The Cowboys are entering the draft with a pair of first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20), but they might not land two players they deem worthy of first-round selections. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, executive vice president Stephen Jones revealed that they have only given first-round grades to 12 players (links via Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS).
Owning multiple firsts may give the Cowboys the ammunition to move up for one of their favorite prospects, but Jones does not anticipate vaulting into the top five. He said doing so is not a possibility for the Cowboys. That jibes with a report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who writes that the Cowboys are more likely to make a “small move up” than do anything drastic.
The Cowboys do not appear willing to surrender the 20th pick to climb the board. If anything, they could trade down from 20 to replenish Day 2 capital, per Graziano. The Cowboys traded their second-rounder to the Jets in last November’s Quinnen Williams blockbuster, leaving a 72-pick gap from No. 20 to their next selection (No. 92).
As of Wednesday morning, Jones said the Cowboys had not many any calls about trading up. Doing so has been a rarity for Dallas, which Graziano notes has not gone up in Round 1 since 2012. But the team is “exploring” what it would cost to move up a few spots for Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles if he lasts into the back half of the top 10, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. Drafting Styles should give the Cowboys a desperately needed off-ball linebacker upgrade. It was a glaring weakness entering the offseason, but it has gone unaddressed thus far.
Edge defender and safety are also among the areas the Cowboys could strengthen in the draft. As expected, this year’s top two safety prospects – Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren – have caught their attention, Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports relays. Having already added two new safeties (Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke) to one edge defender (Rashan Gary), the Cowboys regard the latter position as the greater need, ESPN’s Matt Miller reports. However, they do not see Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. as a fit in rookie coordinator Christian Parker‘s 3-4 defense. Bain is unlikely to make it to 12, but if the Cowboys trade up, it does not appear he will be the target.