2020 NFL Mock Draft: Cowboys tag and trade Dak Prescott to Dolphins in outside-the-box first round

Free agency is close to starting. We're fresh out of the combine. This is the time for wild conjecture and rampant speculation. Also, I annually do a veteran quarterback trade in my mock draft, one that actually kind of makes some sense, or at least creates some kind of thought exercise, and I annually do it around the combine.

The time has arrived to trade Dak Prescott.

Why not? The Cowboys have decided, for some reason, not to invest heavily in Dak. Mike McCarthy said at the NFL combine Dallas is "exactly where we want to be" with respect to Dak's deal, which is just not true. Decoding what coaches and GMs say at the combine, as CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora did here, is a fine art.

McCarthy also referred to Dak's situation as "a business matter," and he's not wrong about that part. It's not personal. But the reality of the business here is the Cowboys didn't pay Dak when they should and now they're going to need to give him $35 million per year or more if they want to sign him. 

So that begs the question: should the Cowboys attempt to trade Dak? They don't have to put him on the trade market to make it happen. Instead, they could put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Prescott, which would allow every other NFL team to negotiate with Prescott and then give the Cowboys the right to match any offer sheets or receive two first-round picks for Prescott if they decided not to match.

On a recent edition of the Pick Six Podcast, I posed the question as to whether or not my colleagues John Breech and Sean Wagner-McGough would give up Dak for a pair of first-round picks. Breech, a Bengals fan at heart (making this discussion particularly interesting), said he would give up Dak "in a heartbeat" if he was the Cowboys. 

"Two first round picks? Yeah. This year, with all those quarterbacks on the free agent market so I can go out and sign who I want, plus I have two first round picks, yeah I would do it," Breech pointed out. 

Sean and I disagreed -- I don't think I would give him up. 

But, because I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of the Cowboys giving Dak the non-exclusive franchise tag and then seeing what someone would offer him, I asked La Canfora on Thursday's show if he would do the move and he agreed with Breech wholeheartedly. 

If Miami is willing to give up No. 5 and No. 18, the Cowboys pull the trigger and go sign a free agent. If you're Miami, you do that right? Two picks -- probably less than the cost of getting Tua in a trade up -- and you land Dak. You can hand him $40 million and get down to the business of building out your roster. I know the new "Moneyball" is having a QB on a rookie deal, but it's way more important to have a good quarterback. 

The Dolphins can guarantee they've got a 26-year-old franchise quarterback, albeit one who is expensive. Let the Cowboys figure out how to rebuild at the position. This deal won't happen, because Jerry Jones loves Dak too much, having "found" him in the draft. But it's fun to imagine. Let's gooooo. 

The NFL combine is over, so who were the biggest winners and losers? Ryan Wilson joins Will Brinson to break it all down, size up the first post-combine mock draft and more. Listen below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness. 

Alright, let's get to it.

NFL Mock Draft

Round 1

Round 1 - Pick 1 Joe Burrow QB LSU • Sr • 6'4" / 221 lbs Projected Team Cincinnati PROSPECT RNK 2nd POSITION RNK 1st To be honest, I thought about trading Dak to the Bengals. But having the top pick and just taking Burrow makes more sense than giving up multiple first round picks, especially when one could be high again next year.

Round 1 - Pick 2 Chase Young EDGE Ohio State • Jr • 6'5" / 264 lbs Projected Team Washington PROSPECT RNK 1st POSITION RNK 1st Here's the tricky part of this Cowboys thing: if Dallas wants to move up and grab Tua, they probably aren't going to be able to do it with Washington, their hated rival. So the Redskins can just hang tight and grab the best defensive player in the draft.

Round 1 - Pick 3 Isaiah Simmons LB Clemson • Jr • 6'4" / 238 lbs Projected Team Detroit PROSPECT RNK 5th POSITION RNK 1st WWBBD? (What Would Bill Belichick Do?) He would grab the most versatile defensive player in the draft and unleash him at all three levels against opposing offenses. We have to assume Matt Patricia will do the same.

Round 1 - Pick 4 Mekhi Becton OL Louisville • Jr • 6'7" / 364 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Giants PROSPECT RNK 16th POSITION RNK 4th Did you SEE this dude? He looks like Andy Reid in Punt, Pass and Kick out there playing football with other people. Dave Gettleman loves big bodies and no one is bigger than Becton, with the added bonus of it happening at a position of need for the Giants.

Mock Trade from Miami Dolphins Round 1 - Pick 5 Tua Tagovailoa QB Alabama • Jr • 6'0" / 217 lbs Projected Team Dallas PROSPECT RNK 3rd POSITION RNK 2nd The Cowboys could totally trade up. It would make sense. But I'm just not sure anyone is flying up the draft board -- at least to No. 2 or No. 3 -- to get Tua, outside of the Chargers. I'm fine with a move up if it involves packaging No. 5 and No. 18, but I think they would at least try and bluff their way to Tua at fifth overall first. It worked here!

Round 1 - Pick 6 Jordan Love QB Utah State • Jr • 6'4" / 224 lbs Projected Team L.A. Chargers PROSPECT RNK 33rd POSITION RNK 4th Not a Justin Herbert fan here, but I do think the Chargers are kind of rebooting and need to get a young quarterback, so I'll roll with the trendy thing and give them Jordan Love. I've covered the NFL for 10+ years and have seen QBs overdrafted every single year. Stop being so surprised when it happens.

Round 1 - Pick 7 Jeff Okudah CB Ohio State • Jr • 6'1" / 205 lbs Projected Team Carolina PROSPECT RNK 4th POSITION RNK 1st Lot of different directions Carolina could go here. I wouldn't rule out offensive line even after the Russell Okung trade and with Greg Little/Taylor Moton on the roster. Thought about defensive line. But getting Okudah is a massive win for a team sitting at seventh.

Round 1 - Pick 8 Tristan Wirfs OL Iowa • Jr • 6'5" / 320 lbs Projected Team Arizona PROSPECT RNK 13th POSITION RNK 3rd The Cardinals are in a great spot here if they want to protect Kyler Murray. There's a ton of top-tier offensive line talent, it's their biggest need, and they have a top-10 pick. I wouldn't blame them for taking a receiver but they've got lots of young talent there right now.

Round 1 - Pick 9 Javon Kinlaw DL South Carolina • Sr • 6'5" / 324 lbs Projected Team Jacksonville PROSPECT RNK 7th POSITION RNK 2nd The Jaguars might need to include this pick in any Nick Foles trade, or they could take another defensive player who will break out before being traded/getting into a contract dispute with them in three or four years.

Round 1 - Pick 10 Andrew Thomas OL Georgia • Jr • 6'5" / 315 lbs Projected Team Cleveland PROSPECT RNK 10th POSITION RNK 2nd Lovely situation here for Cleveland, and they hope it plays out like this, because they badly need offensive line help to keep Baker Mayfield upright. This could change, obviously, after free agency.

Round 1 - Pick 11 Jedrick Wills Jr. OL Alabama • Jr • 6'4" / 312 lbs Projected Team N.Y. Jets PROSPECT RNK 9th POSITION RNK 1st See: blurb on the Browns (replace Baker Mayfield with Sam Darnold).

Round 1 - Pick 12 Jerry Jeudy WR Alabama • Jr • 6'1" / 193 lbs Projected Team Las Vegas PROSPECT RNK 11th POSITION RNK 2nd Mike Mayock likes big school prospects, and Jeudy is pretty dang clean. As a refined route-runner who can move around, he's perfect in Jon Gruden's system. Waiting until the second round for a receiver would be fine, but there's a good chance Jeudy isn't a miss here.

Round 1 - Pick 13 Derrick Brown DL Auburn • Sr • 6'5" / 326 lbs Projected Team Indianapolis PROSPECT RNK 6th POSITION RNK 1st The Colts will do backflips to land Brown here (or Kinlaw, either one) and although I kind of wanted to give them a wideout to pair with presumed addition Philip Rivers, it makes more sense to improve their defense further.

Round 1 - Pick 14 Justin Herbert QB Oregon • Sr • 6'6" / 236 lbs Projected Team Tampa Bay PROSPECT RNK 20th POSITION RNK 3rd Feels like a free square until Tampa Bay actually steps up and agrees to pay Jameis Winston.

Round 1 - Pick 15 Trevon Diggs CB Alabama • Sr • 6'1" / 205 lbs Projected Team Denver PROSPECT RNK 24th POSITION RNK 3rd The Broncos have lost some players on defense so it stands to reason they'd want to continue to improve the secondary even after the A.J. Bouye trade, especially with Chris Harris' departure imminent.

Round 1 - Pick 16 A.J. Epenesa EDGE Iowa • Jr • 6'5" / 275 lbs Projected Team Atlanta PROSPECT RNK 12th POSITION RNK 2nd I always struggle with what the Falcons will do, but getting a pass rusher here makes a ton of sense with their free agency "losses." (No offense to Vic Beasley.)

Round 1 - Pick 17 Grant Delpit S LSU • Jr • 6'3" / 213 lbs Projected Team Dallas PROSPECT RNK 22nd POSITION RNK 2nd Nice little haul for the Cowboys, getting a rookie quarterback and a stud safety, and they're not done yet!

Mock Trade from Miami Dolphins Round 1 - Pick 18 CeeDee Lamb WR Oklahoma • Jr • 6'2" / 198 lbs Projected Team Dallas PROSPECT RNK 8th POSITION RNK 1st WELL HELLO THERE. Let Amari Cooper and Byron Jones walk, trade Dak and Cowboys fans might want to freak out but suddenly they're completely reloaded and at a very cheap cost.

From Chicago Bears Round 1 - Pick 19 K'Lavon Chaisson EDGE LSU • Soph • 6'3" / 254 lbs Projected Team Las Vegas PROSPECT RNK 14th POSITION RNK 3rd If the first pick is a wideout, the second pick has to be defense for the Raiders. And maybe vice versa.

From Los Angeles Rams Round 1 - Pick 20 CJ Henderson CB Florida • Jr • 6'1" / 204 lbs Projected Team Jacksonville PROSPECT RNK 25th POSITION RNK 4th Maybe Henderson can be as good as Jalen Ramsey? At the very least, he should be an immediate starter for this depleted cornerback group.

Round 1 - Pick 21 Henry Ruggs III WR Alabama • Jr • 5'11" / 188 lbs Projected Team Philadelphia PROSPECT RNK 17th POSITION RNK 3rd I am actually required by Mock Draft Law to give the Eagles Henry Ruggs at this spot.

Round 1 - Pick 22 Tee Higgins WR Clemson • Jr • 6'4" / 216 lbs Projected Team Buffalo PROSPECT RNK 23rd POSITION RNK 4th Buffalo has to hate their draft spot because it means they can't get whatever wideout they want -- don't rule out a trade up. But Higgins pairs nicely with John Brown and Cole Beasley for Josh Allen.

Round 1 - Pick 23 Yetur Gross-Matos EDGE Penn State • Jr • 6'5" / 266 lbs Projected Team New England PROSPECT RNK 19th POSITION RNK 4th I'm operating under the assumption that if the Pats brought back Tom Brady they handled improving his pass catchers in free agency. A run-stopping pass rusher is right up Bill Belichick's alley.

Round 1 - Pick 24 Xavier McKinney S Alabama • Jr • 6'0" / 201 lbs Projected Team New Orleans PROSPECT RNK 15th POSITION RNK 1st The Saints are losing some bodies in their secondary, so they could dip back into an area of the draft where they've had success in recent years.

Round 1 - Pick 25 Bryce Hall CB Virginia • Sr • 6'1" / 202 lbs Projected Team Minnesota PROSPECT RNK 27th POSITION RNK 5th Given Xavier Rhodes is probably gone and Trae Waynes is a free agent, you can probably expect the Vikings to take a(nother) cornerback in the first round.

From Houston Texans Round 1 - Pick 26 Julian Okwara EDGE Notre Dame • Sr • 6'4" / 252 lbs Projected Team Miami PROSPECT RNK 40th POSITION RNK 7th Good news: you got Dak! Bad news: you only got one player in the first round of the draft now. At least he's talented!

Round 1 - Pick 27 Patrick Queen LB LSU • Jr • 6'0" / 229 lbs Projected Team Seattle PROSPECT RNK 41st POSITION RNK 3rd No team is harder to project than the Seahawks. Just give them someone and maybe don't make it a running back. I think they need defense personally. Queen could make some PLAYS for them.

Round 1 - Pick 28 Zack Baun LB Wisconsin • Sr • 6'2" / 238 lbs Projected Team Baltimore PROSPECT RNK 45th POSITION RNK 4th Let's see what happens with Matthew Judon (tag?) and Marshal Yanda (retirement?) before we really lock into what the Ravens might do here.

Round 1 - Pick 29 Jonathan Taylor RB Wisconsin • Jr • 5'10" / 226 lbs Projected Team Tennessee PROSPECT RNK 35th POSITION RNK 2nd If the CBA gets passed and the Titans want to keep Ryan Tannehill, it might be awfully tough to keep Derrick Henry too.

Round 1 - Pick 30 Justin Jefferson WR LSU • Jr • 6'1" / 202 lbs Projected Team Green Bay PROSPECT RNK 51st POSITION RNK 8th Had him as a first-round pick before the combine and have him as a first-round pick now too.

Round 1 - Pick 31 Josh Jones OL Houston • Sr • 6'5" / 319 lbs Projected Team San Francisco PROSPECT RNK 28th POSITION RNK 5th It shouldn't be shocking if the 49ers start to sort of rebuild their offensive line in the next few years prepping for the next period of Kyle Shanahan running things.

Round 1 - Pick 32 Kristian Fulton CB LSU • Sr • 6'0" / 197 lbs Projected Team Kansas City PROSPECT RNK 18th POSITION RNK 2nd A gift for Andy Reid, who likely just spent a ton of money on Chris Jones and needs some young talent to step up on defense.