2020 NFL Draft: Justin Herbert goes No. 1 in first-round NFL mock draft
By John Newman
Tee Higgins. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Wide Receiver. Clemson. 21. 123
This is another counter-intuitive pick, as the Cowboys sent a first-round draft pick to Oakland for Amari Cooper in 2018. Cooper and his agents have been negotiating with the Cowboys ever since to land on a contract extension that accurately reflects his contributions to the team. In my opinion, Jerry Jones appears to have not looked before he leaped when making this deal.
They just signed Ezekiel Elliot to a massive contract extension before the season started, along with DeMarcus Lawrence, and several other players. And they still owe their starting quarterback Dak Prescott a nice chunk of change after riding his cheap contract to two NFC East winning years.
With 29 free agents listed next year, according to Spotrac.com, the Cowboys will have to make some tough choices very soon. In that list of 29 are some pretty notable Cowboys, including Robert Quinn, Sean Lee, Byron Jones, Joe Thomas and Tavon Austin. Even if the cap goes up next year, they will still need to find room in the cap to fit Prescott’s contract.
I am not saying the Cowboys will let Amari Cooper see free agency. However, they will need to cut several players next year to fit in both Cooper’s and Prescott’s contract. I also expect that having another blue-chip receiver on the roster might be a tactical advantage when negotiating with a star receiver whose main argument for a bigger deal is how important they are to the offense.
Tee Higgins would add depth to an already impressive receiving core in Dallas. In the 2020 NFL draft, there are several good wide receivers, but Higgins has the added benefit of playing in national championships and bowl games every year.
Higgins has shown that his motor has a long shelf life too, as he was able to score three touchdowns in a game against Wake Forest this year. He has the ability to go deep, get open and turn the burners on when running from defensive backs.
Having two receivers that can potentially have 1,000 plus yards in a season, along with an elite running back and above-average defense is a recipe for going deep into the postseason.