The Dallas Cowboys are trying to move up to the top of the second round for the Cleveland Browns’ No. 32 overall pick, preferably to land a pass rusher.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “the [Dallas] Cowboys are attempting to trade up with the [Cleveland] Browns at No. 32.” The belief is that the Cowboys are looking to bolster their pass rush with a front seven player with that pick.
The #Cowboys are attempting to trade up with the #Browns at No. 32, source said. The likely target is a pass-rusher.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2016
Dallas already made a strong selection in the first round on Thursday night with their No. 4 overall pick by selecting the best running back available in Ohio State Buckeyes’ Ezekiel Elliott.
While Dallas could have used their No. 4 pick on players like Oregon Ducks’ DeForest Buckner or the Georgia Bulldogs’ Leonard Floyd, it seems that the Cowboys will target front seven players like Oklahoma State Cowboys’ Emmanuel Ogbah or UCLA Bruins’ Myles Jack by moving up to No. 32 with a hypothetical trade with the Browns.
Both bottom feeders from the 2015 NFL season clearly have different agendas in the 2016 NFL Draft. Cleveland is routinely choosing to move back in the draft to acquire a myriad of draft picks.
It’s pretty clear that the Browns are trying to enact early-2000s Oakland Athletics’ Moneyball principles to how they build their football team. General manager Sashi Brown is all-in on former A’s executive Paul DePodesta’s vision of bringing Moneyball to the NFL.
Dallas is very much in win-now mode, as the Cowboys have at most four years left of quarterback Tony Romo before he has to hang up the spikes. Dallas has a premier pocket passer and a fantastic offensive line. It’s all about general manager/owner Jerry Jones bringing in the right draft picks to make Dallas a contender in the NFC again in 2016.
Dallas and Cleveland feel like solid trade partners in this draft, as the Cowboys won’t have to move up to far to get the No. 32 overall pick and Cleveland is looking for more bang for their buck by stockpiling draft picks.
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