National Football League

2025 NFL Draft order: What should Cowboys do if they land the No. 1 pick?

Updated Nov. 21, 2024 1:36 p.m. ET

It's that time of year, folks.

If you're a fan of a team that finds itself toiling at the bottom of the NFL standings, thinking about next season before Thanksgiving, your mind is already on the draft. So, each week, through the end of the NFL regular season, FOX Sports will be making the case for what a given struggling team should do if they land the No. 1 overall pick.

This past weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars maintained their slight edge for the top overall selection, as they were clobbered 52-6 by the Detroit Lions on the road — the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. Every other team currently slated to pick in the top 10 either lost or had their bye week except for the New Orleans Saints, who cruised past the Cleveland Browns.

Here's what the top 10 in the draft order looks like through Week 11:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
2. Tennessee Titans (2-8)
3. Cleveland Browns (2-8)
4. New York Giants (2-8)
5. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8)
6. New England Patriots (3-8)
7. New York Jets (3-8)
8. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
9. Dallas Cowboys (3-7)
10. New Orleans Saints (4-7)

As we track the race for the No. 1 pick, we'll spotlight a new team each week until the order is set and debate what they should do with the selection. We begin with the Cowboys, whose chances to land the top spot seem more realistic by the week.

Tied for the NFL's second-longest losing streak at five games, Dallas is barreling toward its first losing season since 2020 with quarterback Dak Prescott on season-ending injured reserve. The Cowboys are 0-5 at home this season, with three of those losses coming by at least 24 points. It's been a humiliating year for America's Team.

Here's what writers Ben Arthur and Henry McKenna believe the Cowboys should do if they get the No. 1 pick.

Arthur: Shedeur Sanders (with Deion Sanders as coach) is fun to talk about, but it's not realistic. Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million extension less than three months ago. The financial maneuvering that would have to take place for this to even be a possibility should be a turn-off in itself.

More palpable for Dallas at the top of the draft? Trading down … for Boise State's Ashton Jeanty!

Most league observers would be adamantly against taking a running back so high — even one as dominant as Jeanty — but the play of the Ravens' Derrick Henry, Eagles' Saquon Barkley and Texans' Joe Mixon this season and their impact of winning after changing teams has re-emphasized the importance of the position league-wide, which is probably all the convincing Jerry Jones would need to go all-in on a first-round running back again.

Of course, the Cowboys have had prime Ezekiel Elliott (No. 4 overall pick in 2016) and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith (17th overall pick in 1990) in Jones' tenure as owner. And running back is already one of Dallas' biggest needs. Rico Dowdle, the Cowboys' lead back this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

To get Jeanty, the Cowboys obviously wouldn't use the No. 1 pick on him. But they probably can't trade down out of the top 10 to get the Boise State star, who leads the FBS in rushing attempts (256), rushing yards (1,893), rushing touchdowns (26), scrimmage touches (273) and scrimmage touchdowns (27).

With that said, they should still be able to get the draft capital they need to build their roster back up by trading out of No. 1. Considering it's very possible that players like Micah Parsons (trade candidate) and DeMarcus Lawrence (free agency), the Cowboys will need all the picks that they can collect.

McKenna: Ben is already getting into what will be the common refrain for the No. 1 spot — the top team should explore moving down. Of the past 10 picks at No. 1, eight have been quarterbacks. And yet, half of the contenders (to finish last in the NFL) don't need a quarterback. That includes Dallas. The Cowboys aren't trading Dak Prescott.

The other common refrain you'll hear is that the 2025 quarterbacks aren't transcendent. I'd be willing to bet Drake Maye would be the top pick in this draft. That should tell you something about QBs Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe.

Given that teams might not want to move up for any of those QBs, I'm going to keep the Cowboys where they are. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the top player.

I know I'm making this draft class sound like a real bummer. But stick with me.

Colorado receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter is the hottest prospect, largely because he's playing two positions at a high level and he's coached by Deion Sanders. Given the awful play from the Cowboys' run defense, Michigan DT Mason Graham makes a ton of sense for the Cowboys, even if they took Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 draft. (He's been awful.) But, again, we've seen eight QBs and two edge players go atop the past ten drafts.

So, let's get Dallas an edge player to stand opposite Micah Parsons. I'm taking Penn State's Abdul Carter. He's another versatile front-seven defender with excellent success rushing the passer. The Cowboys can more directly address their run defense and run offense later in the draft. For now, they play it safe and take a premium player at a premium position with their premium pick.

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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