JORDAN RICHMAN
LOS ANGELES, CA
Assuming the Cowboys end up keeping three quarterbacks on the roster: what mid-round prospect could they draft and keep over Brandon Weeden?
Rowan: Those mid-round quarterbacks who would have been drafted higher had it not been for injury would be kept ahead of him, I believe. That includes Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger. I also think if it came down to it, they'd keep Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Savage and A.J. McCarron ahead of Weeden if they had to make that decision. But I don't see them taking a mid-round quarterback and not keeping him on the roster.
David: That's the great thing about the Weeden deal: the Cowboys aren't on the hook. They've got an experienced quarterback who is a decent backup behind Tony Romo, but they don't have any monetary obligations to him. Let's say Kyle Orton returns for 2014, and the Cowboys decide to draft a quarterback anyway. It's not going to cost them anything to part ways with Weeden after training camp, should they decide to. And if they invest a pick on a guy like Murray, Mettenberger or A.J. McCarron, they'd almost certainly side with youth when it came time to make that decision.
CHRIS BURKE
AUSTIN, TX
Is there a reason why the Cowboys couldn't package multiple late round picks (4th-7th) in this year and next year's draft for an additional second and third round pick this year? This team could take a huge step forward with five picks in the first three rounds.
Rowan:Teams don't want late-round picks, just like you don't want them. Packaging three seventh-round picks wouldn't get you much more than a sixth-rounder. Other teams also know how valuable second and third round selections are, and they're not going to be willing to let them go easily. In [embedded_ad] addition, this Cowboys team still needs bodies and a lot of help at different spots. While it would be ideal to get more second and third-round selections, I just don't think packaging those late-round picks will allow them to do that.
David: In order to get anything substantial, you're talking about dealing your fourth and/or fifth round picks. The Cowboys' fourth-round pick is worth 56 points on the draft value chart, and their fifth-rounder is worth 28.2 points. Just to give some perspective, their third-round pick is worth 200 points – so it's a pretty big jump. If you're willing to give away the middle of the draft, you could possibly move up higher in the fourth round, or possible enter the third round – possibly. But that's about it, I'm guessing. Seventh round picks just aren't worth what many people want them to be worth.
