Why the Dallas Cowboys have to ace the 2019 NFL Draft

With the NFL draft looming, teams are already seemingly on the clock. Even more so than other teams, the Dallas Cowboys must ace this draft.

NFL Draft season is finally upon us. Just like every other year, teams are gearing up to welcome the future, concocting deals to move up and/or down in the draft order, and plotting on which prospects to welcome into their franchises. The Arizona Cardinals have it easy here though as they own the first overall pick, which will undoubtedly be defensive lineman Nick Bosa or quarterback Kyler Murray.

Other teams don’t quite have the same luxury of knowing however, and that definitely includes the Dallas Cowboys. Giving up their first round pick during last season in the deal for wide receiver Amari Cooper, they come into this draft with six picks in rounds 2-7. With only one pick each in the second, third, fifth, and seventh rounds, they own two in the fourth, but they must try to hit on every pick as best they can relative to the draft position.

The Cowboys have a few reasons why they must maximize their assets in this years draft, but none are as big as the one mentioned previously. They do not own a first round pick, so they have to mine talent in the later rounds. In their defense, and in reference to a running joke of sorts said to derive from executive vice president Stephen Jones himself, they are justified in saying that they’ll be watching highlights of Cooper while the first round is occurring.

Cooper was definitely worth the pick, and is better for this team than any receiver or player they could have taken in the first round. That still doesn’t mean they don’t have other needs to fill though. Due to not having a first round pick, one that is meant to land a sure-fire starter for your team, they have to ace the rest of the draft to compensate.

When thinking about the needs of the Cowboys, this is a critical aspect in itself. Not as if all positions on a football team aren’t important in their own right, but the Cowboys need depth at very key positions. According to NFL.com’s draft tracker, Dallas enters the draft with definite needs at running back, tight end, wide receiver, defensive line, and safety.

While the Cowboys could always stand to add to the offensive line depth as well, there are surely another position or two outside of the named group that they could probably add depth to. Another reason why they need to ace this draft flows really well based on their needs.

If you take a look at three of the noted needs, those being wide receiver, running back, and tight end, Dallas needs depth and playmakers in these positions. And not only to make said plays, but to also take the load off the core guys at those positions already. Cowboy legend and tight end Jason Witten is fresh off a year-long break, but he was retired, which means he isn’t as fresh as a daisy any more.

Ezekiel Elliott is a running back as we all know, a position that not only is said to be washed up by 30, but one in which we literally see them take a beating each and every Sunday. Cooper is a stud when he is right, but you also want to do everything you can to keep it that way. Basically, the Cowboys current core of young players would be well served if there were pieces added to make sure that they were as fresh and healthy as possible for as much of the season as possible.

Outside of not having a first round pick, team depth in general, and needing players capable of helping to take the load off your core guys, the draft is the life blood of any good organization and football team. The New England Patriots are the greatest example of this. If you want to be a consistently good, and potentially even great franchise, you have to ace it when drafting new players.

That is especially true for the Dallas Cowboys in this upcoming draft.