Cowboys draft rumors: Could Dallas trade up for former No. 1 pick candidate?

The prospects of drafting former top prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux might be too good for the Dallas Cowboys to pass up.

In Albert Breer’s MMQB column ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft, he hints that the Dallas Cowboys could potentially trade up for former Oregon star pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux if he slides.

“Dallas could move up — I heard at one point last week that their radar was up for [Kayvon] Thibodeaux potentially sliding,” wrote Breer.

Heading into last college football season, Thibodeaux was a bona-fide lock to go inside of the top five. Now, there is a chance he might fall out of the top 10. With the Cowboys picking at No. 24, they could potentially stand pat and draft a player at a position of need, like off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean out of Georgia. Or, the Joneses could be keeping up with the Joneses and trade up.

If Thibodeaux is the apple of their eye, how high up would the Cowboys have to trade up for him?

Dallas Cowboys: Could they trade up to draft Kayvon Thibodeaux on Thursday?

Let’s be real. If Thibodeaux is not drafted No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9 by the New York Giants, the Atlanta Falcons or the Seattle Seahawks respectively, that is when the Cowboys can begin to believe they have a shot at getting Thibodeaux if they trade up for him. It will cost an arm and a leg to get into the top 10 from No. 24, but into the very early teens will not come as pricey for America’s Team.

For as challenging as January has been for the Cowboys over the last several presidential administrations, they have crushed of late in recent NFL Drafts. The Micah Parsons Project was a smash hit, as was Trevon Diggs intercepting every ball thrown his way with that eye in the sky of his. If the Cowboys see Thibodeaux as the answer to all of their problems, then by all means do it!

Ultimately, Dallas is too good of a drafting team to whiff on its first-rounder. The Cowboys will get a productive player at No. 24 or possibly even higher if they trade up. Their problem has not been navigating the draft board, but overpaying good homegrown players great money several years before they hit NFL free agency. There is no better time to trust the Cowboys than on draft week.

A dirty Dallas defense with Diggs, Parsons and now Thibodeaux would be the epitome of unfair.