How the Dallas Cowboys can benefit from Mac Jones' draft stock rising
This year's draft process is more intriguing than ever. The Dallas Cowboys hold a top-10 draft selection in a year in which there will be no NFL Scouting Combine. As if last year's draft wasn't strange enough, teams will have to rely on the film and their own evaluations more than ever before. Player opt-outs, […]
This year's draft process is more intriguing than ever. The Dallas Cowboys hold a top-10 draft selection in a year in which there will be no NFL Scouting Combine.
As if last year's draft wasn't strange enough, teams will have to rely on the film and their own evaluations more than ever before. Player opt-outs, no fall FCS football, and shortened schedules makes scouting even more of a challenge.
One thing remains true amidst all of the oddness, though: NFL franchises are desperate for a quarterback.
As many as five quarterbacks could be drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft's first-round. Four of those passers are near-locks to go inside the top-10. Those four are Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance. All four are athletic gunslingers that can be effective throwing in the pocket, on the run, and from different platforms.
The fifth quarterback that could be selected with one of the draft's first 32 selections is Alabama's Mac Jones. Jones does not possess the athletic ability, off-script playmaking, or arm strength that the others do, but he is an accurate passer that excelled on the big stage. Jones has largely not received the same attention that his peers have, but that is starting to change.
ESPN's Mel Kiper reported that Jones is "trending toward the top-10". Former NFL general manager and ESPN contributor Mike Tannebaum also said that Jones' floor is inside the top-10.
How the Cowboys can take advantage
As of right now, the Cowboys are not truly in the market for a first-round quarterback. That obviously changes if Dallas decides against extending Dak Prescott. For now though, the expectation is that the Cowboys will spend their top draft pick elsewhere.
Therefore, the Cowboys' top-10 pick has a chance to be extremely attractive and valuable. Quarterback-needy teams that currently sit outside of the first 10 picks — such as the Patriots, Washington Football Team, and Bears — may want to move up in order to secure a potential franchise passer.
Trevor Lawrence is all but confirmed to be the first overall selection. Zach Wilson appears to be a pretty solid bet to be picked with one of the first three picks. Both Fields and Lance have been projected to go somewhere in the top-10.
Jones' emergence as a candidate to possibly be picked with one of the first 10 selections is great news for the Cowboys. It provides one of those desperate teams with another option at the position behind the aforementioned four.
That means one of two things:
- A team trades multiple draft picks to the Cowboys for the opportunity to draft the fifth quarterback in the class.
- Dallas has the chance to potentially select the first defender in the draft.
Either scenario would be a win for the Cowboys.
The first scenario allows Dallas to trade back in the first-round while also likely acquiring another top-50 draft pick. There would be a decent possibility that at least one or two players in consideration at 10th overall would still be on the board for the Cowboys to pick later.
Whereas the second scenario would provide the Cowboys the opportunity to grab the best defender on their entire board in hopes of rebuilding the defense. Five quarterbacks taken in the top-10, in addition to the offensive tackles and receivers projected to go high, would push other talent down the draft order.
Dallas could possibly have their choice on the defensive side of the ball — be it Caleb Farley, Patrick Surtain II, or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Farley and Surtain would help solve some issues at cornerback, while Owusu-Koramoah is a versatile defender that can be used at linebacker and in the secondary.
Assuming that Dak Prescott remains on the Dallas Cowboys, either of the above scenarios would be great for Dallas. Having the opportunity to acquire more draft capital or select the draft's top defensive prospect would be significant in getting Dallas back to the postseason.
The more draft hype that Mac Jones receives, the better for the Cowboys.
Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
