Breaking down some hypothetical Cowboys trades during the 2022 NFL Draft

Should the Cowboys be wheeling and dealing during the draft?

One of the more exciting things about the NFL Draft is the trade. Teams are always looking to move up or down, and it is always interesting to see what deals are made on draft day.

With that in mind, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report released an article breaking down some “top hypothetical trades” for the Cowboys in the 2022 NFL Draft. The first trade features the Cowboys moving up in the draft for an offensive tackle.

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Eagles Receive: No. 24 overall, No. 88 overall, 2023 third-round pick

Cowboys Receive: OT Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa (No. 16 overall), 2023 fifth-round pick

While it may not seem like an immediate need this season, offensive tackle is certainly something the Cowboys are going to have to worry about in the near future. After releasing La’el Collins, the Cowboys are set to have Tyron Smith on the left side and Terence Steele on the right side this season.

The 31-year-old veteran Smith once again battled nagging injuries last season, limiting him to playing in just 11 games. Smith has not played a full schedule since 2015, and odds are he’ll never do so again in his career.

On the other side, Terence Steele did play much better last season than he did in his rookie year. His trajectory is trending upwards, but he still did struggle at times in 2021, allowing three or more pressures five times.

If the Cowboys were to make this move with the Eagles and trade up for Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning, he likely would be their long-term replacement for Smith at left tackle. Penning could slide in and start at LG this season, and move in to supplant Smith at LT whenever his time in Dallas comes to an end.

The second hypothetical trade features the Cowboys parting with a mid-round pick for a proven veteran receiver.

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Texans Receive: No. 88 overall (Third round)

Cowboys Receive: Brandin Cooks

Even after signing James Washington, it seems very likely the Cowboys will add another talented receiver to their roster in the draft. Whether they use a first-, second-, or third-round pick on a wideout, it’s clear they are going to spend premium draft capital on another pass catcher.

However, if the Cowboy were to go a different route and look to trade a draft pick for a proven commodity at the wide receiver spot, this hypothetical trade suggests Brandin Cooks.

Cooks has been one of the more consistent receivers in football since 2015. The former first-round pick has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his last seven seasons in the league and caught 80 or more passes four times. Last season, on an awful Texans team, Cooks still managed to put up an outstanding season, catching 90 passes for 1037 yards and scoring six touchdowns.

Cooks would come at a steep price cap-wise ($16M cap hit in 2022) and he is in the final year of his deal. When you put this in perspective with the fact the Cowboys just dealt Amari Cooper with a $22 million cap hit for a fifth-rounder, the Cooks’ deal doesn’t look like it follows the thinking of the front office.

The deal would make the Cowboys unquestionably better offensively. Cooks would be a weapon on the offensive side of the ball, and a trio of he, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup would be one of the better receiving trios in football.

The third and final hypothetical trade features the Cowboys once again going after a wide receiver, but this time moving up in the draft for a rookie.

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Steelers Receive: No. 24 pick, No. 129 (fourth-round) and No. 155 (fifth-round)

Cowboys Receive: WR Chris Olave (No. 20 overall)

If Chris Olave is available for the Cowboys to select at pick 24, there seems to be at least a decent chance the Cowboys would take him. The former Ohio State Buckeye was one of the notable names on the Cowboys 30-visit list.

Olave has seen his draft stock rise after his impressive showing at the combine, running a combine-best 4.26 40-yard dash. He would be a perfect complement to CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, and his blazing speed is something Dallas’ offense desperately could use.

In this scenario, the Cowboys could just wait and hope that Olave falls four more spots to them at 24, but if the price is not too high moving up to secure him would be a very solid decision.