2010 NFL Draft: Format's Effect on Dallas Cowboys

If you have not yet heard, the NFL has changed the format for the 2010 NFL draft.  Gone are the days when you could wake up on Saturday morning and nearly immediately check out the picks.

Instead, the draft will take place over three days with the first on a Thursday night (April 22).  The first round will take place then, the next two on Friday, and the last four on Saturday.

As you might expect, this significantly alters teams’ draft preparations.  At the conclusion of the first round, all 32 teams will have an entire night to re-examine their draft boards.  In effect, it will be like an entirely new draft.

The team with the initial selection in the second round, the St. Louis Rams, holds the advantage of being able to shop that selection all night.  The same holds true for a handful of teams who select just after the onset of that round.

Thus, expect more trades—a lot more trades.

As is the case in multiple aspects of football, adaptability will be the key to success.  Which teams will analyze their boards and effectively re-examine their goals, and which will fail to use the extra time wisely?

For the Cowboys, the new format should equate to a lot of draft day movement, perhaps even more than usual.  With a late second-rounder and hours to discuss trade scenarios with teams, the likelihood of the Cowboys moving up in the round is greatly increased.

Another trade scenario that becomes more probable is Dallas moving out of the first round altogether. This would surely upset fans, but it might be a smart move.  Sliding back from the 27th overall pick to, say, the 35th would land the team approximately a late-third round selection, according to the NFL draft value chart.

That early second-rounder could come in handy during the 16 or so hours between rounds one and two.  Perhaps the Cowboys could utilize all that time to find a team desperate to move up, maybe for a player like Florida’s Tim Tebow or Texas QB Colt McCoy.  If not, they may still be able to score the player they wanted at pick No. 35 while also acquiring an extra third round selection.

Dallas could also implement their newly-acquired third round selection to move up from pick No 59 to around No. 46.

Would you rather have the 27th and 59th overall selections or the 35th and 46th?  The answer to that question is debatable, but the 35th selection allows the Cowboys time to re-evaluate their board overnight and adjust accordingly.  If they believe they can still land the player they covet most after a move from the first round to the second, then the deal make sense.

What are your thoughts on the new draft format?  Will it make for more excitement?  Will there be more trades?

For more Cowboys draft info, visit DallasCowboysTimes.com .