FRISCO — NFL free agency has passed through what we call “Tier 1” and through what we call “Tier 2” and now we’ve so deep into what we call “Scrap-Heap Free Agency” (no offense, players) that teams like the Dallas Cowboys are – while still mindful of filling some minor holes across the roster – turning almost full attention to the NFL Draft.
For the Cowboys, and the rest of the NFL, that means it’s time for …
Evaluations.
And rumors.
The Cowboys are still without the “explosive No. 2 wide receiver” they openly seek and there is a hole at cornerback, too.
They hold the No. 12 pick in the first round and the No. 44 pick in the second and a deep draft will have them positioned to select an immediate contributor or two early on.
Or …
What if the Cowboys expand their process and muscle up and trade up for the best player in this draft – and a guy who could fill both vacancies?
The suggestions of a trade for superstar prospect Travis Hunter are now pretty commonplace on the internet, and some of the speculative rumors are grounded in right-place reality.
Jerry Jones should “make a splash” by doing a deal? Nah.
Jerry Jones would like to replicate what he once had in a two-way player in Deion Sanders, who happens to be Hunter’s Colorado coach and mentor? Nah.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys should explore the price of moving up from No. 12 into the top two or three slots (presently held by the Browns and Giants) and see if a fair deal can be done?
Bingo.
Hunter is inarguably the most uniquely gifted prospect in years, able to play both wide receiver and cornerback at an elite level.
And in that sense?
49 catches in five years 36 of those (and his lone receiving TD) in one season, 1996. So in the other four Dallas seasons as a receiver? Deion dabbled, with 13 receptions.
In terms of truly making an impact on offense, Deion wasn’t a real “two-way player.” (Special teams is another argument.)
But Hunter? The belief is that he can do both, at a high level.
A hole at receiver … and a hole at cornerback … and one guy fills both needs?
One analyst suggests Dallas could offer its pick at No. 12 plus the Cowboys’ second- and fifth-round picks to move into the top three slots.
Another wonders if it might take the 12th pick, a second-rounder, a fourth-rounder (in 2026) and a starting player to vault up.
According to most trade value charts, Dallas “wins the trade” in points in both those scenarios. But only by a little bit.
So Dallas calls the Browns and the Giants. Those teams ask for a bit more.
And then we have some rationale from both sides that would make this trade an enticing venture.
In the the end, does Travis Hunter – assuming (as we do) that Cowboys personnel boss Will McClay predicts NFL greatness for him – make Dallas a better football team than the guys who might be picked at Nos. 12 and 44?
That argument can be made strongly enough to support the idea of making the call.
You do not, however, do this because of Deion once catching a few passes here and you do not do it because “Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to be ‘above the fold.”
The Cowboys should find this to be a tempting idea for one dual reason only: Because it’s a double-win football move that can fast-track this roster back to the NFL playoffs.
