The NFL draft begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, and ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said he could see the Dallas Cowboys drafting a wide receiver and trading George Pickens.
Orlovsky’s analysis stems from comments by Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, who announced Wednesday that the team would not sign Pickens to a long-term contract and instead have him play on the franchise tag for the upcoming season.
Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback, said that was the beginning of the end for Pickens in Dallas.
“Stephen Jones’ one comment is everything,” Orlovsky said. “He literally just said, well, let’s start with the fact that it’s hard to pay two receivers top of the market. In 2027 CeeDee Lamb is scheduled to make $46.2 million. They’re not paying both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens top of the market, Stephen Jones just said it.”
Orlovsky listed what he thought would be a good return the Cowboys could expect if they traded Pickens and who could replace him.
“My thought going into tonight with the draft is if Jordan Tyson, the receiver out of Arizona State, or Carnell Tate, the receiver out of Ohio State, fall to No. 12, even though the Cowboys need defensive players, they’re gonna take one of those receivers, and then the shopping for George Pickens starts,” Orlovsky said. “He was traded for a third [round] pick. If the Cowboys get a second-round pick ... and they draft a receiver tonight, that’s a good job by their front office.”
The Cowboys have the No. 12 and No. 20 selections in the first round of the draft, and while many pundits expect the team to go defense first, could the lack of a long-term deal with Pickens lead to an offensive selection with the team’s top pick?
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Lawrence Dow is a digital sports reporter from Philadelphia. He graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from USC. He’s passionate about movies and is always looking for a great book. He covers the Texas Rangers and other sports.
