As the proverbial third wheel in their wide receiver corps, Michael Gallup could be the key component for the Cowboys to trade up in the draft.
The Dallas Cowboys opened some eyes by taking wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with the 17th pick in the 2020 draft. ‘What about Michael Gallup?’, many people said. A third-round pick in 2018, Gallup has proven to be a nice find and he was coming off an 1,100 yard season in 2019.
As it stands right now, the Cowboys hold the 10th pick in the draft at the end of this month. Taking the best defensive player available feels certain, barring someone like Florida tight end Kyle Pitts falling to them, but the Cowboys would surely like to hit on some Day 2 picks too. They have one second-round and two third-round picks, but between picks No. 10 and No. 75, they have just one pick (No. 44).
Michael Gallup is a prime trade chip for the Cowboys
Despite being the forgotten man in the Cowboys wide receiver mix, Gallup still finished with 59 catches for 843 yards and five touchdowns last season. He matched Lamb in the touchdown column, with 105 targets (third on the team) and a team-best 14.3 yards per catch average.
Gallup is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, with a cheap cap number of just over $2.6 million. Any team looking for a capable, proven wide receiver would gladly give up a second-round pick for him, right? RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys certainly thinks so, despite the inherent idea Gallup could just be a rental.
A second-round pick certainly seems fair for a receiver of Gallup’s caliber. It is important to note that any team acquiring Gallup would be running the risk of not retaining him in 2022 and therefore would likely be unwilling to give up too much. However, they would then be eligible for the compensatory pick that he would yield in 2023 if they wanted to recoup some their loss.
The Cowboys can certainly get a top 50-75 overall pick for Gallup, with the Baltimore Ravens (No. 58 overall) and the Green Bay Packers (No. 62) as obvious potential suitors. The Kansas City Chiefs (No. 63) could be in the mix too.
In any case, it would hardly be a surprise if Gallup is traded on draft weekend (if not before). The Cowboys are dealing from a position of leverage though, as keeping him would be most costly to Gallup as he tried to put up good numbers in 2021 before most likely hitting free agency.