Jerry Jones praises Cowboys VP Will McClay, explains why he won’t get a promotion

Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft this weekend, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones gave a shoutout to the man behind the scenes of the draft process – vice president of player personnel Will McClay. Jones joked that he tries to keep McClay a secret from other teams so they don’t try to hire him away.

“I don’t want anybody to know bout Will,” Jones said. “I’m teasing but I’m not teasing. He’s very unique and he has great people skills. And I mean they work for Will — those scouts, and that’s a management job, those scouts on the road. . . . Will’s got a big job. He’s got a big job of managing — and I mean managing, because they are on the road most of the time, those guys who are there. Outstanding, best group I’ve ever been associated with in 30 years.”

McClay has been with the Cowboys for two decades but he’s unlikely to continue advancing in the organization due to the current structure in the front office. As the man that cuts the checks, Jerry Jones intends to remain the general manager.

“But I can’t make him the General Manager,” Jones told reporters when it was suggested that the VP get a promotion. “We have one. If Will can write those checks, I might consider it.”

Jones had a lot of jokes for the media on Monday. He also cracked one about how the Cowboys’ coaching has been the team’s Achilles’ heel, not drafting.

“Drafting is not our problem, coaching is,” Jones said, via Jon Machota.

Cowboys ready for 2023 NFL Draft after productive free agency

The Cowboys are just hours away from making their first selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. According to McClay, Dallas’s thought process on choosing draftees is simple.

“We want good football players. That’s always been the plan,” McClay told reporters this offseason. “You go through this process – the more good football players you have, the more depth you have on your team and the more competitive you can be in a 17-20 game season.”

Following two trades that cost them two fifth-round compensatory picks (No. 161, No. 169), these are the seven draft picks on the Cowboys board this week.

• Round 1, No. 26
• Round 2, No. 58
• Round 3, No. 90
• Round 4, No. 128
• Round 5, No. 176*
• Round 6, No. 212*
• Round 7, No. 243