With the first round coming into place in the final hours before the NFL Draft, there's an increasing amount of speculation that Alabama S Mark Barron won't be on the board when the Dallas Cowboys make their pick at No. 14.
According to a report from Peter King, Barron and Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill are the two players teams are most likely to trade up for, and the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 11 may end up trading down:
It's likely Tannehill goes to Miami at No. 8, obviously. If he doesn't, I don't see how he gets past the 11th pick. Not that Kansas City will take Tannehill; I don't believe the Chiefs will. But GM Scott Pioli will have interest in dealing down from 11 (he moved from 21 to 26 last year for a third-round pick), and if Tannehill or Barron is here, I guarantee he'll get a taker for the pick.
Because there are now team-controlled salary slots for first-round picks, trading up is no longer as risky as it once was, which could mean a significant increase in the amount of draft day dealing in 2012.
If the Cowboys do think Barron is the missing piece, they may have to move up to get him.
For more on the Cowboys, head to Blogging the Boys, and for more mock draft updates, follow SB Nation Dallas' StoryStream.