DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys possess the No. 24 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, which kicks off April 28 in Las Vegas.
With the Cowboys on target to take a guard or receiver at No. 24, there also exists the possibility Dallas trades back from their original position to a deeper point in the draft to maximize the value for their selection.
The Cowboys at No. 24 also places them near the end of Round 1, which means a trade down club could leave them without a day one selection altogether.
One advantage to having a first-round pick is the fifth-year option that is included in rookie contracts. Standard rookie contracts last four years, but the first-rounders have a fifth-year option that allows teams more negotiating time to make a decision on a contract extension.
For Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones, the fifth-year option is one reason why the Cowboys may want to stay around in Round 1.
"I think [staying in the first round] is especially [important] because what you want to do is sign players to that second contract," Jones told reporters Tuesday. "When you have a fifth-year option, that helps with your negotiation versus you’re going to be dealing with somebody who is going to be totally free."
A good example is quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys picked the eventual Pro Bowl quarterback in the fourth round, which meant he was ineligible for a fifth-year option. As Dallas entered the final year of Prescott's contract in 2019, the club was compelled to use the franchise tag in 2020 to buy more negotiating time rather than use a cheaper fifth-year option.
"I know I’ve heard people say it time and time again on quarterbacks," said Jones. "If you’re going to pick a quarterback top of the second, bottom of the first, you’d like to have that extra year. Those things are important. That certainly plays into it."
The Cowboys did not have a first-rounder in 2019 as they dealt away their top pick to the Oakland Raiders for receiver Amari Cooper. The result was Dallas' initial pick in that year's draft was defensive tackle Trysten Hill, who also won't be eligible for a fifth-year option. The last time Dallas picked in the thirties overall was in 2013 when they selected center Travis Frederick at No. 31, and the fifth-year option was included.
"Certainly, it’s something that the teams look at, and we look at from a salary cap standpoint," Jones said. "All of that gets mixed in, in terms of when you’re putting the full body of work into a decision. That’s certainly a part of it.”
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