D
Dallas Cowboys
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Cowboys to a D.
by grmjr ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 30 picks
· 3 steals
· 17 reaches
The Cowboys clearly saw something nobody else did in Mason Fairchild, taking him 74 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. The math is unkind, and the D follows.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The Baker value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
Jordan Morgan at pick No. 24 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
J.J. McCarthy in pick 36 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Ja'Tavion Sanders this early at Round 2, Pick 8. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A reach on Jonathon Brooks in the 56th overall pick; the board had better options right there. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Edgerrin Cooper in the 67th pick, just ahead of his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They liked Cooper Beebe enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 71. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No drama and no debate, Brenden Rice went about where he belonged in the 72nd pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Mike Sainristil. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They jumped the gun on Tyler Davis, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tommy Eichenberg in the Round 3 slot, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Zak Zinter at Round 4, Pick 2 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Jordan Travis in No. 108 says they were not listening. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Khyree Jackson at pick No. 111, value and slot in agreement. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint at pick 124 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Sataoa Laumea in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A premium they did not need to pay, Beaux Limmer a notch or two before his time. 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 Edefuan Ulofoshio. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Jaylan Ford at No. 147, and the board did not agree. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They robbed the room for Jarrian Jones here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They took Kitan Oladapo at par in Round 5, Pick 38, which is nothing to complain about. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Christian Jones in the 179th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Frank Gore Jr. in pick 181, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Jefferson in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reach for Josh Proctor in slot 188; a little patience would have been rewarded. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Jase McClellan at Round 7, Pick 3 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A conviction pick on Isaiah Neyor at pick No. 225 that the board grades a round light. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Stefon Thompson in the 227th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The roster logic is harder to follow.
They barely believed it either: Javon Baker still on the board at pick 229. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Omar Speights in No. 245 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Mason Fairchild, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.