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Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Cowboys Could Trade Down To Draft Paxton Lynch

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 08:15 PST, Apr 8, 2016

With the 2016 NFL draft only a few weeks away, rumors are swirling around the Dallas Cowboys and what they are going to do with the No. 4 overall pick. Coming off of a disappointing 4-12 season, the Cowboys are looking to bounce back from their last place finish in the mediocre NFC East. While quarterback Tony Romo is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2016 season, some analysts believe that the Cowboys could trade down in the first round in order to draft Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Cowboys have been linked to numerous college players including North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz, California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff, and Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott. While all of those players remain possibilities for the Cowboys, the team clearly has other needs. Elliott is expected to be one of the best running back prospects since Adrian Pederson, but pick No. 4 may be too early to draft him.

With the Cleveland Browns still expected to draft Wentz or Goff, the Cowboys should have the option to draft one of them. While both quarterbacks have a ton of NFL potential, neither of them are viewed as sure things. Since the Cowboys are unlikely to hold such a high draft pick in the coming years, they have to maximize its potential this year. While players such as Joey Bosa may be available for the Cowboys, the team could find more value in trading down.

As The Dallas Morning News reports, the Cowboys are looking for more picks.

“I think that’s their best-case scenario actually. If (Jalen) Ramsey’s not there, they want the phone to ring. They’re hoping someone calls. They’re hoping San Francisco calls for a quarterback, they’re hoping Saint Louis calls for a quarterback and if someone like Joey Bosa’s on the board you could have the Ravens, you could have a bunch of teams. They’re hoping the phone rings because they want more picks.”

While Romo is set to turn 36-years-old in a few weeks, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that he still has a few years left of football. If the Cowboys really want a quarterback in the first round, it would not make sense using the No. 4 overall pick on a guy who will not even get a chance to play for four or five years. While Lynch is viewed in a tier below Goff and Wentz, his superb physical tools make him an interesting prospect.

As NFL.com notes, the Cowboys could also trade up into the later part of the first round to have a chance at drafting Lynch.

“If they don’t want to pull the trigger on a (Carson) Wentz or a (Jared) Goff at Nos. 3 and 4, now you come back around in the second round. Would either of them trade up into the first round to try and get that fifth year of a contract, and develop this young man in a perfect situation behind either a (Philip) Rivers or a (Tony) Romo?”

Regardless of Jones’ opinion regarding Romo’s future, the team needs to start developing a young quarterback. While Romo is a great player when healthy, injuries are starting to pile up. Since Lynch will not cost the Cowboys the No. 4 overall pick, he might be the perfect fit for what Jones and the rest of the Cowboys’ organization are attempting to do.

Since Lynch has been rumored to go as high as pick No. 8 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys would have a better chance of trading down towards the middle of the first round to still have a shot at him. While the Eagles have been rumored to be interested in Lynch, the biggest threat to the Cowboys appears to be the Los Angeles Rams at pick No. 15. Since the Rams do not have a franchise quarterback, many analysts believe they are targeting Lynch.

With Romo’s health uncertain and no young quarterbacks on the roster, rumors will continue to link the Dallas Cowboys to Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch. If the Cowboys do land Lynch in the draft, expect it to happen after they trade down in the first round.

[Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images]

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