Scenario 5: Stockpiling Late
The final scenario is one in which the Dallas Cowboys don’t find a player on their board at 28, 60 or 92 that they are head over heels for. So, they trade it away, and grab some picks later in the draft. Their first-round selection could net them a third-, fourth- and fifth-round pick. The second-rounder could get them a late third and a few picks in the fifth round or later. Their third-round selection could net them a nice haul of late-round compensatory picks.
With all those late picks, the Cowboys could find themselves several future starters, or even late-round gems. For example, in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Dallas took Anthony Brown and started his rookie year. Now he figures to be one of the key components in the Cowboys secondary in the 2017 season. Late-round picks can be very valuable if used correctly.
My personal favorite of the later round players is Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo. He’s tall and has good speed, and is excellent at high-pointing the football.
Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-Round Projections
The tricky part of this scenario is simply finding trade partners. With such a deep draft, it may be hard to find teams that are willing to part with picks to move up and get a similar caliber of player.