With a 3-5 record, four wins behind the division-leading Commanders and long shots certified to make the playoffs, the Cowboys are not the typical “buyers” at the trade deadline. The NFL trade deadline is the time for winners to load and losers to unload. Now is not the time for underdogs like Dallas to add players.
Yet that’s what the Cowboys did, sending a fourth-round pick to Carolina for receiver Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round throw-in. This head-scratching move was as curious as it was laughable in many NFL circles. Not only did the Cowboys pay a high price for an otherwise disappointing player, but they added a piece at a time when they really should have subtracted.
But a closer look shows that the addition of Mingo is more about the future than the present. Under contract for the next two seasons, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Ole Mademoiselle The product is a low-cost replacement part that Dallas can use to build out its WR room following the likely departure of Brandin Cooks in 2025.
The 39th overall choice in 2023, Mingo has an impressive physical profile and a draft pedigree to make him an intriguing prospect to develop. He has participated in 30 official visits of Dallas’ draft cycle and someone the Cowboys rated as a top 50 prospect.
Regardless of what outsiders think, the Dallas front office likely views him as second-round value at fourth-round price. Looking at the trade from this perspective, it is reasonable to believe that Mingo will have an impact on the Cowboys’ plans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Based on the Cowboys’ current slide, upcoming schedule, and Dak Prescott’s move to IR, Dallas will be predicted to be a top-10 prospect in 2025. Favored in just two of their remaining nine games, there are Real chance the Cowboys have their pick of the range at the WR position.
Travis Hunter, an elite WR/CB prospect, will likely be long gone from Pick 3, but notable WR prospects such as Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Tre Harris and Tai Felton should all be options for Dallas in the first round . It’s entirely possible that Mingo, a player the Cowboys recently rated as a top-50 talent, a WR they paid big money to acquire at the deadline, and someone under team control until ‘in 2026, may push them to a different position this year. spring.
The Cowboys have no shortage of needs to fill this spring. They need interior linemen, another passer, a safety and offensive lineman, a running back and a tight end; might as well add a linebacker to the roster since DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau are the only LBs worth keeping around.
The point is, adding Mingo could allow them to focus elsewhere early in the draft. He wouldn’t completely satisfy them at WR, even if they view him optimistically, but he could help influence decisions in the early rounds.
That’s something to keep in mind as the mock draft season resumes.
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This article was originally published on Cowboys Wire: Will Jonathan Mingo’s trade addition impact the Cowboys’ 2025 draft plans?
