Should the Cowboys consider moving up on draft day in your opinion?
The Dallas Cowboys are not far away from adding multiple new players to their team. The NFL draft is one of the more exciting events surrounding the NFL season. With the Cowboys still having plenty of holes throughout their roster, there has been a lot of talk about trading back in the first round to pick up additional draft capitol.
But what about trading up?
Let me preface this by saying trading up in the draft is normally not a great move. But what makes this draft different?
First off, this is one of the weaker and weirder draft classes we have seen in recent memory. There are only two blue-chip players (Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter), and they are expected to go in the top three picks, and players three through twelve are pretty similar. The Cowboys have a glaring need for a wide receiver and a cornerback. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Michigan’s Will Johnson are two names that have been linked to the Cowboys as potential fits with the 12th overall pick. While there is a decent chance both players are available at 12, should the Cowboys consider moving up a spot or two to make sure they get their guy?
In this year’s draft more teams will be looking to trade back than trade up. That normally means the value in draft day trades will be weaker for the teams looking to move back. Could the Cowboys potentially move up inside the top ten for lets say a fifth-round pick?
The NFL trade value chart tells us that could potentially be an option. The Cowboys 12th overall pick is worth 1,200 points. The 11th overall pick held by the San Francisco 49ers is worth 1,250 and the 10th overall pick held by the Chicago Bears is worth 1,300 points. In a normal draft, a move up to 10 would cost the Cowboys a little more than their original fourth-round pick (now held by the Carolina Panthers from the Jonathan Mingo trade) to come up to 10. In this year’s draft class, maybe the Cowboys could entice the Bears or 49ers to move back to 12 for the 149th overall pick and some combination of later-round picks that the team has in abundance.
The odds of the 149th overall pick for the Cowboys making the team and making a difference are pretty slim, but McMillan or Johnson could be true difference makers in 2025 and in future years. As stated earlier, trading up is something you should normally try to avoid, but if they are able to move up a few spots to secure their guy, while only parting with a fifth-rounder and some change, could be enticing for the Cowboys who are in desperate need of difference makers at a few key positions heading into the draft.