If you could have any player in the draft, who would you want to fall to the Cowboys?

I love those “If a genie gave you three wishes” hypothetical games and will jump at any opportunity to play along. It’s a test of how we conventionalize our thoughts as we show our hand in where our priorities lie. Most people will wish for more wishes because they think they’re clever and are the first person to ever have thought of that, when in actuality - it just shows their greediness. Other people will just wish for more Bud Light, but that seems a little wasteful if you ask me (dilly, dilly). Hey, to each their own, but let’s put this little genie game to the test for the upcoming draft.

Recently, Bryan Broaddus, Dave Helman, and Dane Brugler were asked which player they’d want if they could have their pick of the litter.

Broaddus’ response was the best offensive linemen in the draft.

Could you imagine how fierce the Cowboys offensive line would be with Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, Quentin Nelson, and La’el Collins all in the trenches? That’s a wall unlike no other.

There are a lot of great players up front in the draft. Now, most - if not all, of these elite prospects will go quickly in the draft. But you never know if someone starts slippity-sliding down the draft. Remember, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen was thought to be a top five prospect last year, but fell all the way to 17 for the Washington Redskins to snag.

The easy answer to this question is - the player you have #1 on your board. Maybe it’s Nelson or maybe it’s one of the franchise quarterback prospects? For me, that player is Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Some would consider this a wasted opportunity and a misuse of resources. With Ezekiel Elliott already in the backfield, why go after another running back? Last time we checked, there is only one football to play with at any given point in time. Sure, taking another star running back isn’t necessary the most optimal thing you could do to upgrade this team, but you can’t turn away from the elite talent of a player like Barkley, even if a different position is a more pressing need. Knowing what you know now, would you still take Chidobe Awuzie over Alvin Kamara if given the chance to have a do over?

The electric playmaking ability of Barkley is just too impressive to pass up.

If you had Zeke and Saquon on the same team, the Cowboys would just run the ball 50 times a game. Look at what the New Orleans Saints did with the combo of Kamara and Mark Ingram at running back. The both had over 1,500 scrimmage yards and 25 touchdowns between them. Defenses would be so exhausted and have to commit so many players at the line to stop the run. Dak Prescott would have a heyday when he would run play action and catch the secondary cheating.

Ryan Switzer would surrender his kickoff return responsibilities and just stick to returning punts.

The team would have a great insurance policy should one of their running backs get hurt. If Elliott got himself in any sort of trouble, the running game would still be in good hands. And the Cowboys could choose to trade away one of them away to acquire a proven star talent at another position they need help at.

Barkley has essentially no shot to make it 19 and the only hope is that he doesn’t end up playing for the New York Giants. The Cowboys don’t want to have to face him two times years.

If Barkley isn’t likely to make it 19, then what is the point of this discussion topic? Well, it’s just for us to have a little bit of fun, but it also points out how important it is to take the most talented player available on the Cowboys board regardless of what position they play. In 2014, the front office watched as players like Aaron Donald, Ryan Shazier, and Anthony Barr get taken out from underneath them before they were on the clock during a draft they really could have used some defensive help. That meant they had to “settle” for Zack Martin, even though their offensive line was in decent shape with Smith, Frederick, Ron Leary, and Doug Free already on the roster. But they didn’t flinch and trusted their board and it worked out perfectly.

The could find themselves in a similar situation if Maurice Hurst is their top player left on the board when pick 19 rolls around. Drafting another 3-tech defensive tackle isn’t ideal when they have Maliek Collins already on the roster, but if they feel he has the ability to be a special player, then they can’t just let him pass on by. It could be their second chance at getting the Aaron Donald-type player they wanted a few years. Taking the best talent in the draft is the key to building a winning franchise, whether it appears like it helps them right away or not.

Okay, the genie is giving you three draft wishes - which players are you going to take? The sky is the limit, but don’t screw it up!