Dallas eyes a blockbuster draft move. With a clear defensive target in mind, insiders suggest the Cowboys are poised to trade up for a game-changing talent.
FRISCO - We are now being bombarded by national media people connecting the Dallas Cowboys to an assortment of "reports'' about what they "could'' do in this NFL Draft.
And swallowed with a pound of salt, I get it: Yes, the Cowboys "could'' trade up from slot No. 12 in Round 1 for almost anybody except Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.
Wait, I take that back; there remain enough days to go before the draft for "Cowboys Could Trade Up For Mendoza'' to be somebody's bogus headline, too.
But based on the Cowboys info that I've collected?
There is one player who has separated himself from his positional peers to be a most worthy target.
And based on the comments of respected colleague Ian Rapoport, there is a legit chance that Dallas is the one team prepped to pull off a blockbuster.
On a recent edition of "The Insiders'' on NFL Network, Rapoport discussed the idea of trading up in the draft and pondered which NFL team is most likely to do so.
Rapoport was quite thoughtful in his answer, careful to specify that his response isn't about "clickbait'' but rather about his sincere and educated opinion.
“This is not clickbait,'' he said. "This is not so everybody will click on this and go, 'Wait, what?!' But the Cowboys are my team most likely to trade up. Again. This is not for clickbait.
"This is real.”
I will note here: Ian has a gigantic social media following and earns a handsome salary with his employer. He doesn't need "clickbait.''
He added, “I expect (Dallas) to be at least in the mix potentially for coming up for a pass rusher or other top defensive player.”
"Rap Sheet'' added, “The Cowboys right now are sitting at 12. So you look at the landscape there. You have several teams who would potentially be open to moving back. Might the Cowboys jump up a little bit to get a key defensive piece in an offseason when it has all about fixing that defense?''
In short, I'm going to say that the odds favor the Cowboys as being that team.
Rapoport tossed out a handful of names, but I continue to focus on one. Dallas has great affection for the Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and could certainly use a top-notch pass-rusher.
But the name that's created a buzz here inside The Star is that of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
And why? Among the biggest reasons, as I understand it: There are a bunch of quality EDGE guys. There are a bunch of quality corners. There are even other first-round safeties.
But this needy Cowboys defense as of today is saddled with a gaping hole at linebacker and in terms of talent and promise, there is a chasm between the other good linebackers and Styles.
So Ian is onto something when he puts his bet on Dallas being the move-up team.
And I'm going to stick with my "something'' in the belief that Styles would be the most justifiable trade-up target.