Three Dallas Cowboys-centric takeaways from our “mock trade battle” following the latest NFL trade that shook up the Top 10 picks under one week away from the draft.

Draft week is upon us and to celebrate, I took on the Dallas Cowboys’ GM responsibilities in a recent group mock draft where a handful of us at A to Z Sports gamed out what the first round could look like after the latest blockbuster NFL trade. Now that the New York Giants have two Top 10 picks after dealing DT Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, we wondered how teams could move in the top of the first round. For the Cowboys, who could be concerned about the Giants sharing similar interests on defensive prospects, there’s even more urgency to move up. Below is the Cowboys’ mock but most importantly, my biggest takeaways from the group thought exercise.

Going in with a strategy to trade up, I had the Cowboys moving up to No. 4 overall from the Tennessee Titans. The details:

Titans get: No. 12 overall, No. 20 overall, 2027 second round pick

Cowboys get: No. 4 overall, No. 66 overall (third round)

At No. 4, I had the Cowboys taking LB Sonny Styles out of Ohio State. He’s one of the few blue-chip defenders in this year’s class and he would fill the team’s biggest roster hole ahead of the season. Again, this isn’t a new scenario at all so I won’t spend too much time on it. Instead, I want to dive into key takeaways that could better explain what the Cowboys’ strategy could look like next Thursday.

Representing the Giants in our mock draft was Joe DeLeone, who hosts our A to Z Sports G Men channel. While part of my efforts to move up to No. 4 were all about securing Styles and keeping him away from John Harbaugh’s squad, DeLeone thinks he wouldn’t be the pick at No. 5. “I personally think that any love for Sonny Styles at this current moment is probably being done to dupe the Cowboys into wanting to move up and throw a bunch of picks on the table, because I don't think it makes sense,” DeLeone argued. “You just brought in Tremaine Edmunds, who's 6’5. I just don't like the idea of having two 6’5 inside linebackers.”If Joe is right, the Cowboys would be smart to wait until pulling the trigger on a trade (more on that later).

What I liked about my mock trade with the Titans: getting pick No. 66 in return. What I absolutely hated about the deal: losing a 2027 second-round pick. As we get closer and closer to the draft, it’s clear if Dallas wants to move up into the Top 5, it will have to do something it isn’t comfortable doing. I don’t see the Arizona Cardinals nor the Titans taking a steep discount. Maybe there’s a player the Cowboys view as worthy of trading it all for. We’ll find out.

Combine takeaways 1 and 2. The biggest implication? The Browns at No. 6 overall, who are widely expected to move down on draft night, remain the best partner for the Cowboys.Dallas could make it to where they also land pick No. 39. With some sugar on top, that means the Cowboys could end up picking in the first, second, and third rounds. I bet that’s the scenario Jerry Jones and Co. really like. Under one week away from the draft, that’s where my money is.