FRISCO, Texas (AP) 鈥� The previous time had two first-round picks, the Dallas Cowboys made the most trades during the than in any of his 37 years as owner and general manager.
The 83-year-old billionaire sounds as eager as ever to wheel and deal.
鈥淚鈥檝e looked at that mirror a lot, about how to go up and down and trade and do those kinds of things,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淎nd absolutely, we鈥檒l entertain improving or an in-draft read on what gives us a better chance to get another player, and still have our pick and the red meat of top players.
鈥淭his is an obvious statement, but nothing, no amount of skill, no amount of knowledge, can beat having a lot of draft capital, having a lot of picks,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭hat鈥檒l win most of the time.鈥�
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th overall picks on the opening night of the draft April 23, the latter selection a product of the trade that sent pass rushing star a week before the 2025 season opener.
Dallas filled a large gap between picks that went all the way into the fourth round by sending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-rounder.
The needs are extensive for a defense that was among the league’s worst last season when the and missed the playoffs for a second year in a row. Dallas hasn’t missed the postseason three consecutive times in more than a decade.
The Cowboys were in the same situation in 2020, though, and drafted receiver CeeDee Lamb once Jones and company got over the shock that their future star was still there at No. 17.
鈥淓xcited. The unpredictability of it, you don鈥檛 know how it鈥檚 going to go,鈥� coach Brian Schottenheimer said. 鈥淵ou really have no idea. There鈥檚 always a surprise or two.鈥�
Need
Pick a spot on defense: edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback, safety. The only thing Dallas doesn’t need is a defensive tackle after using the 2027 first-rounder from the Parsons deal to acquire Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets last season. The Cowboys already had Kenny Clark, who came in the Parsons trade.
Don’t need
Wide receiver and running back don’t make such sense on the first two days of the draft, assuming Lamb sidekick George Pickens plays under the franchise tag or gets a long-term deal before July 15. The Cowboys re-signed running back Javonte Williams and still believe Jaydon Blue has something to offer after an underwhelming rookie season.
2008 revisited
It was 18 years ago when the Cowboys drafted running back Felix Jones (22nd overall) and cornerback Mike Jenkins (25th) in the first round. They also made eight trades during the 2008 draft. The most from any other year is five. It’s been six years since Jones agreed to multiple deals during the draft.
Year 2 for Schotty
Schottenheimer had been an NFL assistant for a quarter of a century when to replace Mike McCarthy after three years on McCarthy’s staff. The 52-year-old said he feels more comfortable with the draft process the second time around in charge of a program. 鈥淲ay better,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know most of the names. A big part of it is that I missed some time last year and I鈥檓 not going to do that (this year), especially with the firepower that we have in the first round.鈥�
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