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The landscape of the NFL changed last weekend when the Los Angeles Rams traded for quarterback Matthew Stafford. L.A. sent two first-round picks (2022 and 2023) to the Detroit Lions (as well as a 2021 third-round pick... oh and Jared Goff!) to the Detroit Lions in order to acquire Stafford and thus the first domino of the 2021 quarterback market has fallen.
Time will tell which other signal-callers are playing for new teams come next season, but obviously how things happen between now and the NFL Draft will impact the players that are taken in the league’s annual selection period.
The Dallas Cowboys hold the 10th overall pick in the draft and while our preferences have all likely changed a bit since season’s end and even now in early February, ultimately if the pick is on the defensive side of the ball it will be hard to be upset about it.
Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft has the Cowboys taking Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
There are a handful of names that have been mocked to the Cowboys more often than others. Offensively Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater are more common than others. Defensively players like Patrick Surtain II, Micah Parsons, and Caleb Farley have all been given proverbial stars for their helmets.
In his latest mock draft, NFL Media’s Bucky Brooks has the Cowboys watching Surtain go one pick ahead of them to the Denver Broncos, yet still landing Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley .
School: Virginia Tech | Year: Junior (RS)
Given the Cowboys’ defensive woes in 2020, an offseason emphasis on adding playmakers in the secondary results in Farley coming off the board at this spot.
This would be a fine utilization of a first-round pick for the Cowboys as their defense is in sore need of talent. While there are certainly people who prefer Surtain to Farley the reality is that if Surtain is gone... Surtain is gone.
Where the Cowboys choose to spend the 10th overall pick will obviously impact the NFC East, especially depending on what each of the other three teams does. Here’s what Brooks has each division rival doing in the first round:
- Philadelphia Eagles (6th overall): TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
- New York Giants (11th overall): EDGE Gregory Rousseau, Miami
- Washington FT (19th overall): QB Mac Jones, Alabama
While Florida’s Pitts is an intriguing NFL prospect in general (and someone whom a lot of Cowboys fans would like to see be the 10th overall pick... Team 40 Burger and all that jazz), the most impactful pick here is undoubtedly Alabama’s Mac Jones heading to Washington.
The Football Team won the division (thanks to some ineptitude from the other three teams as well, but a win is a win) and are seemingly a quarterback away from being a true and legit contender in the NFC. This would be dicey to say the least.