Jerry Jones will make the Dallas Cowboys’ pick alone from home, but who will it be?
Jerry Jones is ready to make the Dallas Cowboys’ draft pick alone at home Thursday night, but who will it be?
It appears that one mystery regarding the 2020 NFL draft has been resolved and some seemingly preposterous fears around the league about the Dallas Cowboys having an advantage in the virtual draft due to stay at home orders surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and his son, vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones, will adhere to the same rules as everyone else and draft virtually from their own homes, even if they are only a few miles apart in Highland Park.
That means that the elder Jones won’t have his son there to talk him out of ill-advised selections, as happened in 2014 when the son talked the dad out of taking Texas A&M Heisman Trophy recipient Johnny Manziel and instead wisely picked Notre Dame guard Zack Martin with the 16th pick in the first round.
Martin has been named an All-Pro six consecutive seasons, and will eventually be heading to Canton. Manziel, picked by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd selection, was released after his second season and hasn’t suited up for an NFL team since.
“One of the things I’m not going to miss is when I came out of those draft rooms over the weekend, my old shins used to have big old bruises on them,” Jerry Jones joked recently. “That was from Stephen kicking me under the table for three straight days relative to some of our decision-making. I think I’m going to kind of miss that physical punching that goes on as we’re conducting this draft.”
In truth, the Cowboys generally make their pick after consulting with all the decision makers in the room, including both Joneses and scouting director Will McClay. New head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff will be added to the mix this year.
“I think we can be very efficient and very effective in terms of communicating with one another, whether it’s Jerry with Will, Mike and myself all in one room or one meeting room or meeting with one of us on the phone, we have our lines to one another,” Stephen Jones said. “I think everybody can have their opinion ... At the end how it always works is Jerry will put all of that into his computer and he ultimately makes the final call.”
Stephen Jones said 99 percent of the time there is a consensus on who should be picked. If there is a dissent, then Jerry Jones will come in and be the final arbiter.
“But we’re working really hard, trying to build a consensus not only with our overall board, but ultimately getting to a point where we’ll have a consensus when it’s either our time to make a trade, move back or move up or pick a player,” Stephen Jones said.
So what are the Cowboys going to do with the 17th overall pick on Thursday night?
The team believes it has done a good job filling needs in free agency so they can take the best player available, but there is no question that a potential No. 1 cornerback like Florida’s C.J. Henderson is at the top of their wish list.
But is cornerback their biggest need? It depends on who’s left on the board and what may be offered terms of a trade.
“Show me the draft board, show me where we are, show me what we’re doing at that particular time,” Jerry Jones quipped. “Show me what you’re offering for that pick and if there’s a corner there, I’ll show how big a must it is. The point is: The only way to answer that is hindsight.”
Outside of Henderson, the Cowboys could take LSU defensive end K’lavon Chaisson, but they may have to move up on the draft to get either player. And if neither are available, they may opt to move to down in the first round and collect an additional pick.
Other players on the Cowboys’ radar in the first round include Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy, Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs, LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton, Alabama safety Xavier McKinney and Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell.
Making a trade is a certain possibility and the Cowboys are comfortable they will be able to conduct it while being in different locales.
“We have the ability to figure the trades and share that with each other as we’re on the clock,” Jerry Jones said. “That’s very doable. And the communication between us in the draft room is excellent. We have the ability to communicate. I have a direct line with Mike. I have a direct line with Stephen. We have direct lines with each other. We can see what moving down entails, the risks and the players we might miss to move down, whether that’s justified to what we need. We have the ability to do all of those things.”
And then it just comes down to Jerry Jones making the final decision on his computer at home. Alone.
