Seahawks offered Earl Thomas, but Cowboys drafted Connor Williams instead

Many Cowboys fans spent this past Sunday imagining what the 2018 rookie class will end up doing in the blue and silver. Leighton Vander Esch, Connor Williams, Michael Gallup, and co.? What a party.

Something else going on this past Sunday was discussion concerning Earl Thomas. The Cowboys didn’t end up trading for the talented safety, but they did try to. We even talked about how they offered a third-round pick here at BTB.

The 81st overall pick wasn’t enough to get Seattle to dance, and hey that’s understandable. They had their sights set on more, they wanted a second-rounder, namely pick #50.

In fact, Seattle wanted that pick so badly that they called the Cowboys. How do we know this? First of all, it’s common sense. Second of all, the mothership’s Bryan Broaddus and Ambar Garcia told us on Tuesday afternoon (discussion starts right before the three-minute mark).

Broaddus goes into detail specifically in terms of second-round pick Connor Williams and how he ties into all of this:

“Let me give you a little insight here... If Connor Williams wasn’t on the board at 50, they would have traded that pick for your safety. For Earl Thomas. The Seahawks called they said, ‘Hey, are you interested in the player?’ and the Cowboys made the determination that Connor Williams meant so much to them that they said no.”

We knew that Seattle chose Earl Thomas over the pick that became Michael Gallup, but now we definitively know that Dallas chose Connor Williams over Earl. It’s hard to disagree with them.

It was shocking, as Bryan and Ambar note, that Connor fell all the way to the 50th overall pick. Dallas was able to fortify their already outstanding offensive line with an elite talent at a spot with many question marks - left guard. Even if that spot isn’t directly filled by Connor himself, for what it’s worth Dallas referred to him as an interior lineman, Connor’s presence allows either he or La’el Collins to fill it.

Connor Williams turns 21 years old this month. He will likely be very good at a position of extreme importance at a lower cost for four seasons. Earl Thomas, talented as he is, turns 29 this month and will need a new deal after the 2018 season. It’s a no-brainer.

It’s definitely interesting that a board sans Connor Williams at the 50th overall pick could have meant Earl Thomas was in Dallas. Thankfully for the Cowboys that wasn’t the case and they landed what could be one of the biggest steals of the draft.