The NFL Draft board was falling kindly for the Dallas Cowboys, until it wasn't. Three offensive players were taken in the first four picks. You couldn't have scripted a better start.
Then, the New York Giants took Arvell Reese at No. 5. Reese was never going to be in Dallas' range, which is what made what happened next so painful, as the Kansas City Chiefs moved up to No. 6 in a trade with the Cleveland Browns to select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.
That one really, really hurts. Delane was seen to have the best chance of the stud defenders to fall to the Cowboys at No. 12. Several last-minute mocks had Delane going to Dallas. The excitement was building, and the Chiefs snatched it away.
The Dallas Cowboys lose top draft target Mansoor Delane to the Chiefs
In addition to the No. 9 pick, Kansas City gave up picks No. 74 and 148. While jumping three spots is hardly a big leap, that is still a really low price for the Chiefs to pay to get their guy.
WhetherDelane, Caleb Downs, or Sonny Styles would have been the target, the Cowboys absolutely could have made it work. And the Browns had been circled as an ideal trade partner, with reports out of Cleveland adamant that the team wanted to parachute out of the No. 6 pick.
Now, Dallas may be left scrambling. The Washington Commanders scooped up Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, a reported Cowboys trade target, with the very next pick at No. 7.
The best defenders on the board are now Caleb Downs and Rueben Bain, and reports out of Dallas suggest the Cowboys won't draft Bain because of his arm length.
Dallas can still win the night, but fans have every right to question if they should have jumped up to No. 6 -- even if it would have cost more than what Kansas City paid -- if all the defenders are gone.
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