2018 NFL Draft: If the Cowboys can trade back in Rd. 1, they should target this player

On Saturday, we posted an article about three prospects the Cowboys could trade up for. With the amount of teams that will be looking for a quarterback in the first round of the draft, Dallas could potentially move up to draft non-quarterback prospects who fall, but should have gone much higher. But, due to the same reasoning, there is also a chance that the Cowboys move back and stockpile draft picks.

When you look at the draft, there are potentially six teams that could be in the market for a quarterback. The Browns hold the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in the first round and they will surely be in the conversation about drafting a quarterback. On top of the Browns, the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and the Arizona Cardinals could be looking for a quarterback.

And those are just the teams ahead of the Cowboys. There are even two teams who made the playoffs that could be in the quarterback market, those teams being the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. All signs are pointing to the Jaguars retaining Blake Bortles, but anything can happen in the months leading up to the draft.

If a quarterback such as Lamar Jackson or Baker Mayfield starts to fall down the board in the first round, the Cowboys are in a position where they could trade back to acquire more picks.

Typically, NFL teams have about 15-20 first-round grades on players. It will obviously depend on what the Cowboys’ draft board looks like, but there is a good chance they could trade down.

Think back to the 2013 NFL Draft when the Cowboys held the 18th overall pick going into the draft. They ended up trading with the San Francisco 49ers, taking the Niners’ draft pick and acquiring their third-round pick.

With those picks, Dallas drafted arguably the best center in football in All-Pro Travis Frederick and WR Terrance Williams. Say what you will about Williams, but he has been the Cowboys’ No. 2 receiver for a while. Some players who were available with that third-round pick: Terron Armstead and Jordan Reed.

With the Bills holding both the 21st and 22nd picks in the draft, there is a chance that they could move up a few spots to the Cowboys’ pick for a quarterback. While they would only have to jump over the Seattle Seahawks, there could be some worry about another quarterback-needy team that could move up in that range.

With the way drafts have gone in recent years, offensive guards aren’t as prioritized as other positions. Despite that, the Cowboys haven’t been afraid to select guards in the first round. Zack Martin has been spectacular ever since donning the Cowboys uniform in his first year in the league.

With Ronald Leary leaving in free agency and Doug Free retiring, Dallas’ offensive line struggled a bit and took a step back in 2017. The Cowboys are at their best when their offensive attack is running (literally) through their offensive line. With that being said, the Cowboys should have their eyes on Isaiah Wynn around this area.

I understand that there are needs across the roster, but a strong offensive line is the Cowboys’ identity. Drafting another offensive line talent like Wynn could immediately make this unit an elite one, like it has been in years prior. Jonathan Cooper was serviceable this past year, but Wynn would simply an upgrade next to Tyron Smith and Frederick on the left side of the line. Wynn is a guy that exploded during the week of practices for the Senior Bowl. In a draft where the Cowboys could go in a variety of directions, Wynn is certainly a target.

Regardless of which targets the Cowboys could choose from, the fact is that they have a lot of holes on their roster. Trading back would provide more opportunities to upgrade their holes with additional draft picks.

In the event that the Cowboys do trade back, which prospects do you think would make the most sense?