F
Dallas Cowboys
A weekend the Cowboys spent fighting the board, and losing. F.
by jerrysux ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 61 picks
· 7 steals
· 37 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is McCallan Castles at the 215th overall pick. The Cowboys jumped the board by 115 and dared it to prove them wrong. A weekend to file away and forget, and an F to match.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Harden.
It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
There is no soft landing here; this class has to massively overperform just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th overall pick they get a long-term starter on the line. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 12 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 13th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 18 they get a load in the middle at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick No. 23 they get a premier pass rusher, though they paid up to get him. Need was not the driver here.
In the Round 1 slot they get a matchup problem out wide, a steep price for the projection. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get a true top target, though the board says they badly overpaid. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Graham Barton in slot 36 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A conviction pick on Chris Braswell at pick No. 37 that the board grades a round light. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Ruke Orhorhoro at the 45th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Zach Frazier at No. 49 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
T'Vondre Sweat in the 56th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kamari Lassiter in the Round 3 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Mohamed Kamara at pick 87 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They jumped the gun on Ben Sinnott, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing DJ James in Round 4, Pick 5. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid up for Cedric Gray at the 110th overall pick when waiting would have done the job. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Spencer Rattler in pick 111 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jordan Travis in the 112th pick, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They went early on Brennan Jackson in pick No. 113, and the value did not follow. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Audric Estime in No. 114 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Isaac Guerendo at slot 115 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Kamren Kinchens at pick No. 117 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Jacob Cowing at the 124th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board had cheaper options than Ainias Smith at slot 125, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Caedan Wallace at par in the 129th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A premium they did not need to pay, Christian Jones a notch or two before his time. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached into another round for Mason McCormick, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They reached a country mile for Tip Reiman at No. 136, and the board is aghast. It fills a real need, too.
Joe Milton III in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jarrian Jones in slot 141 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Kitan Oladapo went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 6. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A reach for McKinnley Jackson in No. 149; a little patience would have been rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Value said wait; Tyrice Knight in pick 150 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A big swing on Jaylan Ford at the 154th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A wild overpay on Ryan Flournoy in the 165th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Edefuan Ulofoshio in pick No. 170 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nathan Thomas at pick No. 171 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Walter Rouse at pick 172 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Delmar Glaze this early at the 174th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Ty'Ron Hopper in Round 6, Pick 2, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nathaniel Watson at the 185th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A tidy bit of business in slot 191, where Decamerion Richardson graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They will replay Myles Harden at No. 201 for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They liked Jalen Coker enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 6 slot. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tanner McLachlan at No. 205 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
They paid a round early for Jaylen Harrell in Round 6, Pick 32, more than the board wanted. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on KT Leveston. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Matthew Jones. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, McCallan Castles well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
JD Bertrand at pick 217 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They talked themselves into Logan Lee at the 218th pick, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Richard Jibunor in pick No. 220 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A pick in search of a role on this roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Josiah Ezirim this early at the Round 7 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached a country mile for Mason Fairchild at the 233rd pick, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Aaron Casey in slot 234, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Michael Barrett at No. 236 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Kendall Milton in Round 7, Pick 18; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
They let Jordan Whittington come to them and pounced at pick 244. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Tyler Owens at pick No. 247 squarely in line with his ranking. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.