Cowboys 2022 Draft rumors: Dallas ‘radar was up’ for Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux potentially sliding

The Dallas Cowboys hold the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and with it they will likely be able to pick from a handful of players including Kenyon Green, Zion Johnson, Treylon Burks, Chris Olave, Tyler Linderbaum, George Karlaftis, and a few others. All of those make some bit of possible sense.

Considering that Dallas is so far back in the draft order there are names that are guaranteed to be unavailable to them with their original selection. Obviously if the Cowboys want someone who is likely going to go sooner then they would have to trade up, that is how all of this works. It is difficult to come up with a player that would make sense for Dallas to climb up in the name of giving up their second- or third-round pick, but love will make you do some crazy things.

Who could that player be? According to one report, it might be one of the top pass rusher’s in this year’s class.

The Cowboys ‘radar was up’ about Kayvon Thibodeaux potentially sliding

For a team to move up for a player there has to be a combination of factors at play. Obviously they have to like the player in question a great deal, but the player also has to ‘fall’ to a range that is within their grasp.

Using Jimmy Johnson’s famous trade value chart we know that the Cowboys top three picks (numbers 24, 56, and 88) hold values of 740 points, 340 points, and 150 points, respectively. If Dallas combined their first-round pick with one of the others they could get as high as 1,080 points or 860 points with just their third-rounder tossed in.

The former is enough to get within picks 14-15 and the latter up to 19-20. Should Dallas like a player that makes it there then they have the capital to get within the proper range.

According to TheMMQB’s Albert Breer, the Cowboys are reportedly keeping tabs on Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux potentially falling. That would be interesting to say the least.

What you need to know: Dallas could move up—I heard at one point last week that their radar was up for Thibodeaux potentially sliding. But more likely would be the team sticking here, and taking either a traditional off-ball linebacker (Georgia’s Nakobe Dean?) or starting to inject some youth into their aging offensive line group. To that end, Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green is one player other teams have connected to Dallas.

This is the NFL draft where anything is possible, and while at one point some people thought Thibodeaux would be one of the first players off of the board he has slid in recent weeks. Consider that in Peter King’s mock draft (which is largely based on things he is hearing around the NFL) that Thibodeaux went 13 to the Seattle Seahawks who traded up with the Houston Texans in this particular mock. That is just one pick in front of the range that Dallas could get into if they threw their second-round pick into the mix.

Making a trade that involves giving up their second-round pick would be rather risky for the Cowboys. They currently only hold three selections inside of the top 100 and have plenty of needs to address outside of defensive end, mainly guard and wide receiver. Dallas would be making it more difficult to properly cover their bases by giving up the 56th overall selection.