D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bet the future on Daniels. The board says D+.
by bobbo ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
The Javontae Jean-Baptiste selection is the head-turner. The Cowboys reached 36 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D+ is the result.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here.
The running back spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Rosemy-Jacksaint pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
No drama and no debate, Jayden Daniels went about where he belonged in the Round 1 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
In the 25th pick they get a potential shutdown corner at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good price on Jackson Powers-Johnson in pick 35, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Troy Franklin at pick No. 36 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Edgerrin Cooper higher than Round 2, Pick 24, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A quiet steal in slot 87: Cooper Beebe for less than the market said. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with Dominick Puni worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
By-the-book stuff, Mekhi Wingo at pick 109 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A conviction pick on Ben Sinnott at the 121st pick that the board grades a round light. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tykee Smith. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Taking Jarrian Jones in pick No. 173 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste at slot 193 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Steal is underselling it; Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint at the 227th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Solomon Byrd. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.