F
Dallas Cowboys
A weekend the Cowboys spent ahead of the board, for worse: F.
by jerrysux ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 51 picks
· 2 steals
· 27 reaches
The Cowboys put a flag in the ground for McCallan Castles, 105 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. There is no dressing it up: a F.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Rosemy-Jacksaint.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a weapon on the perimeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 6th overall pick they get a security blanket over the middle at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick No. 18 they get a cornerstone up front. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A clean, defensible pick in Round 1, Pick 28 with a little surplus value in Graham Barton. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked Keon Coleman enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 33. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kool-Aid McKinstry at slot 34 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Darius Robinson at No. 36 squarely in line with his ranking. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Zach Frazier in the 38th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Xavier Legette in pick No. 39 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
T'Vondre Sweat at the Round 2 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, Ruke Orhorhoro went about where he belonged in the 57th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Mohamed Kamara well ahead of where he belonged. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They talked themselves into Spencer Rattler at slot 88, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They paid sticker price for Dominick Puni in Round 3, Pick 28, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
DJ James in the 94th pick is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached a country mile for Cedric Gray at the 101st overall pick, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Ben Sinnott in pick No. 103; it is a wash and a sensible one. The roster fit checks out.
Brennan Jackson at pick 105 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A conviction pick on Audric Estime at No. 107 that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. at the Round 4 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jordan Travis at Round 4, Pick 11 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wild overpay on Isaac Guerendo in slot 114, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
They left a pile of value on the table to take McKinnley Jackson this early at the Round 4 slot. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They reached into another round for Christian Jones, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Mason McCormick at slot 124 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Beaux Limmer in pick 126 says they were not listening. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jacob Cowing at pick No. 127 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tyler Davis at Round 4, Pick 32 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Tommy Eichenberg in the 138th overall pick; the board had better options right there. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ainias Smith. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Xavier Thomas in the 141st overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Good price on Caedan Wallace in slot 142, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jordan Jefferson at No. 145 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Joe Milton III. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Kitan Oladapo at pick 149 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the safety. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A real head-scratcher, Jaylan Ford in Round 5, Pick 16 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on Tyrice Knight at the Round 5 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Fair-plus on Trevin Wallace, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Edefuan Ulofoshio at pick No. 202, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nothing to complain about; Tanner McLachlan went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The roster fit checks out.
They took KT Leveston at par in Round 6, Pick 40, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Nathaniel Watson was the payoff at No. 216. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Aaron Casey in pick 222 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: McCallan Castles in the 225th pick, miles early. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Matthew Jones in slot 226 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kendall Milton at the Round 7 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No edge and no loss on Michael Barrett in Round 7, Pick 24; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint slid further than he should have, and pick No. 245 is lovely value for the wide receiver. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Hayden Hatten in slot 251 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Tyler Harrell. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Richard Jibunor well ahead of where he belonged. Not a spot anyone had flagged, which makes it a head-scratcher.