D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys left with their quarterback, and a D+ to match.
by bobbo ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The Cowboys torched the value chart for Javontae Jean-Baptiste, taking him 43 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted.
J.J. McCarthy is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Landing Rosemy-Jacksaint that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Kool-Aid McKinstry at pick No. 24, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
In slot 25 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value.
In the Round 1 slot they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
They paid sticker price for T'Vondre Sweat in Round 2, Pick 9, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A tidy little value on Junior Colson in pick 56, a step better than break-even. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good price on Patrick Paul in the 75th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
DJ James in Round 3, Pick 22 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Christian Mahogany at the Round 3 slot jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Bucky Irving slipping to No. 102 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Ben Sinnott at pick No. 117 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
James Williams at pick 122 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Isaiah Davis at slot 155 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Walter Rouse at the 170th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste in the 174th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Circle this one: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint at pick No. 213 is a fall that decides a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jaylen Harrell at Round 6, Pick 41 is the proof. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Michael Barrett in the Round 7 slot is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Edefuan Ulofoshio higher than the 244th pick, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.