IRVING, Texas – Experts have been saying for a while that this year's NFL Draft isn't loaded with as many elite prospects as there have been in prior years. The strength of this class is in its depth.
For the Dallas Cowboys, drafting at No. 18 isn't a bad place to be. There should be a quality starter available, and if they're on the clock and not in love with any of the prospects on their board, trading down is a realistic possibility.
"There's enough depth in this draft that you sure want to keep your ears open for trades, because you could very well get as good or better player at another level," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Monday. "And we will have our minds open. We won't be doing a lot before the draft, fielding many calls. It'll probably be happening right there on draft day."
During a Monday pre-draft press conference, Jones was joined by executive vice president Stephen Jones, head coach Jason Garrett and scouting director Tom Ciskowski. Jerry Jones did the majority of the talking during the 20-minute session and trading the pick was obviously a topic of interest.
Dallas traded up from No. 14 to No. 6 last year and selected LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.
But don't expect the Cowboys to be trading up for a second consecutive year.
"Can you get enamored as a team with a specific player? Of course you can," Jerry Jones said. "So they may deem it worth some picks to get up there to get him. I'm implying trading down. It's probably more likely that you'd see something like that than you would [trading] up."
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