D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bled value on every deal, hence the D+.
by dalaw ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Cowboys clearly saw something nobody else did in Amari Gainer, taking him 111 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Hard to defend, and the D+ reflects that.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
It is not that Boyd is a bad player; it is that the Cowboys had louder needs to answer first. That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
They took Brian Thomas Jr. at par in No. 28, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Fair-plus on Jackson Powers-Johnson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No drama and no debate, Chris Braswell went about where he belonged in pick No. 57. A minor itch, scratched.
Good price on Braden Fiske in the 87th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They read the board right and Caelen Carson was the payoff at Round 3, Pick 36. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They paid sticker price for Javon Foster in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tommy Eichenberg in pick 125 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Cole Bishop at pick No. 128, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Khristian Boyd at edge rusher with quarterback and tight end open.
They talked themselves into Braelon Allen at the Round 4 slot, and the board did not agree. It fills a real need, too.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Renardo Green at the 161st pick is the proof. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A quiet steal in Round 5, Pick 28: Jaylin Simpson for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Luke McCaffrey at No. 173 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Trevor Keegan this early at slot 213. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A big swing on Donell Harris Jr. at slot 216, well ahead of any board in the building. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Amari Gainer in pick 217 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.