Moore: Will Cowboys Stay At 28?

boozeman

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[h=1]Will Cowboys stay at 28? How three influences have curtailed Jerry Jones' wheeling and dealing on draft day[/h] By David Moore , Staff Writer Contact David Moore on Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

FRISCO -- Jerry Jones can't tell you whom the Cowboys will take when they are on the clock Thursday night.

But he can tip you off to the club's intentions.

"This is a real good year for staying put,'' the Cowboys owner said. "I don't know if it's because we need so many good football players or because there are some good football players there, especially in those early rounds.


What Jones, or an official for any NFL club, says in the final days leading up to the draft doesn't fall into the category of rock-solid information. These guys were doing fake news in April long before Russian trolls and fake news became a thing.

It should also be pointed out that Jones' comments generate a high level of skepticism in certain sectors. The man loves to wheel and deal. His claim of staying put at No. 28 will probably earn a pants-on-fire designation with most fact-checking websites.

Before you completely dismiss this as another strategic misdirection, weigh this tidbit: Jones has gone three consecutive years without making a first-round trade for the only time in his ownership. The Cowboys have stood pat with their first-round pick in four of the last six years.

This coincides with the tenure of Jason Garrett as head coach, the rise of Will McClay to senior director of college/pro personnel and the evolving influence of executive vice president Stephen Jones.
Coincidence?

"Well, apart from [the fact] they've got my phone cut off," Jerry Jones said.

He went on to joke that his son and Garrett, who sit on either side of the owner during the draft, keep their feet on top of his to prevent Jones from jumping up and doing anything rash.

That doesn't mean Jones hasn't tried to swing a deal. He desperately wanted to jump back into the bottom of the first round this time last year to take quarterback Paxton Lynch.

But Jerry Jones wasn't about to use the No. 4 pick, the one that yielded running back Ezekiel Elliott, as leverage. The Cowboys stayed at No. 27 the year before that to take Byron Jones and remained at No. 16 in 2014 for guard Zack Martin even though they hoped to land a defensive player in that spot.

This recent string of success -- in Garrett's first draft as head coach the team stayed at No. 9 to select left tackle Tyron Smith -- has modified the owner's wildcatter tendencies. He cites the thorough preparation that has gone into these drafts as increasing his comfort level with staying put.

"There are players there, players that we need, players I think can help us immediately," Jones said of No. 28. "That will rule the day."

Cornerback and defensive end top the team's list of needs. No one is trying to say otherwise. All you have to do is look at the players who paid visits to The Star. There were 12 corners and 10 defensive ends, a list that includes defensive tackle Malik McDowell, whom many project at end.




Oh yeah, for good measure the Cowboys also invited four safeties among their 28 visits.

"Well, the numbers, if you add both of those positions up, look good," Jerry Jones said of defensive end and cornerback. "There are a lot of players that make that spot, the 28th spot, that give us some options. And we've got some position flex within our own roster that give us some options there, so you can throw safety in there too and still give us some good things to improve our team."

Depth at all of three of these positions works in the team's favor and lines up favorably with its needs.

"In all seriousness, I do think the draft sets up good for us," Stephen Jones said. "Everybody asks, 'Are you really going to stick with the best player on your board?'

"It just so happens that in this particular draft, there's a good chance that some of the best players on our board are going to be at positions we get pointed out to as the team needs this, needs that.

"I think those positions are going to be there for us and be there in a good way."

Does that mean no trades? Not at all. Both Jerry and Stephen Jones say it's a waste of time for any team to try to predict what will happen in the later rounds as the draft unfolds.

But the intention going into this draft is not to move the first-round pick. The Cowboys appear genuinely content to stay at No. 28.

"If you stay there we will have an opportunity to really help our team, in my view," Jerry Jones said.

It's view that's begun to take hold with the owner in recent years.
 

Cowboysrock55

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"I don't know if it's because we need so many good football players or because there are some good football players there, especially in those early rounds.
Umm, if we need SOOOO many good football players, wouldn't you need to trade down to get more picks? Jerry says some off the wall stuff sometimes.
 

NoDak

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Would it be bad to admit that I'm starting to wonder if McDowell should be the pick at 28?



:unsure
 

NoDak

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Umm, if we need SOOOO many good football players, wouldn't you need to trade down to get more picks? Jerry says some off the wall stuff sometimes.
I think that was said because Jerry is more known for trading up to make a splash, rather than staying put and keeping his picks.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I think that was said because Jerry is more known for trading up to make a splash, rather than staying put and keeping his picks.
Well that would make a little more sense. In the context of the PC I thought he was talking about trading down but I think you're probably right.
 

NoDak

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We probably should trade down but we probably won't.
Gotta have somebody willing to trade up to do it. And if we are thinking this is the wrong draft to trade up in because of the depth, I have no doubt others are, too.

I think our best chance of being able to trade down is depending on how the QBs fall. I think Trubisky and Watson are a given to go above us. But if one of Mahomes or Kizer goes above us and leaves one on the board, maybe a team would be willing to jump back in to the first to get ahead of somebody while also getting the 5th year option. Or maybe there is something to the buzz about Davis Webb. I've read he might draw interest from teams at the bottom of the first.
 

Cotton

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Gotta have somebody willing to trade up to do it. And if we are thinking this is the wrong draft to trade up in because of the depth, I have no doubt others are, too.

I think our best chance of being able to trade down is depending on how the QBs fall. I think Trubisky and Watson are a given to go above us. But if one of Mahomes or Kizer goes above us and leaves one on the board, maybe a team would be willing to jump back in to the first to get ahead of somebody while also getting the 5th year option. Or maybe there is something to the buzz about Davis Webb. I've read he might draw interest from teams at the bottom of the first.
If the talk about the Browns drafting Trubisky 1st has any water, and SF takes Watson or another QB second, the whole first round turns on its head. I could see a team get desperate to get up into the first to get a QB if there is a mini run at the beginning half of the round.
 

NoDak

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If the talk about the Browns drafting Trubisky 1st has any water, and SF takes Watson or another QB second, the whole first round turns on its head. I could see a team get desperate to get up into the first to get a QB if there is a mini run at the beginning half of the round.
I'd be willing to bet there is ZERO chance of that happening. They'll take Garrett.

I could see them getting fidgety and not wanting to wait until 12 to see if he makes it there, though. And trading into the top 5 to get him. They have the picks to do it. And the history of being retarded.
 

Cotton

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I'd be willing to bet there is ZERO chance of that happening. They'll take Garrett.

I could see them getting fidgety and not wanting to wait until 12 to see if he makes it there, though. And trading into the top 5 to get him. They have the picks to do it. And the history of being retarded.
You are most likely right, but if it does happen it would be nothing but good for the Cowboys. Push all that defensive talent down. And, really, even if they do trade up from 12 to get him, it could cause a mini-run, as well. Let's hope they stay retarded.
 

ravidubey

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Gotta have somebody willing to trade up to do it. And if we are thinking this is the wrong draft to trade up in because of the depth, I have no doubt others are, too.
We are in 5th year option territory, so a trade is a bit more likely than it would normally be.

But I don't think we get much more than a 4th in value for the drop down.
 
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