Getty The Cowboys rumors continue this offseason.
There may be some fire to the smoke created by the rumors that the Dallas Cowboys are exploring trading up from No. 24 in the NFL draft. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that there is some buzz that the Cowboys are targeting Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Heading into the 2021 college football season, Thibodeaux was the favorite to be the No. 1 pick, and Dallas appears to be hoping that the defender slides on draft night.
“Dallas could move up—I heard at one point last week that their radar was up for Thibodeaux potentially sliding,” Breer wrote on April 25, 2022. “But more likely would be the team sticking here, and taking either a traditional off-ball linebacker (Georgia’s Nakobe Dean?) or starting to inject some youth into their aging offensive line group. To that end, Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green is one player other teams have connected to Dallas.”
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Jones: ‘I Would Trade Up in This Draft’
Just a reminder that Kayvon Thibodeaux is going to be special, and definitely underrated #NFLDraft
Heading into the draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones teased a potential deal hinting that were a few players Dallas “really coveted” that the team would be willing to pull off a trade to move up to select. If the Cowboys are targeting Thibodeaux, Dallas may need to move into the top-five which would come with a premium asking price.
“I would trade up this draft,” Jones told reporters on April 13. “And just going in, as much as you can say about it until you see what’s there, who’s on the other line. But yeah, I would trade up since we’re down as low as we are in those first two or three rounds, if we had a chance to and somebody that we had really coveted was sitting at the bottom. [Travis] Frederick was sitting down there at the bottom and we were able to trade up and get him.”
Thibodeaux Has a Wide Range of Draft Projections
Thibodeaux with a fake long arm and dip 🔥🔥
Thibodeaux is an elite-level pass rusher notching seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 35 total tackles in 10 appearances for the Ducks last season. The edge rusher had 19 sacks during his three seasons at Oregon.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Thibodeaux as his No. 8 ranked player and sees some similarities to former No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney. Brugler also pointed out there are question marks surrounding the pass rusher, a reason he could slide a bit on draft night.
“Overall, Thibodeaux isn’t a fluid mover, and his impact runs hot-and-cold, but he understands how to create leverage as a pass rusher with his length, flexibility and hand strength,” Brugler explained in his annual NFL Draft guide. “He draws comparisons to Jadeveon Clowney with NFL teams and has the talent to develop into a high-end starter if he stays committed.”
Thibodeaux has a wide range of possible outcomes for draft night with NBC Sports’ Peter King projecting the pass rusher to fall to No. 13 in his latest mock draft. Yet, ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Texans snagging Thibodeaux with the No. 3 selection. The one thing that is almost a certainty is that the Cowboys will need to trade up from No. 24 to have a chance at landing Thibodeaux.