'Crazy' Cowboys Will 'Think Out of the Box' in NFL Draft, Promises Jerry Jones

"It would be madness to not consider any (draft-time trade). I would not not consider anything.'' - Jerry Jones.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys - maybe because of the optimism of owner Jerry Jones, or maybe because of his penchant for salesmanship - enter most every season talking Super Bowl.

But Jones has another penchant: For risk. For unconventionality. For thinking about doing things that seem "crazy.''

"We will be unconventional if we think it helps our team,'' said Jones as part of Tuesday's pre-NFL Draft press conference here inside The Star. "We’re always talking about possibilities. There’s nothing dangerous thinking about crazy things. ...

"It would be madness to not consider any (draft-time trade). I would not not consider anything.''

It's been 27 years while since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl, a fact that to Cowboys Nation renders immaterial the fact that Dallas last year won 12 games and the NFC East title.

Around here, a playoff loss means, to many, a "losing season.''

Maybe that's another reason for Jones' Cowboys to, as he put it, "think out of the box.''

"Outside free agency'' is not Dallas' cap-dictated style, and even an "inside free agent'' - Randy Gregory - upset plans by bolting for Denver. The roster is considered a good one, but not as good as it was a few months ago.

Meaning ....

The Cowboys must again "hit'' in this NFL Draft.

Wide receiver and offensive line are the two stated areas of need.

But what Dallas "needs'' most is another cluster of young talent along the lines of what the club did in 2021 with Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons, and the year before that with the high picks of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and cornerback Trevon Diggs. (Jones mentioned Parsons as a good example of the Cowboys' willingness to think unconventionally; they were planning to draft a cornerback last year but were prepared when things fell a different way, and made the move for Parsons.)

Indeed, Dallas - which is presently scheduled to pick at No. 24 in Thursday night's first round - has a habit of hitting on first-rounders: Ezekiel Elliott in 2016, Byron Jones in 2015, guard Zack Martin in 2014, center Travis Frederick in 2013. ...

We asked Jerry recently about the philosophy of "trading up,'' and he said, "I would trade up (in) this draft, and just going in (that's) as much as you can say about it until you see what's there or who's on the other line. But yeah, I would trade up since we're down as low as we are in those first two or three rounds. 

"If we had a chance to and somebody that we had really coveted was sitting down there at the bottom, then we could trade up and get him.''

Somewhere in Dallas' range at 24 could be a trio of offensive linemen, including Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning, Texas A&M's Kenyon Green and Boston College's Zion Johnson. Same at receiver, where Arkansas' Treylon Burks, 

Dallas has nine picks this weekend, including six Day 3 picks. There could be movement in the first round; it's more likely to come later. ... unless Jerry's Cowboys get a little "crazy.''

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