D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bled value on every deal, hence the D+.
by glennse1 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Cowboys, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. The process wobbled, and the D+ is where it lands.
With quarterback and tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on OLB-EDGE is the choice that costs them. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
They are betting McClellan proves the room right and everyone else wrong. However the rest shakes out, Pearl at that price is a win they earned.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get a potential shutdown corner at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the Round 1 slot they get a home-run threat at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Jordan Morgan in pick No. 35, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Payton Wilson at No. 45 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Michael Hall Jr. at the 69th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They liked Blake Corum enough to skip the value, taking him in pick 72. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Gabriel Murphy went about where he belonged in Round 3, Pick 26. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
DJ James slid further than he should have, and the 102nd pick is lovely value for the cornerback. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Mekhi Wingo at the 109th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. It fills a real need, too.
Nice patience on Brenden Rice, who had no business lasting to slot 111. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Matt Goncalves. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They bypassed pressing needs at quarterback and tight end to take Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE that was not the priority.
They took Beau Brade at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A minor itch, scratched.
A quiet steal in No. 161: Brennan Jackson for less than the market said. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
No edge and no loss on Javion Cohen in pick 165; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jase McClellan at Round 5, Pick 37 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kamal Hadden in pick No. 182 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Frank Gore Jr. at the 224th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Julian Pearl at the 230th overall pick. Hard to map this one onto the depth chart at all.
Michael Barrett is a better player than Round 7, Pick 11 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good price on Trevin Wallace in No. 242, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.