The [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/) have been a little more aggressive this year in free agency than they were a year ago. Although they added a number of free agent additions, they will still rely heavily on the 2025 [NFL Draft](https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft) to upgrade their roster.
After the trade for Jonathan Mingo, the addition of compensatory picks, and the two trades for CB Kaiir Elam and LB Kenneth Murray, the Cowboys currently hold a total of 10 draft picks in this year's draft. Having 10 selections in this year's draft sounds pretty good, but unfortunately seven of those picks are on Day 3.
Barring a trade, the Cowboys only have three picks in the top 100 (12, 44, 76) and then have to wait out the entire fourth round until they are on the clock again in the fifth round with the 149th overall pick. That puts them behind the eight ball so to speak as far as percentages go that they'll be able to hit on the majority of their selections this year.
The good news is the Cowboys current roster "needs" matchup pretty well with the depth at the positions they need to target. Because of that, there's a good chance they could find immediate starters with their three picks in the Top 100. After that though, it's a roll of the dice as far as hits and misses are concerned. And there lies the problem.
While the Cowboys have had success finding some of late-round hidden gems that have turned into starters recently (DaRon Bland, Donovan Wilson, Terence Steele), counting on that kind of continued success would be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. But, that's what they will try to do this year in rounds five through seven.
The way the roster is constructed right now, Dallas "needs" a new nickel CB to replace Jourdan Lewis, a WR to pair with CeeDee Lamb, and a nose tackle. RB can be thrown in there as well, although Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders lessens that need a little. Then there is further depth needed at linebacker, corner and along the offensive line.
Even if they hit on some of those needs in the Top 100, they will still need some Day 3 picks to come through to truly make the roster playoff-worthy. It's not unreasonable to believe they can be successful doing just that with seven draft picks to work with, however, it won't be easy and the percentages are working against them.
All in all, it's going to be really interesting to see how this plays out in April. Maybe they will be able to find a trade partner to accumulate more early-round picks. or maybe they do hit on a couple of selections on Day 3.
Should the Cowboys stay with their picks and trust Will McClay to hit on some late gems, or should they be very active in trying to trade up into the first two days? If they keep their picks, they have more shots at trying to fill out the roster. If they trade up, they have fewer darts to throw, but the pool of players will be better. What’s the call?