Cowboys Trade Idea: Acquire Vikings' Danielle Hunter During NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys will have plenty of options with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Could trading for Danielle Hunter be among them?

Grant Afseth | Apr 28, 2021

DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys hold the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and will have no shortage of intriguing options with it. Could trading down be a viable option?

ESPN's Bill Barnwell released a new NFL mock draft and it included a trade idea featuring the Cowboys and Vikings. In this scenario, Dallas would give up the 10th, 44th, and 115th overall picks in exchange for Danielle Hunter and the 14th pick.

A critical component of the rationale behind Barnwell's trade idea (part of a series of predictions that he admits are largely for fun) is simply the way the selections played out in his NFL mock draft. He anticipates the Cowboys wanting to prioritize adding talent on the edge or in the secondary.

"There's a scenario,'' he writes, "in which the first nine players off the board all play offense: the five quarterbacks, Penei Sewell, Kyle Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase and one of the two Alabama wide receivers (DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle). The players on the board at No. 10 would include the remaining Alabama wideout, Slater and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. It's not a great fit for the Cowboys, who probably want to look toward help on the edge or in the secondary."

From the Cowboys' perspective, Barnwell noted this deal would help to add an established edge defender while still maintaining a position to select an intriguing prospect with the No. 14 overall pick.

"They can address both of those problems by trading down and grabbing a star edge rusher in the process. Hunter, who went to high school in Texas, missed all of 2020 with a neck injury amid reports that he was unhappy with his contract. George Edwards, who was formerly the defensive coordinator in Minnesota, is on Dallas' staff as a senior defensive assistant. The Cowboys would still be in position to take a player such as Alabama corner Patrick Surtain at No. 14. (They'll figure out the cap later.)"

Our positive take on the concept: Having another impactful edge defender like Danielle Hunter opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence would go a long way. The Cowboys would also have Randy Gregory and Tarrell Basham in a rotational capacity - making Dallas a deeper team on that front.

Our negative take on the concept: Hunter is a $17 million player; that doesn't really fit a Dallas pattern. We believe he'd also cause, in the event of a trade, about $7 million in dead money for Minnesota. And finally, in the Cowboys' own view, it is weird to not include Surtain among the guys "on the board'' in Barnwell's scenario; if Surtain is available at 10, he's the smartest bet for the Dallas pick. And it's even weirder - again, in the Cowboys' own view, to think Surtain would somehow still be available at 14.

Published Apr 28, 2021

GRANT AFSETH