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BTB Mailbag: Is Trading Up Or Trading Back In The Cards For The Cowboys?

Nobody has ever accused Jerry Jones of being afraid to wheel and deal. One reader wants to know if that will be the case this year and if so, in which direction?

Tom Pennington

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On to this post's question!

Do you see the cowboys trading up for a player they really want? Ex: Chance Warmack? Fisher? Or trading down in order to get more picks in the 2nd & 3rd - MosesArt

Archie: We all know Jerry Jones is a gambler and is willing to trade up for a player the war room really likes. This shouldn't be the draft that Jerry makes a move up because sitting at 18 they are bound to get a great player. This draft isn't loaded with blue chip talent, so it would be wise to stay put. Unless a player who is highly rated on their board falls in the first round, then Dallas should stay put and let this draft come to them. Now moving up after the first round isn't a bad idea and the Cowboys have done that before, so be on the lookout for moves after the first. I'm not a fan of trading down, never have been, so hopefully Jerry doesn't go the 2009 route and move down. From my point of view, it's all about quality, not quantity.

KD: Dallas has traded up in two of the last three drafts, to pick up Dez Bryant in 2010 and to pick up Morris Claiborne in '12. Over the last three years, they've made a priority out of drafting the player that they had ranked as the best player at his position: Bryant (WR), Smith (OT), and Claiborne (CB). Those players also happen to be players at 3 of the 5 "money" positions. The other two money positions? QB and DE. They are getting ready to re-sign their QB for the next four-five years, but isn't DE a big need for Dallas?

I wouldn't recommend it, I think we need as many draft picks as possible. Seeing how deep this draft is and low on blue-chip talent I think it would be a waste of a resource. That doesn't however mean that the Cowboys won't do it.

Even though there is a lot of focus on the D-linemen available in this draft, I can't lie... I'll be disappointed if Dallas doesn't grab first-round offensive line talent. Obviously Fisher and Joeckel will be long gone unless Dallas gives up next year's first (absolutely out of the question for me), but what about the other prospects? Let's say there is only one left out of Lane Johnson, Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack after the 14th pick. Am I against trading a 2013 2nd rounder to move up a few spots to secure one?

I'm not. Now while I'm really of the mindset that Dallas shouldn't pass up on talent at 18, I wouldn't cry my eyes out if they moved back 5 or less spots to secure an extra 2nd or 3rd rounder. Dropping to 23 means picking up a late 3rd rounder, a Top 100 pick. Should all of the top offensive line targets be gone, I wouldn't mind this being the route to go.

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