NFL insider's report adds another weird layer to Dallas Cowboys' controversial draft decision

During the 2024 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys felt the downside of having traded away a fourth-round draft pick for quarterback Trey Lance in last year's preseason. 

Faced with the task of having to find a young running back in the middle rounds, the fourth-round could've been the sweet spot to do so. But when it was time to make the 124th overall pick, it was the San Francisco 49ers on the clock and not them. 

Moving on from that fourth-round pick for Lance has a lot of weird layers, including the timing in which it happened (weeks away from the regular season) and Dak Prescott's status with the team.

But NFL insider Jeremy Fowler from ESPN added yet another layer of weirdness to the controversial trade, as he reported the Cowboys showed pre-draft love to a couple of players that could've been fourth-round targets but that weren't on the board when it would've been their time to pick:

Dallas had shown enough pre-draft love to MarShawn Lloyd that the USC tailback (who went to Green Bay at No. 88) thought the Cowboys would be one of the possible teams to draft him.

The Cowboys also really liked Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright, who went No. 120 overall (the 20th pick of the fourth round) to Miami. If the Cowboys had a fourth-rounder and Wright were still available, chances are they would have jumped on him.

- Fowler, ESPN

Obviously, the Cowboys walked away from the draft with no running back additions and instead . But Fowler's insight hints at the fact that A) they would've been left empty handed at 124th had they actually targeted one of those two running backs then and B) Perhaps Dallas would've moved up in the order to secure one of these two? 

With a a high number of 2025 comp picks coming their way after a brutal free agency period, it sure sounds like it could've been the case. 

Overall, it's still tough to understand how to feel about the Cowboys acquiring Lance. At the end of the guy, there's no denying the talent is there. But after declining his fifth-year option, one training camp is essentially all the franchise will have to figure out if there's something there or not. But then again, the Cowboys should still be much more worried about extending Dak Prescott anyways.