Smith.
While offensive line is a big need for the Cowboys, they’re also in the hunt for receivers. A trade up could be for one of the top receivers in the class who is unlikely to fall all the way to pick 24. A name like USC’s Drake London could fit the bill.
What happens ahead of where the Cowboys pick may determine just how aggressive they are, but Jerry Jones isn’t taking anything off the table.
“I would not not consider anything as we're sitting here getting ready for the draft.”
