The Dallas Cowboys should be getting some extra ammo for the 2021 NFL Draft in the form of compensatory picks. While not officially announced yet by the NFL, one reliable source has projected the expected picks that Dallas should be awarded.
Yesterday, Over The Cap released their full projections for 2021 compensatory picks. These are based on a formula which compares a team's free agent departures against its acquisitions the previous season.
In 2020 the Dallas Cowboys saw some of their talent sign lucrative deals with new teams such as CB Byron Jones and DE Robert Quinn. By not being big spenders themselves, the Cowboys now stand to get an impressive allotment of compensatory picks.
- 3rd-round pick (CB Byron Jones)
- 4th-round pick (DE Robert Quinn)
- 5th-round pick (WR Randall Cobb)
- 6th-round pick (S Jeff Heath)
These projections look at the contracts that these players signed and compares them to the contracts signed by new players the Cowboys brought in. For Jones, Quinn, and Cobb, none of the free agents added by Dallas last year had contracts which matched against these.
Some losses and additions cancel each other out. For example, Dallas signed DT Gerald McCoy for close to the same money that Maliek Collins got from the Raiders. The same happened with Jason Witten's Oakland deal and the contract that Dallas gave Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Over The Cap also noted that their projection for Robert Quinn was on the bubble between a 3rd or 4th-round pick, so the Cowboys could wind up seeing that pick coming in higher.
OTC's projections are nearly identical to what our own Brian Martin suggested a couple weeks ago. Brian also included a full summary of the Cowboys' other 2021 picks and how some previous trades would impact the upcoming draft.
With many issues to account for after their 6-10 season the Dallas Cowboys need all the resources they can get. Thankfully, they should be getting some valuable assets in the form of these 2021 compensatory picks to increase their leverage in the next NFL Draft.
