D
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys cashed the board's mistake on Coleman: D.
by glennse1 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 24 picks
· 3 steals
· 11 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Cowboys did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
They will need Ford to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The Harris pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at tight end. A whole weekend of picks and tight end is somehow still a want.
The Coleman pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 32 they get an anchor for the offensive line. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Darius Robinson in No. 40 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
T'Vondre Sweat at the 51st overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A need, and now a little less of one.
They did well to land Xavier Worthy in the 60th pick, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Mike Sainristil at the Round 3 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No drama and no debate, Jaden Hicks went about where he belonged in Round 3, Pick 8. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Somehow Keon Coleman was still sitting there in No. 73, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had cheaper options than Zak Zinter at pick 87, and it noticed. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Cedric Gray well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Mekhi Wingo in Round 4, Pick 10 is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Matt Goncalves in the 120th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose edge rusher. Marcus Harris in pick No. 129 leaves tight end for later.
Tommy Eichenberg at the Round 4 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They read the board right and Kalen King was the payoff at slot 148. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Jordan Jefferson at the 163rd overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. It fills a real need, too.
Jaylan Ford at No. 168 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Fair-plus on Kamal Hadden, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nick Gargiulo. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value said wait; Frank Gore Jr. in the 199th pick says they were not listening. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Curtis Jacobs at pick 204 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jaylen Harrell at pick No. 207 is a conviction pick that outran the value. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Austin Reed this early at Round 6, Pick 38. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Ethan Driskell at the 231st pick, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Sheridan Jones at No. 246 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.