Should Dallas Move Down in the NFL Draft For More Picks?
One of the best things about working at the Landry Hat is experiencing the passion and intelligence of our Dallas Cowboys fans. And in an effort to further serve our great community, we put out a request this week to answer your fan questions. So here is today’s question:
"“Do you think we should trade back a few spots in the first round so we could have (more) picks in the first three rounds?” – Robert T."
What follows are the responses from some of our great staff writers and passionate Cowboy experts.
Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Members of the United States armed forces are honored during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Burke, Staff Writer – Robert, I would. I would rather have three picks in the 2nd (assuming 18 is traded for 2 of them) and our pick in the 3rd, than a 1st round pick. I like quality over quantity, except when you need quantity and the Draft has plenty of it at the holes you have, which in our case are both lines and Safety. So, yes, I would. Will they? I doubt it.
Kim Dunning, Senior Writer – If he was smart he would. The # 18 pick has never historically been good to the Cowboys. Last pick at # 18 was Bobby Carpenter. However, I don’t see him doing that, I do see Jerry as trading our picks to draft further up though.
Todd Toombs, Senior Writer – That is certainly an option that would make some sense – the draft is fairly deep where we have the most needs: offensive and defensive line. The later picks would cost us less in an already cap-constrained situation, but your odds of getting a quality player also go down exponentially outside of the first round. I wouldn’t rule it out, but I don’t think it will happen. Jerry will take the best offensive lineman on the board with the 18th pick and hope that solves the issues on the offensive front. I would expect this year to be a lot more conventional approach to the draft.
Michael Huff, Staff Writer – No. It’s better to get the best player you can at 18 and I think they will stay where they are. I see there being more of a chance they give up draft picks to move up to get Kenny Vacarro at safety.
Michael Vu, Staff Writer – The problem with finishing 8-8 is that it slaps us right in the middle. To answer your question, it depends who has left the board when the clock strikes Cowboys. I’m hoping the Cowboys can get a quality offensive lineman with their first pick. No need to be splashy and flashy. If we can’t get our man, let’s fall back a few spots and start filling up the holes with extra draft picks.
Renny Mason, Staff Writer – That remains a very high possibility Robert (and one I might vote for as well), as we all know Jerry has been known to wheel and deal on draft day. Our three biggest areas of need this off-season are of course offensive line, defensive line and safety. Lucky for us, the scouts are projecting great depth for all of these positions in this year’s draft class, therefore being able to find quality talent even in the later rounds. That means if they are not crazy about how the first 17 picks pan out, they can trade back a few spots, still pick up a quality starter at any of the three biggest need areas in the first round, and possibly add another 2nd or 3rd round pick from our trade partner.
Of course we will know our needs more when we get a little closer to the draft after we address a few areas in veteran free agency (cheap guys, don’t think Brandon Carr this year). The Cowboys have been very good the last several seasons about entering the draft without any glaring needs to fill, being able to fill most of those needs via free agency. Of course with this year’s cap situation, who knows. Either way, expect some combination of o-line, d-line and safety with the first two or three picks this April.