ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The way Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones sees it, the lockout has helped shape the team’s draft strategy.
Or, rather, the work stoppage has kept their draft plans from taking too much shape.
In a typical offseason, Dallas already would have plugged some holes by signing free agents. Since that hasn’t been an option, the Cowboys go into this week’s draft still trying to fix all the holes exposed while going 6-10 last season.
“I think that pushes us more toward picking the very best player on the board and not being tainted by a particular need,” Jones said. “We could, for the most part, pick any position and it would be a good pick for us.”
The Cowboys have the ninth overall pick Thursday night, and appear to be eyeing an offensive tackle or a defensive end. Scouting director Tom Ciskowski said if things break the way the club expects, they would be deciding between four players.
Tyron Smith of Southern California and Anthony Castonzo of Boston College are the likely tackle targets. J.J. Watt of Wisconsin and Aldon Smith of Missouri are the likely defensive ends.
But what if all four are there? Might Jerry Jones trade down, add a pick and still get one of his guys, perhaps even the one he wants most? (Of course, whoever they get will be declared their No. 1 target.)
The owner said he would “be surprised if there’s not some serious interest” from other teams looking to grab the No. 9 pick.
“The way the evaluations are playing out, the way the quarterback thing is looking, uniquely, in this draft, all of those things could come to play,” he said. “It has the real potential to be a pretty active or pretty attractive situation in a down trade. … It ought to be high priced for us. In other words, we really ought to ask for more if we move down.”
As much as Jones likes to move around the draft board, there’s also the option of going up, especially if a run on quarterbacks pushes down someone they’d like and they fear that guy wouldn’t last until No. 9. The closer the pick gets to them, the less it would cost.
As bait, Dallas also has pick Nos. 40, 71, 110, 143, 176, 220 and 252; that comes out to one per round, except for the seventh and final round, when the club has two picks.
“I think the odds are not great that we might be interested in a trade up,” Jerry Jones said. “But I would not say we wouldn’t do that.”
Overall, the owner said he didn’t think the Cowboys are rebuilding.
“Last year’s record does not indicate that, but I don’t view it that way,” he said. “You don’t just start over with personnel. I’m really pleased that we have the talent base that we have under contract. There’s no reason why the expectations can’t be that some of the success we hoped to have last year with the same personnel that we might have more success this year.”
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