Cowboys Draft Q&A: Finding Out About The Rumors

Earlier in the week, we discussed the various trade rumors that were circling around the draft. Shawn Zobel of draftheadquarters.com posted a series of interesting tweets where he spoke with authority on many proposed behind the scenes trade talks. This recent buzz was the first I heard of Zobel by name, at least to current recollection. Via a statement on his website, his draft predictions have been more accurate than the ESPN duo of Mel Kiper and Todd McShay. The site also includes a testimonial from Adam Scheffter.

Most of the second-hand reports I read mention that he apparently has some credence to his 'inside information' leaks. He made some very strong statements, however, and his record will now be facing much scrutiny amidst these claims. This week, he made one tweet that was of particular interest to us, as it was a question about the Cowboys and Patrick Peterson.

I'd count on Tyron Smith, but going up to get Peterson wouldn't surprise me.

(when asked if the Cowboys would consider a move up for Peterson)

Now obviously, that isn't making a definitive statement of Dallas' interest. BTB reached out to Shawn to see if any additional insight could be gleaned as to the Cowboys draft plans. Follow the jump for the quick Q&A.

BTB: Your twitter feed answered a question about the Cowboys trading up for Peterson. Is he the only target you could see the Cowboys moving up for?

Zobel: I believe he'd be the only player they'd be willing to invest the picks to move up and get. He'd be an absolute perfect fit for them, which is why I wouldn't be surprised if they did it.

BTB: I noticed that you mentioned having a hard time reading San Francisco's philosophy. They seem to be the landing spot for Patrick Peterson in some of the mocks involving trades. Would they have any interest in dealing that pick to the Cowboys?

Zobel: Hard to know for sure. I spoke to one person who believes that if Peterson falls past 5, teams are going to be trying very hard to trade up and land him, whether it's Dallas, Houston, or anyone else.

BTB: Do you see any reason for a team to want to trade up to #9? Every mock I put together, I can never justify someone sliding to #9 other than Da'Quan Bowers and Robert Quinn.

Zobel: In the event that Julio Jones is still on the board at No. 9, I bet teams like St. Louis, Jacksonville, and New England would be very interested in trading up to land him. The [defensive] ends possibly, but Jones will be a hot commodity if Cleveland doesn't take him.

BTB: Is there any draft candidate not in the 'universal top 10' (Newton, Gabbert, Miller, Peterson, Dareus, Fairley, Green, Jones, Bowers, Quinn) that you are hearing a non-top 10 team might trade up for? Someone that could push a top prospect down to Dallas?

Zobel: Jake Locker fits into that category. I've heard that a team like Washington could move up to land Locker. It's all speculation at this point, but I think Locker would be the one guy that someone would move up for.

Not the world's best line of questioning, but I am appreciative of Shawn taking time to give us his take on things. We'll see if his site merits inclusion in future resource hunts.