Dallas Cowboys: Should the Dallas Cowboys trade up in the 2018 NFL Draft?
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys could look to trade up in the 2018 NFL draft as they are holding 10 picks. Who they trade up for is an entirely different story entirely.
The Dallas Cowboys will have plenty of needs heading into the 2018 season. The franchise will sort out the most pressing of those in the coming months however several needs are blatantly obvious to any fan who has watched the team throughout the 2017 regular season.
Upgrading the Cowboys passing attack has to be at the very top of the list however with the 19th overall pick, Dallas will struggle to land some of the top offensive weapons in the draft. The Cowboys do have a secret weapon up their sleeve, draft picks.
Yes, the Dallas Cowboys were given several compensatory picks and they are just what the team needed. The franchise will have three fourth-round picks and two fifth-round picks to work with.
Even if the Cowboys do not trade them having ten draft picks with most of them coming in the fourth round is a pretty promising situation. The Cowboys need to upgrade their receiving corps, offensive line, add some depth at the linebacker position, and potentially draft another safety/pass rusher.
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That is quite the shopping list for a team looking to make a deep playoff run next season. The Cowboys can accomplish all of this by trading up in the 2018 draft. Currently, the best wide receiving prospect on draft boards is Calvin Ridley.
Currently, he is projected to be drafted between the sixth selection to the 16th, which means he will be selected before the Cowboys are on the clock. Dallas will have to move into the top ten to prevent this from occurring if they want Ridley on their roster.
Realistically moving up just makes sense in this draft as the level of talent in the top 10 is much different than the level of talent found later in the round. Dallas could theoretically see a player like Courtland Sutton fall to them but why take the risk if you don’t have to.
If the Cowboys could move up in the range of players such as defensive end, Bradley Chubb, linebacker, Roquan Smith, or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick the team could easily look to pull the trigger on any of them.
In addition to their compensatory picks, the Cowboys will likely have to let go of their first-round selection, but that coupled with two fours or a four and five should get Dallas some traction as they look to move up in the first round.
Moving up is not a necessity but with the number of picks, the Dallas Cowboys have in the 2018 draft it only makes sense. This is the year that Dallas will likely go after a player that they like in the first round and sitting with the 19th pick, the Cowboys can only move forward.
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They could also trade some of their extra picks for a player that can have a positive impact on this football team. There are plenty of options for the Cowboys and moving up in the draft is just one of them.