It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys want to build their roster through the NFL Draft. That's why it was a surprise when they pulled off a string of trades last year as they landed Stephon Gilmore, Brandin Cooks, and later Trey Lance ahead of the 2023 season.
Fast forward to 2024 and the Cowboys are about to pay the price of those moves. Below are the picks the Cowboys sent away last year:
- 4th round draft pick for QB Trey Lance
- 5th round draft pick in trade up for CB Eric Scott Jr.
- 6th round draft pick for WR Brandin Cooks.
That leaves the Cowboys with five draft picks which will likely turn seven once compensatory picks are announced. But as you can see, Dallas parted ways with three Day 3 picks, something very unlike them last year.
Now, I'm not saying they were wrong to do it. In fact, I believe the Cowboys should take more swings like the ones they took for Cooks and Gilmore. While there are many reasons why you could criticize the Stephen Jones-led front office, these trades are not one of them.
Even less so after the latest Draft insight shared from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, who makes the Cowboys' trades seem like fine wine: They aged perfectly. Let's dive into why.
Senior Bowl's Jim Nagy claims Day 3 of the NFL Draft is 'wiped out'
Every draft class is different and it appears those in the know are expecting a thinner class of prospects in the later rounds this year as a result of the new "NIL era" in college football.
The numbers strongly back up Nagy's claim. Below are the amount of underclassmen who have declared eligible for the Draft going back to 2021:
- 2024: 58
- 2023: 69
- 2022: 73
- 2021: 98
That’s a 40% dip from 2021 to 2023! Since they can now make money off of their name, image, and likeness, players are simply more likely to stay in college than to hit the pros unless they’re Day 1-2 prospects.
Maybe the Cowboys got lucky or maybe them being more aggressive trading away draft picks was always a calculated move.
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