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Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Unlikely to Trade Up in NFL Draft Despite Kyle Pitts Interest
April 23, 2021
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly aren't planning to trade up from the No. 10 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft despite their interest in Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Friday the Cowboys "love" Pitts but they "aren't expected to come up for him (or anyone)."
The report jives with one from Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated, who noted Tuesday the Cowboys are mostly fielding calls about potentially trading down from No. 10 rather than trying to move up.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday the pre-draft calls were "starting to pick up" and explained a lot of teams will circle back on draft night next Thursday if their preferred prospect is still on the board when Dallas is on the clock, per Fisher:
"They kind of [say], 'Hey if our guy is there we would be interested in moving up to the pick?' and may want to even want to throw out a few things like, 'What would it take?' and those types of things. So you start to get your self in a mode where you're prepared that a particular team could call if their player is there, whether it's a quarterback they're after, whether it is an offensive lineman or a defensive player, they won't divulge that usually, which shouldn't surprise you, but they do say 'Hey we've got a player or two or three that if they're there we might be willing to be aggressive and give you something to move up to that pick."
The link between the Cowboys and Pitts made sense on paper because a playmaking tight end would round out an offense featuring quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and a trio of wide receivers in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
That said, another pass-catching weapon represents more of a luxury than a necessity at this stage, especially since Dallas ranked 28th in points allowed per game last season.
Trading down in a first round that'll be dominated early by quarterbacks and wide receivers might be the best play for the Cowboys. It will give them additional assets, either later in this year's draft or next year, to help continue the process of rebuilding the defense.
Meanwhile, Pitts will be one of the first non-quarterbacks off the boards in the first round.
The 2020 Mackey Award winner recorded 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games during his final season with the Gators.
His potential landing spots start as early as the Atlanta Falcons at No. 4.