Dallas Cowboys Draft: Why all Dallas fans should also be Zach Wilson fans
By Reid Hanson
There’s a reason the Dallas Cowboys want BYU quarterback Zach Wilson to do well this season and it has everything to do with the 2021 NFL Draft.
If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, it’s officially draft season. Such is the reality when your team is 2-7, without it’s starting QB, and already on track to pick in the top-5 of the 2021 NFL Draft. All hope now resides around the draft to make the Dallas Cowboys a contender again next season. And that’s precisely why the Dallas Cowboys and their fans should have keen interest in BYU standout, Zach Wilson.
If you’re shaking your head, wondering what will become of the Dallas Cowboys current QB1, Dak Prescott, then you’re misunderstanding what I’m getting at. Dak’s going to be the starting QB in Dallas next season one way or the other. Not only does logic tell us to retain the franchise QB but the Joneses themselves are on record guaranteeing his return. What I’m talking about is trading down in the draft for an epic haul…
QBs have the highest trade value
As we all know, just because a team wants to trade down in the draft, does not mean they can trade down in the draft. We’ve seen it happen a lot recently, where a handful of teams express their desire to move back, but they were unable to because no other parties were willing to meet their seemingly modest demands.
Jimmy Johnson’s famous draft trade value chart is a handy instrument, but it’s by no means the be-all end-all in draft trades. Some teams are more desperate than others to trade up. And some teams are more willing than others to trade back. It’s generally unpredictable and inconsistent. But one position repeatedly draws the most interest and total value from trades, and that position is quarterback.
Handy Draft Value Trade Chart for future reference #CowboysDraft pic.twitter.com/9uVRqzPmvS
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) November 10, 2020
It makes sense too. No position is more important in professional sports than that of the NFL QB. If you don’t have good quarterback, chances are you don’t have a very good team. The difference between a GM and coach staying employed or getting fired, often comes down to just finding that all-important franchise arm. That’s why front offices’ are so willing to trade the farm just for a shot at an elite signal caller.
2021 NFL Draft: A 3 QB Draft
By all accounts, it appears this is becoming a legit 3-QB draft. Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are the clear 1-2 punch in the ranks, but Zach Wilson is moving in and narrowing the gap between them and QB3.
If things progress like we believe, the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars will be picking at the top. And judging by their play, they will probably be picking Lawrence and Fields. But behind them currently sits the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas, without a need or desire to pick a QB, would be in a prime position to trade down and pull in a hefty bounty from one of those QB-needy teams behind them.
The chasm between QB2 and QB3 is about as narrow as it’s been in years. Many are predicting Zach Wilson will go somewhere in the top-5 overall. If Wilson keeps playing like he is, he’ll secure that positioning in the draft and become quite the trade chip for a team without a particular need at QB. A team like the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys: We’re all Zach Wilson fans now
While Lawrence and Fields are getting all the buzz, Zach Wilson has been not-so-quietly lighting things up. Pro Football Focus recently discussed Wilson’s emergence as a reason teams will be less likely to trade up for the top-2. PFF basically makes the case the falloff between the top-2 and QB3 isn’t as significant as it is in most years.
That could bode well for the Dallas Cowboys.
Zach Wilson has PFF’s highest passing grade in the draft class. He’s shown no falloff when facing top defenses and he’s an assassin on deep passes. Additionally, his projected yards per attempt and completion percentage are all higher than that of Lawrence and Fields.
Zach Wilson is a killer on 20+ yards throws. According to @PFF_College he's
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) November 13, 2020
20+ left: 9/9 for 400 yards, 4TD, 0INT, 158.3 passer rating
20+ middle: 6/9 for 239 yards, 1TD, 0INT, 146.8 rating
20+ right: 11/19 333 yards, 9TDs, 1 INT, 120.1 rating
A great QB3 prospect in the Draft
Does this mean he’s better than the other two? Certainly not, it just further illustrates how close these top-3 QB prospects are and how teams could be champing at the bit to move up for Wilson when the draft rolls around.
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This is why Dallas Cowboys fans should all be Zack Wilson fans too. They can move back for a king’s ransom. Dak Prescott may be expensive to retain but by trading back and getting multiple blue chip players for cheap, the financial issue will work itself out. Dallas can also avoid the gamble that all QB prospects prove to be and can bypass all of those ugly early years that most QBs go through early.
They’ll essentially be position to be an immediate contender and financially built to stay that way for years to come. All because Zach Wilson played so well, a team was willing to trade the farm in order to move up and draft him.
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Next. Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft 2021 (version 1.0). dark
So yes, Dallas Cowboys fans, we should all be cheering for BYU QB Zach Wilson from now on. Not because he can be the future QB in Dallas, but because Dallas can trade their pick to someone who needs him to be theirs.
- Published on 11/13/2020 at 12:01 PM
- Last updated at 11/13/2020 at 14:12 PM