D
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D.
by glennse1 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 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. The process wobbled, and the D is where it lands.
Reaching for Randolph Jr. left real value on the table behind him. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 15th overall pick they get a sticky cover corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 28 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A straight-up fair deal on Jermaine Burton at the 50th pick, value and slot in agreement. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Zach Frazier at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid up for Michael Hall Jr. at pick No. 68 when waiting would have done the job. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A clean, defensible pick in pick 113 with a little surplus value in Cole Bishop. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tyler Davis. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach for Braiden McGregor in No. 159; a little patience would have been rewarded. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jarrian Jones at the 162nd overall pick is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jordan Jefferson at Round 5, Pick 34 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Ty'Ron Hopper at No. 173 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Keith Randolph Jr. at the Round 6 slot, and the board did not agree. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Frank Gore Jr. at pick 206 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
No edge and no loss on JD Bertrand in the 213th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They jumped the gun on Jordan Magee, taking him earlier than his grade liked. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Ryan Cooper Jr. in slot 241 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.