Cowboys Lying About Malik Willis vs. Dak Prescott in Draft? Sources Respond to Rumor
FRISCO - There is a rumor that popped up during 2022 NFL Draft time regarding the Dallas Cowboys making arrangements to replace Dak Prescott ... and it is popping up again.
Here's how it unfolded in April ...
The Tennessee Titans drafted Liberty quarterback Malik Willis at pick No. 86, two spots ahead of Dallas. The gossip at the time was that they did so for fear the Cowboys were going to draft the QB. And it was our friend Ian Rapoport, who presented the following info on NFL Network ...
We watched this and thought Rapoport handled this smartly. He didn't "report'' it as fact; he presented it as a "what-if.''
So, as we reported at the time, we started making phone calls.
First, we asked Rapoport if it would be fair of CowboysSI.com to write that he "gently suggested'' the possibility. He agreed with that wording.
Then we reached out to a trio of Cowboys sources. Our question to each of them: "Did you flirt with the idea of taking Malik Willis in the third round?''
Their answers. ...
No.
No.
No.
We then gave them the chance to gloat a bit in the event that they'd spread "chum'' in order to fool the Titans. Is that what the Cowboys did?
No.
No.
No.
So ... It's not true.
We're they fibbing? Maybe. Did they make a mistake in this process? The Titans took Willis while the Cowboys stayed in their spot and used the third-rounder on wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, who at the time was termed by personnel boss Will McClay a potential "culture-changer.'' ... and of course that hasn't come to fruition yet.
A reminder: Dallas, in the end, wasn't in position to take Willis. So the Cowboys couldn't have drafted a "Dak replacement'' in that spot even if they'd wanted to.
Now, how will we ever know if our three sources are telling us the truth about harboring no desire to draft an heir to Prescott? We might know in April, when it's time for the next NFL Draft.
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