B+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B+.
by jnbakerjr ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 28 picks
· 4 steals
· 7 reaches
The Cowboys looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Taulia Tagovailoa at the 223rd overall pick regardless, 67 picks early.
The Torrence value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 8 of 8 of the wish list covered.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 13 they get an anchor for the offensive line. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In slot 25 they get a ballhawk on the outside at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 27 they get a difference-maker at receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
The board had cheaper options than Chris Braswell at the 35th pick, and it noticed. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They did well to land Jonathon Brooks in No. 53, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
A straight-up fair deal on Zach Frazier at pick 56, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Kamren Kinchens went about where he belonged in the 57th overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Edgerrin Cooper worth more than the price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Devontez Walker in No. 67, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No edge and no loss on Cade Stover in Round 3, Pick 11; it is a wash and a sensible one. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Michael Hall Jr. at pick 77 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Marshawn Kneeland at the 78th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Christian Mahogany at slot 87 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Spencer Rattler at pick No. 90 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Gabriel Murphy at No. 92 squarely in line with his ranking. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A reach for Mekhi Wingo in the Round 3 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jalen McMillan in slot 104. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Maason Smith. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
James Williams in pick 122 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jaylin Simpson in the 132nd pick is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Justin Eboigbe in the 139th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They took Jordan Travis at par in Round 5, Pick 38, which is nothing to complain about. A need, and now a little less of one.
A conviction pick on Frank Gore Jr. at pick 216 that the board grades a round light. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Caedan Wallace in Round 6, Pick 44 lands just on the right side of the ledger. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Taulia Tagovailoa in No. 223, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Ro Torrence all the way to slot 229, and they scooped it up. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nathaniel Watson at pick No. 233 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Tayvion Robinson in the 244th overall pick, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.