Jones unwilling to take out a mortgage for a draft pick
By RANDY GALLOWAY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Increasingly popular national opinion cites Jerry Jones as the
[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]NFL[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] owner most likely to Hog headlines and TV time on the league's holy days, otherwise known as the April draft.
A majority of the household-name media analysts, including Peter, Mort, Jaws, Mel, etc., seem convinced Jerry's Arkansas roots will cause a huge first-round splash come Saturday, April 26.
It would be bold yet extremely costly for the Cowboys to pig out on Darren McFadden, the running back who, the same as Jones, played and schooled in the village of Fayetteville.
Let's see here:
Jerry has never exactly been opposed to boldness, spending big, being a media magnet or the state of Arkansas. And he needs a running back.
Meanwhile, McFadden is being hailed as the second coming of
[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Adrian [/FONT][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Peterson[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], and a sure top-five choice in the first round.
What will the Cowboys do?
Best guess: Not go hog wild, but hog mild, and eventually settle on Felix Jones, the backup for McFadden at Arkansas.
Why? Because I listened to what Jones had to say on this subject, and believed him. Believed him because Jerry has been consistent in recent years on how he spends his
[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]football[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] money.
"I have no intent at all of moving into the top five," Jones said, while also stressing this was not a comment on McFadden's talent, but a fear factor of paying any rookie today's top-five going rate.
"A team can get crippled, and I mean seriously crippled, from a financial standpoint by being up there in the top five or six. It's a real negative.
"Nobody wants in there, and the teams in there, they want out. This is a very tough draft anyway when it comes to evaluating the talent, and then trying to match up that with the millions it takes to operate at the top of the draft."
The irony here is the trade with Cleveland on draft day a year ago was supposedly made with the hope it would bring a top five pick this time. And, yes, McFadden would be the target.
"Outside of a highly rated quarterback, there is no other position I'd pay what it takes today to be up there," answered Jones.
That seems to shoot down the speculation of last April, which makes that Cleveland trade even more confusing.
But a personal disclaimer:
This is draft season in the NFL. Whatever you hear from any team may not be the truth. Actually, it probably won't be the truth.
A long-ago quote from Big Nellie on the NBA Draft is still the best B.S. detector: "This time of year, if my lips are moving, I'm lying to you."
But Jones is no different from any other owner in the league when it comes to immense worrying about the cost of doing business at the top of the draft.
The first pick these days expects $30 million, guaranteed. To be in the top five can cost a team between $20 million and $30 million. All this for rookies.
"There is a real problem in our league with this," Jerry said. "I don't want to go there."
Plus, by traditional standards, the Cowboys also could not use their 22nd and 28th picks to advance into the top five, even if they desired to do so. It would cost more than that.
It's a trade-up for April that on paper doesn't make sense, no matter Arkansas roots, or McFadden's talent. Then again, based on what was seen from Adrian Peterson in his rookie season, hindsight tells us there is no team in the NFL, including the Cowboys, who wouldn't pay seventh-pick money to now have him.
Forget Vegas. The high-stakes gambling Mecca of the world is currently the top 10 picks in an NFL Draft. The rookie crapshoot makes even billionaire owners sweat.
I asked Jones, if McFadden started sliding on draft day, at what point would the Cowboys become interested. Jerry hesitated. Finally, I said, "How about out of the top 10, and he's there at 11?"
"You would be safe with that assumption," he replied.
The word from Valley Ranch is running back, cornerback and offensive line are the depth positions in this draft. The first two, of course, have high first-round interest for the Cowboys.
Based on the work of his scouting department, Jones said the depth at running back is the best of any draft since he's been an owner, going back to 1989.
"We need a running back to go with [Marion] Barber, but with the high regard we have for him, combined with what's available in this draft, it makes no sense to me to be going up there to the top of the draft," Jones said. "I think we can find what we need where we are."
With under a month to go before the draft, Jerry is still considered by national media voices as the guy most likely to take the top-five plunge for McFadden. But Jones, with lips moving, says otherwise.
Believe at your own risk, but, OK, I do.
Randy Galloway can be heard on Galloway & Co. weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
