After months of scouting, mock drafts, and rumors, the NFL Draft is finally upon us.
The first round of the draft will be held on Thursday night in Detroit, Michigan, and with it, the shape of the 2024 NFL season will begin to form.
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While there’s plenty of time before the action starts on the field, that doesn’t stop rivals from playing off of each other on draft night.
According to NFL Network’s Jane Slater, the Dallas Cowboys are a bit concerned that Texas running back Jonathan Brooks might get scooped up right before the Cowboys can take him in the second round with the 56th overall pick.
The potential scooper that the Cowboys are worried about? The Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the 53rd overall pick.
As Slater explains, the Cowboys will likely have to react to how the first round is going before they decide how to play their hand with Pick No. 24.
If the right lineman is there for the taking, they could move up to grab him. If not, they could move back, and ideally, pick up a pick that comes before the Eagles at 53 to get to Brooks first.
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The Cowboys might be right to be concerned, as Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has done his fair share of draft day scooping. At the 2021 NFL Draft, the Eagles traded with the Cowboys to move up to the 10th overall pick and select Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who was widely expected to be taken by the New York Giants at No. 11.
The move left the Giants without a play, and they ultimately traded out of the spot with the Bears, moving from No. 11 to No. 20 where they would select Kadarius Toney. In the three seasons since then, Smith has 240 receptions, 3,178 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns for the Birds, while Toney spent just two seasons with the Giants, amassing 41 receptions before getting shipped off to Kansas City.
In the scenario described by Slater, the Eagles wouldn’t even have to jump in the draft to get Brooks before the Cowboys. Instead, it will likely come down to what’s happening elsewhere in the draft, and if the Cowboys decide to move back to a pick somewhere in the 40s to get in front of Philly.
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It also remains to be seen if the Eagles would want to spend that much draft capital on a running back. Brooks is an easy talent to fall in love with, but Philadelphia just paid top dollar to sign former Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who will be leading the rushing attack in the City of Brotherly Love.
Still, in the modern NFL, you can’t have enough quality running backs, and if picking one up comes with the added bonus of frustrating a division rival, that could be a tough opportunity to pass up.
