FRISCO — An effective while not ambitious free agency pursuit leaves the Dallas Cowboys in solid position heading into the NFL Draft. The Cowboys plugged a few holes on the depth chart while leaving room for the draft to provide an impactful influence of young talent.

Jerry Jones, Brian Schottenheimer and the rest of the team leadership will have boxes they want to check over the course of those three days in late April. But they have some freedom in how they go about it and may seek out the best available prospect when they are on the clock.

Many projections show the Cowboys attacking the offensive side. That trend started heavily favoring the backfield though now wide receiver could be the popular decision at No. 12. However, that No. 12 pick and their selection at No. 44 will say a great deal about their mindset as offseason programming will soon pick up.

Of course all draft picks have their domino effects down the roster, but no other position will feel that influence more than the cornerbacks if Dallas attacks that need early.

Specifically, a cornerback selection should reveal the Cowboys’ feelings about where they stand with their star ballhawk Trevon Diggs. A former second-round pick himself, Diggs finds himself in a bind heading into 2025.

Now the injury woes of the past two seasons are a harsh spin of fate on the talented corner. Regardless, he missed all but two games in 2023 following a torn ACL and missed six games last season when another knee setback sidelined him through the end of the season.

The Cowboys signed Diggs to a five-year, $97 million extension back in July 2023. So far, the return on investment has been minuscule with a chance to remain that way since his availability for the start of the 2025 regular season has not been determined.

Again, some aspects of Diggs’ absences are out of anyone’s control, but there is an understandable frustration from the Cowboys’ perspective. That said, DaRon Bland, a promising young corner himself, will soon be due a deal himself and the remaining pieces at cornerback are either shaky or unproven.

Depending on how the draft shakes out, the Cowboys could seek help at corner earlier than expected. If they reach such a player or move around the board to get into position for one, then that decision may be more apparent than originally thought.