Were the Cowboys on the verge of drafting former Liberty quarterback Malik Willis? A new report indicates it may have been the case.
Willis' slide to the third round was arguably the most surprising development of the 2022 NFL Draft.
His name was finally called when the Tennessee Titans nabbed him with the 22nd pick in the third round, 86th overall. But the Titans actually traded up into that spot shortly before making the pick -- moving up four slots from No. 90 in a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The swap allowed the Titans to leapfrog the Bills, Cowboys and Cardinals. So, who did the Titans think might take Willis ahead of them? Ian Rapoport of NFL Network wonders whether it was the Cowboys, who were up next at No. 88.
All of the Cowboys, Bills and Cardinals have entrenched starters at the quarterback position.
But, according to Rapoport, the Cowboys have made no secret of their desire for a backup to Dak Prescott.
"They've admitted they looked into the backup-quarterback market," Rapoport said. "We get to the third round. This is basically where you would take a quarterback who is probably, sort of at least going to start as a backup."
"Everybody needs backups," said fellow guest Tom Pelissero. "Third round is where you draft backups, and not many guys who slide into the third round have the upside of a Malik Willis."
The Cowboys' potential interest in Willis is likely to remain a secret for now. Meanwhile, Dallas took former Southern Alabama wide receiver Jalen Tolbert with the 88th overall selection.
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