D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys found their guy under center in Maye: D+.
by grmjr ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 5 steals
· 6 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Cowboys spent the Round 7 slot on Mason Fairchild, a name the board had a full 55 spots lower.
So much rides on Drake Maye that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
The James value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 9 they get a true top target, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick 19 they get the arm they will build around at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the offensive line. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Jonathon Brooks in the 56th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Payton Wilson at No. 75 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tyler Davis in slot 76 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a cornerback like D.J. James reach Round 4, Pick 10 and blink. They did not. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Dominick Puni all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Tommy Eichenberg in No. 157 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Josh Proctor in slot 174 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Nathaniel Watson at the 212th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Matthew Jones at the 233rd overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Dwight McGlothern in pick 240 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Mason Fairchild at pick No. 245, and the board did not agree. The roster fit checks out.