Having only one pick in the first two rounds, and none within the top 50, the Dallas Cowboys would be best served to just sit-and-pick during the 2019 NFL Draft. If anything, they should likely look to move back in the draft to acquire some more draft capital.
Right?
Well, this is an interesting offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. Not only is their head coach on a one year deal of sorts and coming off a season in which his seat reached the highest temperatures it’s ever seen, but Stephen Jones has repeatedly preached the importance to “take the next step.”
No more will it be accepted to just get to the postseason and lose in the Divisional Round. At least that’s what they seem to be saying.
So, it’s fair to say it is time for the Cowboys to go “all in.” All in on this championship window with their elite defensive players (for the most part) on team friendly deals. All in after already dealing their 2019 first round pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper. All in to take the next step.
What better way to go all in than to add an elite defensive player to your roster. One who fits exactly what the defense needs in an interior pass rusher and run stuffer. An athletic three technique with Aaron Donald-like flashes on his college tape and elite traits which project greatness.
That player, if you haven’t yet guessed, is Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver.
Despite his elite traits and abilities, Ed Oliver is expected to “fall” in the draft and be taken in the 10-15 range. The most popular landing spot for Oliver according to mock drafts? The Atlanta Falcons 14th overall.
With their first round pick next year and a package of some other selections in this year’s draft, the Cowboys would likely have the ammo to move up to 12 or 13th overall to steal Oliver from the Falcons.
The owners of those picks are the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins, each in need of adding talent throughout their entire roster. The Packers, who select 12th overall, also have the 30th pick in the first round of the same draft. This could make it more palatable to move their 12th pick to Dallas, especially if they are getting an extra first next year and an extra second rounder in 2019 as well.
Let’s be honest, this is all very unlikely to happen. The Cowboys are unlikely to move up. A team like the Dolphins, who are probably targeting a quarterback, are unlikely to move back. And did I mention the Cowboys never like to trade up?
Ed Oliver is the type of player that will make you “leverage your future” drafts for, though. An offseason that contains re-signing DeMarcus Lawrence and trading up for Ed Oliver is a damn good offseason. And one that puts the Cowboys in a really nice spot to “take the next step.”
A pass rush package with those two together on the field would be unbelievable to see, and while some have concerns about Ed Oliver’s size holding up against the run in the NFL, his ability to play with leverage and penetrate gaps alleviate all my potential concerns.
And after all, if you add Ed Oliver to his already talented defense, your first round pick next year won’t be in the top 20 anyway.
