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The Dallas Cowboys hands certainly aren't tied when it comes to the 2025 NFL draft; they aren't pigeon-holed into having to do one thing or another. That's partially due to their return to past free agency ways; filling up their depth chart with responsible contracts who could start if needed, but who could certainly be upgraded by a younger, long-term solution. That will allow Dallas the ability to make decisions based on what happens ahead of them.
But what if Dallas wants to take a stronger approach to roster building? The Cowboys have made themselves at home in recent years in the trade market. Could they revisit that in this year's first round and if so, which strategy would be the most beneficial. This series will examine and grade the six different types of first-round trades Dallas could make.
The Cowboys are sitting at the No. 12 pick to start things off in a draft that's widely considered weak. Theoretically, they should have a couple of options who are graded as first rounders, even though many see only 12-15 worthy prospects this year. The problem is the ones remaining when Dallas is on the clock may not be at positions that would be able to immediately contribute. There's nothing wrong with taking the best player available (BPA), but we've talked over and over for the last decade that Dallas prefers a BPAPN approach: Best Player Available at a Position of Need.
That may warrant trading up to secure a specific target. In our estimation, there are only four prospects who would warrant spending that much draft capital to acquire: CB/WR Travis Hunter, DE Abdul Carter, DT Mason Graham, and RB Ashton Jeanty. Those four appear to be clear franchise-changing picks.
Dallas currently has the No. 12 pick (1200 points). Adding in their third rounder (No. 76) would add 210 points and could move them up to eighth (Carolina). Adding in their second rounder (No. 44) worth 460 points could get them to No. 6 (Las Vegas) with some change coming back or No.5 (Jacksonville). Adding in both gets them up to No. 4 (New England) with change.
Our Rating: A-
There's help to be found on Day 2, but the likelihood that Dallas gets three impact players in the top 100 is honestly not very likely. Moving up to grab an identified difference maker and then hoping their remaining Day 2 pick is a hit as well would likely be a wise move in this year's class.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Grading Cowboys first-round options: Trading up with 2025 resources
Continue reading...
But what if Dallas wants to take a stronger approach to roster building? The Cowboys have made themselves at home in recent years in the trade market. Could they revisit that in this year's first round and if so, which strategy would be the most beneficial. This series will examine and grade the six different types of first-round trades Dallas could make.
Trade Up with another 2025 pick(s)
The Cowboys are sitting at the No. 12 pick to start things off in a draft that's widely considered weak. Theoretically, they should have a couple of options who are graded as first rounders, even though many see only 12-15 worthy prospects this year. The problem is the ones remaining when Dallas is on the clock may not be at positions that would be able to immediately contribute. There's nothing wrong with taking the best player available (BPA), but we've talked over and over for the last decade that Dallas prefers a BPAPN approach: Best Player Available at a Position of Need.
That may warrant trading up to secure a specific target. In our estimation, there are only four prospects who would warrant spending that much draft capital to acquire: CB/WR Travis Hunter, DE Abdul Carter, DT Mason Graham, and RB Ashton Jeanty. Those four appear to be clear franchise-changing picks.
Dallas currently has the No. 12 pick (1200 points). Adding in their third rounder (No. 76) would add 210 points and could move them up to eighth (Carolina). Adding in their second rounder (No. 44) worth 460 points could get them to No. 6 (Las Vegas) with some change coming back or No.5 (Jacksonville). Adding in both gets them up to No. 4 (New England) with change.
Our Rating: A-
There's help to be found on Day 2, but the likelihood that Dallas gets three impact players in the top 100 is honestly not very likely. Moving up to grab an identified difference maker and then hoping their remaining Day 2 pick is a hit as well would likely be a wise move in this year's class.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Grading Cowboys first-round options: Trading up with 2025 resources
Continue reading...
