Dallas Cowboys: Should the Cowboys draft Lamar Jackson?

The Dallas Cowboys could be in the market for a backup quarterback and the 2018 NFL draft will have some top-tier talent to select from.

The Dallas Cowboys could be in the market for a backup signal caller as they begin to build their roster for the 2018 season. This year’s draft class is full of fantastic, young quarterbacks who could become franchise players.

The Cowboys currently have a franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott, however, he also is only signed to a four-year deal. Getting some insurance for Prescott make a lot of sense as a player who uses his legs that much is bound to be banged up at some point.

Lamar Jackson is possibly the best mobile quarterback in the 2018 draft. He is known for doing more with his legs than most quarterbacks and that adds a completely different level to his game. Jackson is a fantastic leader on and off the field and has the right mentality to compete on any level.

There are definitely questions about his accuracy and the quality of throws he can make but he is an NFL athlete through and through.  Early reports on him had stated that he would be a gadget player or would need a gimmick to be successful on the NFL level, however, this may not be the case.

If Jackson can prove to NFL scouts that he has the strength to throw the deep ball at the professional level, he will likely go a bit earlier than some expected. Jackson is an incredibly fast quarterback, quite possibly one of the fastest in NFL history and the upside of this pick could be tremendous.

Now, why should the Cowboys go after the Louisville quarterback when they have a perfectly good one on their roster? Simple answer, opportunity. The Dallas Cowboys could draft Jackson if he slides down draft board’s which is a very distinct possibility.

The main thing we could see is that teams do not get enough information to select Jackson over a pick they could be more familiar with. Quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen have been talked about all offseason and are also projected to be first rounders.

If team’s selecting a quarterback valued the more traditional players at the position more and viewed Jackson as more of a gimmicky, mobile player than he should still be on the board the time the Cowboys are on the clock. 

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This could mean one of several things for them. Number one would likely be that they could have major ammo to move back in the first round of the draft. A team like the Buffalo Bills, or even the New England Patriots could be interested in having Jackson on their roster.

If a quarterback is sitting on the board at number 19 it would be very easy for Dallas to get a trade done. The team could always draft him and eventually trade him for players or picks.

The Dallas Cowboys may be better off keeping Jackson on their roster as backup quarterback Cooper Rush is still an unknown commodity and finding another competitive backup could be key for this team in developing their talented signal callers.

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Having Jackson learn under Prescott would not be a terrible thing plus the organization would get some leverage when negotiating his next contract. The Dallas Cowboys will likely address backup quarterback at some point during the offseason whether that means bringing in a veteran or drafting a rookie as they look to add some depth at the position.