So soon it will be time for the 2026 draft and the Cowboys are in a good spot for some choice draft picks, you know, like the Dak Prescott or George Pickens ones. And fortunately for those two fellas, they've turned out to be diamond-in-the-rough  playmakers. And the best part of those choices proved statistically outstanding. What do I mean?

According to the Jimmy Johnson Draft Trade Value Chart (DTVC) where a lower score is actually better, Dak and Pickens scored whoppingly low numbers (38.5 and 380 points respectively) totaling a measly 418.5 points out of a staggering 18,535 total points for the Cowboy's 2025-2026 season. The difference is remarkable. At nearly double the league average of around 10,000 points of draft capital, it blows the doors off of most other top NFL teams. For example, a Day 1, 1st Round pick (Jadeveon Clowney) was worth 3000 points. That is called an "Elite Pedigree" draft pick, yielding only moderate on-field production. Yet Dak was a 4th Round 135th pick and Pickens was a 2nd Round 52nd pick but with extremely high on-field production comparatively.

The question is whether the Cowboys should just let the bucks fly and jump "all in" tossing reason to the wind, or perhaps take a step back, look at their team "as is" and go from there. There's certainly nothing wrong with taking time to assess the standings as they are today. The mindset of hyperventilating for a first round pick is good for a team that's really struggling, but not for one that's been struggling for almost 30 years. The Cowboys have immense talent and big wallets to back it up. The problem is choosing high caliber players and then not getting the same caliber results. 

What if by using the DTVC chart as a guide and perhaps letting go of some high value targets being a somewhat wiser choice? For example, say that a trade for 'Mad Maxx' from the Raiders would cost the Cowboys a few spots on the draft - to like number 20 and 21 in the first round instead of a much lower number. It could turn out to be a smart move - not only for the $$ but also the strategy involved. Don't forget, Dak was a fourth round high number pick in 2016 and only cost the Cowboys 38.5 points on the DTVC chart. Following the same trajectory, it might behoove the Cowboys to relax the  seemingly dogmatic first and even second round pics for more say, less "glitzy" draft choices. In that case it would seem better to simply "stand still" as it were and play the draft for Best Available Athletes or as as Mike Fisher puts it "BAA"s

'Drafting and Developing' young players is a tried and true option and one that sometimes yields fantastic results - think Troy Aikman. But that's not always how the front office thinks - after all, the Jerry & Co. machine lives on media headlines and haven't shown a different tilt in their attitude for almost 30 years.

So, will they go "all in" and Jump, or will they take a breath and Stand Still? .. I guess we'll see in April...

The rock band Van Halen put it like this: (from the song 'Jump')

"I get up, and nothin' gets me down

You got it tough,  I've seen the toughest around

And I know, baby, just how you feel

You got to roll with the punches and get to what's real   

Ah, can't you see me standin' here

I got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen 

Ah, can't you see what I mean?

Ah, might as well jump

(Jump)

Might as well jump

Go ahead an' jump (jump)

Go ahead and jump"...