Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys is preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Members of the NFL World will head to Las Vegas, Nevada on April 28 for the opening night of the draft. The Cowboys are slated for the No. 24 pick in round one, but Jones’ comments suggest that this could change.
The 79-year old owner spoke with the media and brought up the draft strategy. Jones is not afraid to speak his mind and The Athletic reporter Jon Machota posted a video in which Jones declares his desire to trade.
“I would trade up this draft, just going in, as much as you can say about it,” Jones said. “Until you see what’s there and who’s on the other end of the line, but yeah I would trade up. Since we’re down as low as we are those first two or three rounds, if we had a chance to and somebody we had really coveted was sitting at the bottom… and we were able to trade up and get him.”
Jerry Jones said the Cowboys would be interested in trading up in this month’s draft pic.twitter.com/AJbXijPJY8
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 13, 2022
Jones’s desires and the Cowboys’ plans may be very different, but on Wednesday the Dallas owner made it clear what his intentions were.
The Cowboys have not signed a lot of free agents this offseason, for better or worse. While signings like wide receiver James Washington will help to round out the starters’, Washington and Dante Fowler Jr. cannot be considered replacements for ex-Cowboys DE Randy Gregory and WR Amari Cooper.
Michael Gehlken, Dallas Morning News reporter, made an interesting observation about the lack of returns: It will lead to more picks next year.
Gehlken tweeted on April 13, “Cowboys have 4 fifth-round picks in this month,” Their lack of compensatory agency activity, no compensatory agents signed — and the departures of Randy Gregory and Cedrick Wilson means that compensatory picks will be made in 2023. Dallas has the capital to make it a major player.
The Cowboys’ current draft selections at the time of writing are:
- Round 1: No. 24 overall
- Round 2: No. 56
- Round 3: No. 88
- Round 4: No. 129
- Round 5: Nos. 155 (from Browns), 167, 176, 178
- Round 6: No. 193 (from Browns)
Jones and Dallas can trade more of their mid to late round picks without having to give up most of the selections. It will be costly to trade up in the first or second rounds this year, so the four fifth-round picks are most likely to be traded.
Dallas and Jones Trading Up in the First?
It is important to note that Jones’ declaration requires context. If Dallas decides not to trade up during the first round 2022 NFL draft, this will be the first time since 2012.
The Cowboys’ ten-year-long pause in trading up in the first round could be due to how their last trading up was. They took out corner Morris Claiborne, who never lived up the No. 6th overall pick in this draft
Jones and Dallas may be interested in trading up, but it’s difficult to imagine them trading up beyond the top 6 or 7. In 2012, Claiborne was traded to Dallas by the Cowboys. The Cowboys then sent their No. 14 pick and No. 45 pick in the second round of exchange.