Jerry Jones silenced critics of the Cowboys' trade with the Eagles in the first draft round. Jones turned one pick into three prospects while navigating a rare deal with a division rival.

The Cowboys traded down to No. 23 with the Philadelphia Eagles, drafting Malachi Lawrence and two fourth-round picks (Nos. 114 and 137). During the post-draft conference on Day 3, Cowboys GM Jerry Jones was asked about what made them trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round.

Jones said, “If I eliminated (trading with) all the teams that I wanted to beat their a**, you wouldn’t have anybody left to trade with.”

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News asked whether such trade with their division rival created any philosophical tension, and Jerry Jones owed it to his son, Stephen Jones, for managing such relationships. 

Jones said, "I want to give credit to the guy sitting right next to me. He is the one doing the outstanding work of managing those relationships. It's not just picking up a phone. There's a lot more information involved - you need to know your universe real good.”

“Philadelphia has a certain edge to it. But you can always rationalize at the end of the day, I got a bigger grin out of it than they did," he added.

The Eagles used the No. 20 pick to select Makai Lemon. While the Cowboys got Lawrence, along with Cornerback Devin Moore (No. 114) and defensive end LT Overton (No. 137). Basically, Jones turned one pick into three defense prospects.

Lawrence became the fifth first-round pick in the UCF Knights’ program history and the only player selected by the Cowboys in the first round from the Knights.

Malachi Lawrence Strengthens Cowboys’ Defense

Having played at both the tight end and linebacker positions at school and converted to defensive end during college, Lawrence is well-suited to fit in with defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s 3-4 defensive front.

Lawrence brings elite-level pass rushing and athletic ability to the Dallas Cowboys defense as an outside linebacker.

According to Todd Brock of the Cowboys Wire, Lawrence earned a relative athletic score of 9.94 for 10, completing above the 97th percentile and 99th percentile in explosiveness and edge rusher speed grades, respectively.

The Cowboys received a No. 20 pick from trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in 2025. With Lawrence's position as a linebacker, he is suited to fill the gap Parsons left.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Rudra Dubey