Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.
The late, great Tom Petty summed it up pretty well 40 years ago this month when we first heard him sing, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Kind of encapsulates where we are in the NFL’s pre-draft season with the main event still 10 days away.
But before that happens, Trey Lance will throw again for scouts, some medical evaluations will continue to await resolution – all as the 32 teams finalize their boards – and the annual, late-stage smokescreens will begin to billow.
One recent rumor that’s gained traction stems from an ESPN report claiming that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is “infatuated” with uber-talented Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Is that true? Is it counterintelligence? Is it legit even if Jones doesn’t plan a bold move up from No. 10? Hard to know.
But this much is sure: The longtime Dallas head honcho is always intimately involved with his organization’s football operations and desperately wants to win another Lombardi Trophy more than a quarter-century after the franchise won its fifth following the 1995 season. Given that, let’s give it some credence – for now – and bake it into this latest first-round projection of the 2021 draft: