Well Cowboys Nation, when the 2019 NFL Draft finally gets underway in April we will have to sit through 57 selections before the Dallas Cowboys are finally on the clock in the second-round with the 58th overall draft pick. But, what if I told you there was a way they could recoup a first-round draft pick? Would you be interested?
Now, before we get started let me make one thing clear… this is completely hypothetical. This isn’t something I have heard floating around the rumor mill or something the Cowboys would even consider. It’s just a little out-of-the-box thinking on my part involving a player currently on the roster who I believe could be expendable.
You may have guessed it already, but the player who I think could help the Dallas Cowboys recoup a first-round draft pick in 2019 is Right Tackle La’el Collins.
Before you get all worked up, I no way believe La’el Collins is worth a first-round draft pick by himself. But, if the Cowboys were to package him with a future draft pick, probably a first-rounder in 2020, they could realistically trade up into the latter part of the first-round this year.
I don’t know about you, but if there was a player still on the board the Cowboys liked in the backend of the first-round this year, I would absolutely package Collins and the 2020 first-rounder to trade up. It seems like a lot to give up, but not if you actually look a little closer.
The Cowboys would basically be exchanging years without a first-round pick and getting something right now for a player who doesn’t seem to have a future with the organization. La’el Collins is after all entering a contract year and might net the Cowboys a mid-round compensatory pick in 2020. Dallas likes those comp picks, but there’s no way they would be able to get a first-round talent with one next season.
I don’t know if this is something the Cowboys have discussed behind closed doors are not, but I definitely think it’s in the realm of possibility. In fact, they may already have Collins’ replacement at right tackle already on the roster in Connor Williams. He was after all an offensive tackle at the University of Texas, and was considered one of the best not that long ago.
With the possibility of moving Connor Williams to RT it would of course create a void at left guard. But again, the Cowboys have someone they could insert there as well, Xavier Su’a-Filo. He started eight games for them at LG last year in 2018, and performed pretty well in those starts.
The only thing left to do would be to find a trade partner. I think there would be several teams in the latter part of the first-round who would be interested in acquiring La’el Collins if packaged with the Cowboys first-round draft pick in 2020. That includes the Oakland Raiders who just so happen to have two selections in that area, one of which (27th overall) was originally the Dallas’ to begin with.
Collins is just 25 years old and has the versatility to play guard or tackle. He is a proven starter and has held up well against some of the best pass rushers in the league. He may be the weak link on the Cowboys offensive line, but he’d immediately be an upgrade for other teams around the league.
