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How the 'Boys could land Patrick Peterson

Alright, for the past couple months I, like most people, have viewed Patrick Peterson as being a perfect fit for Dallas but being more or less impossible for them to get, barring a Dez Bryant-like fall. However, two things have happened that lead me to believe it might not be as far-fetched as we once thought. One, the team he was most commonly mocked to - Denver - resigned Champ Bailey to a four-year deal, meaning drafting a CB high is no longer an automatic for them. Two, the annual rise of the QBs has begun and Newton and Gabbert are both suddenly in the top-10 mix, and Ryan Mallett may have joined them after the show he put on at the Combine. Cam Newton especially is now the chic pick for the Bills at #3, and considering they were also commonly mocked as taking Peterson if he slipped by Denver, that's another obstacle removed.

So here are three scenarios where Peterson could wind up a Cowboy.

Scenario 1: Jerry Jumps To Number Five

1) Carolina Panthers - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn

2) Denver Broncos - Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson

3) Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

4) Cincinnati Bengals - AJ Green, WR, Georgia

5) Dallas trades with Arizona

None of the above should be too shocking. Fairley has been the consensus #1 for a while now (that may have changed after the Combine, but I'll continue assuming it is so), and Bowers is the top DE in the draft this year and John Fox likes his DEs. The Bills are apparently in the market for a QB. Carson Palmer is reportedly fed up in Cincy, especially with his receivers, so assuming they prefer to keep their QB over T.O. and Ochocinco they'll likely want to replace that firepower with the best offensive player in the draft. Of course, should they jettison Palmer then they're in prime position to take Blaine Gabbert.

This is the earliest I could see us trading up for Peterson, and this is obviously also the safest bet to get him, so I thought this a good starting place. However, the price we would have to pay would be likely be exorbitant, involving next year's first-round pick and another high pick from this year (3rd, maybe?). But, if the War Room decides it's worth it, it's an option.

Scenario 2: The Slide

1) Carolina Panthers - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn

2) Denver Broncos - Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson

3) Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

4) Cincinnati Bengals - Marcel Dareus, DL, Alabama

5) Arizona Cardinals - Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M

6) Cleveland Browns - AJ Green, WR, Georgia

7) Dallas trades with San Francisco

Of all the scenarios, I think this one might be the most likely to happen. Dareus' stock is rising thanks to the Combine after sliding a bit amongst other risers, and honestly I would not be surprised if he went #1 overall to the Panthers. He would not be a bad fit at all for the Bengals, in any event.

Von Miller to the Cardinals has been a common draft for a while now, so no need to explain there. Cleveland seems to have found their future in Colt McCoy, so they're getting him a top-tier offensive weapon to play catch with. I could also see the reverse of the Ohio teams picks here, with Green going to the Bengals and Dareus going to the Browns, who could definitely use a beastly defensive lineman.

The best trade here is considerably less brutal for us, trading #9 and #71 (1585 points) for San Francisco's #7 and #107 (1580 points), although I wouldn't force the issue with SF's fourth rounder there. Blaine Gabbert would be an excellent pick for the 49rs and he'd likely be there at #9, as I envision the Titans going defense, and at this point that means Quinn.

Scenario 3: Holy Crap How Did This Happen!?

1) Carolina Panthers - Marcel Dareus, DT, Alabama

2) Denver Broncos - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn

3) Buffalo Bills - Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

4) Cincinnati Bengals - Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson

5) Arizona Cardinals - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri

6) Cleveland Browns - AJ Green, WR, Georgia

7) San Francisco 49rs - Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas

8) Tennessee Titans - Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M

9) Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

Well, one can dream, right?

Alternatively, maybe 'Zona takes Von Miller again, leaving the 49rs with Gabbert, and then we swap picks with Tennessee. Or they take Robert Quinn. Who knows? Any sort of draft order that leads to this is gonna be sheer luck.

Obviously, getting Peterson would also affect our strategy for the rest of the draft. We'd most likely want to either trade back into the 1st and get one of the OTs (likely candidates to be there in the 20s - Sherrod, Castonzo, Ijilana, Solder), or take an OG in the 2nd round (Wisniewski and Pinkston being the two main guys, as Watkins is likely gone) and then draft a serviceable RT in the later rounds (as long as he can give Romo three seconds to make his reads he's probably adequate, and an upgrade over Colombo - Marcus Gilbert and Joseph Barksdale would both be good picks).

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