The Dallas Cowboys moved up one spot from No. 12 to 11 by trading with the Miami Dolphins to secure the Ohio State Buckeyes safety, Caleb Downs. But the trade wasn't as simple as it looked.

The Cowboys had tried to negotiate a deal with the Cleveland Browns to trade up and secure Caleb Downs at No. 9, according to the ESPN documentary 'The Pick Is In.'

Dallas planned to offer the Browns picks Nos. 12 and 20 plus a fifth-rounder in exchange for Nos. 9 and 24.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones called the Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, asking if Cleveland was considering trading their No.6.

"We wouldn't do the swap of the first round," Berry told Jones, declining the offer even with an added fifth-round sweetener.

The Browns then dealt No. 6 to the Kansas City Chiefs and dropped to No. 9, where they selected Utah OT Spencer Fano.

Cleveland's reasoning was simple: they wanted to draft an offensive lineman and couldn't afford to fall behind the New York Giants.

And that was something even Dallas was equally eager to avoid. However, after the Browns declined and the Giants passed on Downs at No. 10, the Cowboys traded up to land him. 

In addition to Downs, the Cowboys also traded down with a division rival from No. 20 to secure Malachi Lawrence.

Behind the Scenes of Cowboys’ Trade for Lawrence

The Dallas Cowboys traded down from No. 20 to No. 23 in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, acquiring two fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 137), while the Eagles moved up to select Makai Lemon - a target also linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as per ESPN’s The Pick Is In.

The disappointment on the Steelers' side was quite evident, as Lemon was on the phone with the Steelers GM Omar Khan before the Cowboys-Eagles trade came through 

Art Rooney II, the owner of the Steelers, has expressed "no hard feelings" toward Jerry Jones and Dallas, as these things happen in every draft.

Though Jones indirectly helped their rival secure a pick, the trade down with the Eagles helped bring in Malachi Lawrence, meeting their defensive needs.

What are your thoughts on these behind the scenes? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore