There's a clear path for the Dallas Cowboys to have their cake and eat it too in first round of 2025 NFL Draft
One month away from the 2025 NFL Draft, it would be fair to think of the Dallas Cowboys as one of the likeliest teams to select top running back prospect Ashton Jeanty from Boise State. But lately, they look more like Jeanty's floor than anything else as the running back's stock is soaring in the weeks […]
One month away from the 2025 NFL Draft, it would be fair to think of the Dallas Cowboys as one of the likeliest teams to select top running back prospect Ashton Jeanty from Boise State.
But lately, they look more like Jeanty's floor than anything else as the running back's stock is soaring in the weeks leading up to the Draft.
Grinding The Mocks currently projects his expected draft position to be No. 6 overall. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears all pick before Dallas and are frequently mocked to pick Jeanty.
However, that's not necessarily bad. That's because there's a clear path for the Cowboys to have their cake and eat it too if they really want to secure their running back in the first round of the Draft.
Omarion Hampton from North Carolina has frequently been linked with the Cowboys, being mocked in back-to-back simulations from Mel Kiper Jr., who wrote: "Hampton actually firmed up his first-round case at the combine, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and leaping 10 feet, 10 inches in the broad jump."
The big problem with Hampton is many are questioning if he's truly worth the No. 12 overall pick. What are the Cowboys passing on if they pick him that early? But what if Dallas trades down to target him later in the Draft?
I don't think it's a coincidence that Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah have gone out of their way to link Hampton with the Cowboys. It's entirely possible they know something about Dallas' level of interest. But we also know the Cowboys love (and I mean looooove) getting draft picks. Trading down from No. 12 overall makes sense and it fits what they've done in previous years.
Last year, like this one, the Cowboys were missing a fourth round pick. They traded down with the Detroit Lions and got a third rounder in return. In 2021, they moved back before picking Micah Parsons.
Heck, their free agency strategy is largely influenced by being rewarded compensatory draft picks.
Well, even as one of the biggest risers in mock drafts recently, moving down and picking Hampton seems entirely possible. His expected draft position per Grinding the Mocks is 23rd overall.
At the end of the day, this is the time of the year when everyone is discussing trade down ideas. That's easier said than done as the deal simply has to make sense for two teams on Draft Day.
But if the Cowboys' interest in Hampton is as real as insiders are making it seem, it might be the most optimal route to execute on it.
