It's been exactly two weeks since the draft, and it still feels like a glitch in the matrix that Caleb Downs has a star on the side of his helmet. The Dallas Cowboys didn't just draft a great player. They drafted a tone-setter who looks comfortable carrying expectations.
The process that led to Dallas drafting Downs was nerve-racking, to say the least. ESPN’s draft special, The Pick Is In, revealed the Cowboys submitted the pick with only seconds remaining after swinging a last-minute trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up to No. 11.
As it turns out, Dallas was willing to jump up higher to land Downs. The documentary showed Stephen Jones on the phone with Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry. The terms? Picks No. 12 and 20 for Nos. 9 and 24. The Browns declined.
Jones didn’t hesitate to tack on a fifth-round pick, but the Browns didn't budge and eventually selected offensive tackle Spencer Fano.
To say the Cowboys lucked out that Cleveland rebuffed their inquiry would be an understatement.
The Dallas Cowboys offered the Browns a blockbuster trade to move up for Caleb Downs
There's no sense dwelling on what didn't happen, but it's impossible to overstate how fortunate Dallas got.
Cleveland never seemed like a serious threat to take Downs, but the Giants were viewed as the ultimate party-poopers. Everything changed once Arvell Reese slid to No. 5. New York jumped on Reese and later drafted Francis Mauigoa at No. 10, opening the door for Dallas to get Downs.
At that point, all the Cowboys had to do was convince Miami to move back. It took a minute, but two fifth-round picks ultimately got it done.
In other words, Dallas was willing to offer its second first-round pick for Downs and ended up giving up two fifth-rounders. That's the kind of draft swing that can alter a franchise.
Had Cleveland accepted Dallas’ trade offer, the Cowboys never would’ve had the chance to trade down from No. 20 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
That move allowed Dallas to slide back to No. 23, still draft edge rusher Malachi Lawrence (whom they were comfortable taking at No. 20), and pick up two additional fourth-rounders in the process. Those extra picks eventually became cornerback Devin Moore and defensive lineman LT Overton.
That's a massive swing.
In an alternate reality, the Cowboys' draft class would look like Caleb Downs, Jaishawn Barham, Drew Shelton, and Anthony Smith. Nobody would complain about that, but Lawrence, Moore, and Overton turned a top-heavy class into a well-rounded haul. Dallas could be looking at a future starting edge rusher and two valuable contributors.
Downs will determine whether this draft class is remembered as a home run. But it’s crazy to think the Cowboys almost gutted the depth of the class to move up for him.
Looking back, the Browns' rejection of Dallas' trade offer may have been the best thing that could've happened to the franchise.
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