The Dallas Cowboys may only be doing due diligence in the pre-draft process, but they certainly aren't dousing any George Pickens trade rumors lately.
The Cowboys, like every NFL team, are conducting pre-draft visits with a lot of prospects at various positions. But one of their latest reported visits really gets the tinfoil theory blood pumping.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys will be hosting Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell for a pre-draft visit in the coming days, adding to the intrigue of the team already bringing in Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. for a visit as well.
Dallas Cowboys bringing in possible draft steal at WR thickens the George Pickens plot
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleUntil the Cowboys get a long-term deal struck with George Pickens, the fact of the matter is that anything and everything is on the table. If the Cowboys were willing to move Micah Parsons, there's no reason to believe that Pickens is going to be untouchable if Jerry Jones doesn't like where contract negotiations are at, or where they're headed.
And the NFL Draft provides opportunities for the Cowboys to have leverage in those discussions, or possibly even just move on via trade if they get the right player.
Chris Bell is particularly intriguing because he tore his ACL in December, and he'll be on a grueling tour of visits as teams seek progress updates on that injury. But prior to the ACL tear, Bell was getting some first-round hype as a Deebo Samuel-type of receiver: Built like a running back with outstanding YAC abilities.
If the Cowboys like where Bell is at with his medical progress, then there's a chance he could be someone they target with a Day 2 draft pick.
It's become abundantly clear that the Cowboys' stance is that they don't want to trade George Pickens. Jerry Jones has made it clear that they have long-term plans for Pickens. But there's also a reality in which the Cowboys won't go beyond a certain number, and if Pickens insists on going beyond that number, Dallas may be willing to move on.
That's what we all learned from the Micah Parsons situation.
This year's crop of prospects is solid at the wide receiver position, and the Cowboys could get decent value at their pick slots, even without a second-rounder at this point. They will likely have a shot at one or two of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson. They'll likely have a shot at Cooper.
And certainly, someone like Bell is intriguing. He's got a similar situation this year to what we saw with Shavon Revel in last year's draft process, which is nearly constant first-round buzz before a late injury, and then a drop into Day 2 the Cowboys were able to take advantage of.
The closer we get to the draft, the more it feels like there's at least a small fire with all of this smoke.