At pick 19 there is a ton of uncertainty regarding which player the Cowboys will and/or should select in the 1st round of the NFL draft. Many hope to grab the best player available at that spot while others would prefer to get the best player available at a position of need. There are some that hope Dallas trades up to get an elite player and then there are some that hope they will trade back and accumulate even more draft picks. What would be the best case scenario for the Dallas Cowboys?
If it were up to me, the Cowboys would target a player like Vita Vea or Da’Ron Payne as I have long believed that adding an elite 1 technique would benefit the defense on all levels. The Cowboys have invested in the O-Line and now they should invest draft capital into the D-line. However I am also well aware that the Dallas Cowboys front office does not value the 1-technique position and will not draft a player at that position in the early rounds. With that knowledge I have imagined a scenario that falls in line within the realm of possibility and in my view would still be a dream scenario for the Cowboys.
The consensus is, and I tend to agree also, that the QB’s will all get drafted early and multiple teams will trade up to get them. In fact the Jets and Bills already have. If this is correct than an impact player will surely drop within the reach of the Dallas Cowboys at pick 19 and that is what most of us are rooting for. But what if one or more of those QB’s drops down the board? Maybe when the Cowboys pick @19 another team that drafts behind them like the Steelers or Jags will be willing to trade up to grab one of those QB’s. Maybe one of the teams that would have passed on a QB early in the 1st round will not be able to resist missing out on a second chance. If this were the case the Cowboys could potentially trade down and collect another 2nd or 3rd round pick in the process.
Let’s not forget also that the Cowboys have placed a second round tender on David Irving He was great when he played last season but the problem with him is that he has not been able to stay on the field. That makes him expendable. There have been no offers made to David Irving to date but if a team where to make an offer than the Cowboys could potentially be awarded yet another 2nd round pick. Can you imagine if the Dallas Cowboys had 5 picks in the 1st 3 rounds of the draft? They could potentially address multiple positions of need with quality players that could all contribute immediately! Imagine a scenario where they would not have to choose between Isaiah Wynn and Leighton Vander Esch or between Will Hernandez or Josey Jewell. Here is a potential scenario that I could envision for the Cowboys following a trade down to 29 with Jacksonville who will give us pick #61 in exchange along with the Colts giving us pick 36 if they did indeed sign David Irving.
Round 1: Pick 29: G Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
Round 2: Pick 36: LB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
Round 2: Pick 50: DT Nathan Sheppard, Fort Hayes ST
Round 2: Pick 61: S Kyzir White, West Virginia
Round 3: Pick 81: WR Dante Pettis, Washington
Or perhaps with the same set of picks their 2 day draft haul could look like this…
Round 1: Pick 29: WR DJ Moore, Maryland or
Round 2: Pick 36: G Will Hernandez, UTEP
Round 2: Pick 50: LB Josey Jewell, Iowa
Round 2: Pick 61: DT Tim Settle, Virginia Tech
Round 3: Pick 81: S Jessie Bates, Wake Forest
Or…
Round 1: Pick 29: LB Rashaad Evans, Alabama
Round 2: Pick 36: CB Josh Jackson, Iowa
Round 2: Pick 50: WR Anthony Miller, Memphis
Round 2: Pick 61: TE Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
Round 3: Pick 81: G Austin Corbett, Nevada
With a little bit of luck and just the right circumstances the Cowboys could really add a solid group of starters and contributors through the draft. With 10 total picks in the 2018 draft right now, hopefully the Cowboys can somehow reproduce the magic of the 2016 class that produced Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, Maliek Collins, Dak Prescott, Anthony Brown and Rico Gathers. They must continue to draft well because one thing that us Cowboys fans have come to realise is that we can’t rely on free agency.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
What’s it like in your world? A lot of butterflies and unicorns?
I can’t imagine a scenario where Will Hernandez is available in the 2nd round, and Dallas Goedert at 61…I don’t think so.
2014 Stephen Tuit & Timmy Jernigan, 2015 T.J Clemmings, Randy Gregory, 2016, A’Shawn Robinson, Jarran Reed, 2017 Forrest Lamp, Dalvin Cook. There is nothing that surprises me in the draft. The only thing that I find consistent in recent years is that teams will reach early for QB’s, Tackles, Pass Rushers and WR’s. Interior linemen tend to fall and last year was the exception with 3 1st round TE’s. I would not be surprised of Hernandez goes top 20 nor would I be surprised if he is available @ 61.