B+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by QFarrar88 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Cowboys ran the phones like sharks, prying loose value on deal after deal until the ledger was lopsided.
Getting Jones where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. If Byrd pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy bit of business in No. 33, where Graham Barton graded well above the range. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Payton Wilson at Round 2, Pick 24 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jaylen Wright. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid a round early for Brenden Rice in the Round 3 slot, more than the board wanted. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
McKinnley Jackson in the 110th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kitan Oladapo at slot 140 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Jarrian Jones at the 142nd pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dwight McGlothern at pick No. 166 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tahj Washington at the 174th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Trente Jones in Round 6, Pick 41, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Solomon Byrd well ahead of where he belonged. A minor itch, scratched.
Edefuan Ulofoshio at the 244th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Marcellas Dial at the Round 7 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.