Dallas sent Philadelphia picks 59 and 125 to move four spots…
Dallas sent Philadelphia picks 59 and 125 to move four spots and select linebacker Sean Lee at No. 55. Lee's injury history followed him into the NFL, but when healthy he became one of the Cowboys' best defenders, earning two Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro honors. Philadelphia turned No. 59 into additional selections and used No. 125 on Clay Harbor, yet none of the resulting Eagles matched Lee's sustained impact. Dallas wins clearly.
Dallas Cowboys Received
- pick 2010 2nd round pick (55th overall, Sean Lee)
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- pick 2010 2nd round pick (59th overall subsequently traded, Montario Hardesty)
- pick 2010 4th round pick (125th overall, Clay Harbor)
Trade Analysis
Dallas entered the second round of the 2010 draft willing to spend extra capital for a player it believed had first-round ability. The Cowboys sent the 59th and 125th selections to Philadelphia for No. 55 and chose Penn State linebacker Sean Lee. His college injury history explained why he was still available, and injuries would remain the central limitation of his professional career.
When Lee was on the field, the trade paid off. He spent 11 seasons with Dallas, played 118 regular-season games, intercepted 14 passes, earned two Pro Bowl selections, and was named first-team All-Pro. His instincts and coverage ability made him the centerpiece of several Cowboys defenses. Durability prevented an even greater career, but Dallas still received far more high-end play than teams normally expect from a mid-second-round selection.
Philadelphia's approach was to create more bites at the draft. The Eagles used No. 125 on tight end Clay Harbor and traded No. 59 to Cleveland for picks 71, 134 and 146. Those choices were moved again or used on players such as Ricky Sapp, with some later movement helping Philadelphia add depth. The chain created quantity, but it never produced a defender or offensive player with Lee's combination of longevity and peak performance.
The Cowboys therefore deserve an A+ for identifying the best player in this exchange and paying a manageable premium to secure him. Philadelphia's C+ recognizes that moving down generated several assets rather than nothing, but the Eagles failed to turn that flexibility into equivalent football value. Dallas won the trade because the star at the center of it actually became a star.