3 ways the Cowboys can benefit from a historically large, top-heavy quarterback draft class

Things could get crazy on Day 1 when it comes to the quarterback position and the Cowboys can work that to their favor.

The 2024 NFL Draft is filled with great offensive talent expected to be selected on Day 1. If you looked at the consensus draft board of this year’s participants, two-thirds of the players expected to go in round one are on offense. This includes nine offensive linemen, six quarterbacks, and five wide receivers. If you’re a team in need of a star offensive player, this is the draft for you.

The offensive talent in the first round is plentiful, particularly at quarterback. It feels like more and more teams are swinging and missing at quarterback to where more quarterbacks have been selected in the first round in recent drafts. In 2018, and again in 2021, five quarterbacks were taken in round one.

This year, there might be six. That’s a lot of quarterbacks. You’d have to go back over 40 years to find a draft that had six quarterbacks taken in the first round. You might remember the famous 1983 QB draft class that featured three eventual Hall of Fame quarterbacks, John Elway, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly. That’s how unique this upcoming draft is at the quarterback position.

With so many quarterbacks on several teams’ draft boards, the draft could go down many ways. How would the draft positioning of these quarterbacks affect the Dallas Cowboys? The way we see it, there are three possible scenarios where the Cowboys could benefit from this top-heavy quarterback draft class.

SCENARIO 1: A BLUE-CHIP PLAYER FALLS IN THEIR LAP

Many teams need a new quarterback and they all pick ahead of the Cowboys in the first round. There is a strong consensus that quarterbacks will come off the board with picks one, two, and three as Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye are selected early. This same thing happened just a few years ago in 2021 when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance were taken one, two, and three respectively. It’s worth mentioning that of those three, only Lawrence has “worked out” so far, and even he is coming off a year where he had the same TD/INT ratio as Dak Prescott in 2022 when he was supposedly not very good.

The top three should be quarterbacks, but the fun doesn’t stop there. The first three teams right outside of the top 10 picks also need a quarterback and that could lead to another run of three QBs being taken as J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. are next in line.

NFL Mock Draft Database

If a run on quarterbacks happens not just once, but twice, more top players from other positions will slide. In this scenario, one of the Cowboys’ first-round graded players may be available when they are up, potentially landing a blue-chip player.

SCENARIO 2: GET A GOOD TRADE OFFER FROM A QB-NEEDY TEAM

While it’s easy to expect quarterbacks to be heavily sought out, some teams may view these other star-caliber players as too good to pass up. With some premier receivers and a couple of future stud tackles, we can’t just assume a quarterback will take precedence. And teams have big holes at positions other than quarterback. The Oakland Raiders are a good example. They need a quarterback, but they also need an offensive tackle and a cornerback. Maybe drafting a quarterback like Penix Jr. at 13 would be a panic move whereas selecting an OT like Olumuyiwa Fashanu or a CB like Quinyon Mitchell are viewed as more talented players that also address a big need. If the Raiders pass on a QB at 13, they could try to jump back in the first round to grab a quarterback.

The Raiders are one of a handful of teams picking in the early part of the second round who could be interested in trading into the first round so they can re-load at quarterback. Remember, taking a player in the first round comes with the bonus of gaining an extra year of player control by having that fifth-year option. This is why teams pay a little extra to get into the end of the first round to secure a quarterback. All it takes is a quarterback who is on the radar of one of those interested teams. If that happens, the Cowboys might be willing to give up pick 24 for some extra draft capital they can use to acquire more of the talent this current draft has to offer.

SCENARIO 3: DRAFT A QB

We’ve all heard the stories. Prescott hasn’t been extended and there stands a chance that he enters the last year of his current contract without a new deal. This has made some believe the Cowboys could be a “sleeper” team to take a quarterback in this draft.

While it seems odd to entertain this notion, who knows what the Joneses are thinking? Maybe the delay in negotiations is because the Cowboys want to see how the first round plays out. If Nix or Penix Jr. is high on their board and they are there at 24, they could see this as a big opportunity. Drafting one of these top quarterbacks with a new rookie deal costing roughly just $4 million annually frees up a lot of cap space for future seasons.

A move like this would be insane and turn Cowboys Nation upside down. It would take an unwavering belief in this new quarterback. An investment like this would mark the changing of the guard at the QB position and cause conversations with Prescott’s representation that would likely lead to Dak waiving his no-trade clause so he could work a new deal with another team. Prescott would still get his money and the Cowboys could acquire decent draft compensation in return.

This would mean Dak is no more and the Cowboys would be moving on with a new signal caller. Dallas might also hedge their bets a bit by re-signing Trey Lance to a short-term deal to increase their chances of hitting on one of these young quarterbacks. This scenario does not seem that likely to occur, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility, especially from an organization that has been known to do some crazy stuff.