D+
Dallas Cowboys
A passer of the future in Daniels, and a D+, for the Cowboys.
by Grumpy ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 8 steals
· 11 reaches
The war room fell hard for Marcus Harris, and it showed at pick No. 174: 63 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. Put together, it is a D+.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it. The Abrams-Draine pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 9 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In the Round 1 slot they get a building block for the line. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 24 they get a No. 1 receiver, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 27 they get a run-stuffing presence up front, a steep price for the projection. A real need, handled.
They read the board right and Jordan Morgan was the payoff at the 35th overall pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Payton Wilson in No. 59 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Cooper Beebe at No. 64 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jonathon Brooks in pick 66 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
T.J. Tampa at the 68th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Xavier Legette in Round 3, Pick 7, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
By-the-book stuff, Blake Corum at slot 75 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Ben Sinnott in the 85th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A reach on Tykee Smith in the Round 3 slot; the board had better options right there. A minor itch, scratched.
A slide stopped in pick No. 95, with Marist Liufau worth more than the price. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Darius Robinson at pick 110 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Tommy Eichenberg in pick No. 123 is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A conviction pick on Jordan Travis at the Round 4 slot that the board grades a round light. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
DJ James at the 127th overall pick is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Javon Foster at slot 133 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They barely believed it either: Kris Abrams-Draine still on the board at the 164th pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Marcus Harris in Round 5, Pick 38 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A real head-scratcher, Christian Jones in No. 177 is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Maurice Smith well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in pick 226, where Jase McClellan graded well above the range. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid sticker price for Nathaniel Watson in Round 7, Pick 19, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach for Dwight McGlothern in the 245th pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.