B-
Dallas Cowboys
Nobody dealt better than the Cowboys this weekend: B-.
by Bannana God ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Cowboys came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Every board in the league had Eichenberg lower, and that gap is the story. Landing McMillan that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, T.J. Tampa at Round 2, Pick 1 squarely in line with his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Patrick Paul at the 56th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board had cheaper options than Christian Haynes at pick No. 68, and it noticed. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Michael Hall Jr. at par in slot 87, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the Round 3 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tommy Eichenberg at No. 101 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They did well to land Tykee Smith in pick 103, just ahead of his grade. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Leonard Taylor III slipping to the 124th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Trey Knox. It fills a real need, too.
They paid up for Taulia Tagovailoa at pick No. 212 when waiting would have done the job. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Daequan Hardy in the 224th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good price on Jeremy James in Round 7, Pick 25, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.