While the Dallas Cowboys are largely anticipated to select a wide receiver with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there’s a well-known possibility that the front office might consider trading in the first round. This would involve moving down the draft order rather than up.

It’s understood that the Cowboys’ management highly values their draft picks, and moving up from the 12th spot would require parting with crucial assets. However, what if they could regain the fourth-round pick—potentially even better compensation depending on the trade down—that they surrendered for WR Jonathan Mingo the previous year?

They executed a similar strategy in 2024 by acquiring a third-round pick when they traded down from the 24th to the 29th spot. I firmly believe they would contemplate a similar move this year. The main issue, though, is determining how far they’re willing to trade down in a draft class where first-round grades seem fewer than in past years.

Cowboys VP of player personnel, Will McClay, might have hinted at the range they could consider moving down to. “We haven’t settled on a specific number yet, but typically each year it’s somewhere around 15-18,” McClay mentioned. “We’ll see how it pans out this year.” This marks the first time the Cowboys will be selecting within the Top 15 of the Draft since 2021 when they traded back and selected Micah Parsons. If they have 15-18 players rated as first-round talents, they would likely prefer to remain within the Top 20 picks, possibly going to 21 if the Steelers are interested in moving up for a quarterback, as rumors suggest. Anything beyond that would probably be a range where they’d opt to stay at 12 and make their selection.

Of course, every NFL team has its unique draft board, and it’s quite probable the Cowboys assign a first-round grade to players that other teams might not consider on Day 1. That’s the intrigue of the Draft—it’s subjective and far from an exact science. Despite this, it’s probable that the Cowboys feel confident about selecting an impactful player on Thursday. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked about this during Tuesday’s press conference, and he responded succinctly with, “Yes. Period.”

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) celebrates a play during the first half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, October 12, 2024.