D
Dallas Cowboys
A passer of the future in Williams, and a D, for the Cowboys.
by grmjr ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 25 picks
· 4 steals
· 13 reaches
The Cowboys did not so much draft Darrian Dalcourt as overpay for him, 145 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D is the result.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The whole projection now runs through Caleb Williams; hit there and everything else looks smarter. Landing Sainristil that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 4 they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
In pick 9 they get juice off the edge at fair value. More want than need.
In pick No. 24 they get protection for the quarterback. The biggest hole, addressed.
A straight-up fair deal on Byron Murphy II at the 36th pick, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They reached a country mile for Jonathon Brooks at slot 40, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Cooper Beebe at the 56th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A wild overpay on Sedrick Van Pran in slot 65, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in pick 67, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Javon Bullard at pick No. 74 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Payton Wilson at Round 3, Pick 11 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tyler Davis at No. 87 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A premium they did not need to pay, Ainias Smith a notch or two before his time. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Circle this one: Mike Sainristil at the 101st overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ben Sinnott in the 102nd pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jordan Travis in pick 110, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on DJ James in pick No. 122, a genuine coup. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
MarShawn Lloyd in the 124th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Justin Eboigbe higher than No. 133, and the edge rusher fell to them anyway. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Kitan Oladapo in slot 168 is fair value, right on his grade. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A real head-scratcher, Christian Jones in Round 5, Pick 38 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jared Wiley at the Round 6 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jase McClellan at the 201st overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Marcus Harris in the 212th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Value said wait; Dwight McGlothern in No. 222 says they were not listening. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Darrian Dalcourt well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.