It’s pretty rare to get NFL war room access, as most teams don’t like to expose the inner workings of a draft room. And that’s understandable considering the tough and quick decisions teams have to make when they are on the clock. But the Dallas Cowboys have never been afraid to give access, as Jerry Jones has always believed in being transparent and open with fans.
The NFL aired a special on ESPN over the weekend called The Pick Is In, where they got exclusive access to several draft rooms around the league, including Dallas. That is how we saw the viral clip of the Eagles and Cowboys completing their trade, as well as the trade-up for Caleb Downs earlier in Round 1. But if you watched closely, there were some other very intriguing notes and nuggets from the show.
After selecting Downs at pick No. 11, the Cowboys turned their attention to their second-first round pick at No. 20. While they were waiting for the phone to ring, there was a clip from the show in which Brian Schottenheimer was speaking with Jerry Jones on possible options with that pick.
Schottenheimer and Jones appeared to be on the same page, as both were hoping that their next selection would be a pass rusher. And of the available pass rushers, it was Malachi Lawrence who was the target for Schottenheimer. However, Jones also mentioned the possibility of taking a linebacker at the spot, and that’s when Schottenheimer revealed that he preferred “Lawrence over (CJ) Allen.”
The Dallas Cowboys got it right by drafting Malachi Lawrence over CJ Allen
At this point in the draft, the only true off-ball linebacker off the board was Sonny Styles to the Washington Commanders at No. 7. So it’s fascinating that Dallas preferred Allen over players like Jacob Rodriguez, Josiah Trotter, and Jake Golday.
Allen was very productive at Georgia, but there were some obvious size and athleticism concerns that led to him falling throughout the draft process.
There didn’t seem to be a lot of momentum for taking Allen at 20, especially over Lawrence. But it’s fair to wonder if that would have changed if Lawrence were taken at pick No. 21 or No. 22, before the Cowboys were on the clock again at No. 32, after the trade to the Eagles. But what is clear is that he was an option in Round 1, but the level of interest compared to other EDGEs not named Malachi Lawrence remains unclear.
Allen is a good player and a good prospect. But taking him inside the top-25 picks would have been a major reach, especially when you factor in positional value. And it’s clear that the rest of the league didn’t view him as a Round 1 player, as he fell all the way down to pick No. 53 to the Indianapolis Colts. He was the fifth linebacker off the board, behind all of the previous names.
Would Allen have been a Day 1 starter in Dallas? Sure. But there are some obvious reasons why he fell to the second half of Round 2 and why other teams were willing to gamble on other linebackers instead of him. The Cowboys decided to take a player with more upside at a more important position in Lawrence, and it’s hard to blame them for that decision.
Lawrence might not have quite as big an impact right away, but it’s much easier to find quality linebacker play versus good EDGE rushers. And that’s why this decision was a relatively easy one for Schottenheimer and Jones.
The Cowboys did well to avoid drafting a "need" position and instead opted to take the best defensive player available at No. 23. Well done.
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