D
Dallas Cowboys
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Cowboys to a D.
by Kotes ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
The Cowboys bet big and early on Xavier Thomas, 66 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The Cowboys indulged a want in Robinson while a need in linebacker and tight end stayed open.
Leaving linebacker unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Clark falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 15 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare at fair value.
In No. 24 they get a cornerstone up front. The biggest hole, addressed.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went edge rusher with Chop Robinson while clear needs at linebacker and tight end sat open.
A premium they did not need to pay, Trey Benson a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They took Cooper Beebe at par in the 82nd pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Zak Zinter at pick 87 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They went early on Leonard Taylor III in the Round 4 slot, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A conviction pick on Jordan Travis at Round 4, Pick 24 that the board grades a round light. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, James Williams went about where he belonged in pick 136. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Moose Muhammad III in pick No. 152 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A cornerback of that caliber at No. 174 is the definition of value, full stop. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Xavier Thomas at slot 212 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They will replay De'Corian Clark at the 245th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.