D-
Dallas Cowboys
The phones sank the Cowboys this weekend: D-.
by jerrysux ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 53 picks
· 13 steals
· 29 reaches
Nobody else had McCallan Castles anywhere near pick No. 224. The Cowboys did, by 106 spots, and that gap is the whole story. It grades a D-, and the process earned it.
Harden at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong.
The Cowboys clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before. The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
It is a steep hill from here, and the grade knows it.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 7th pick they get a true top target at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 9th overall pick they get a long-term starter on the line. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Troy Fautanu went about where he belonged in pick 15. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the defensive front. A clean fit for the roster.
Darius Robinson in pick No. 24 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They read the board right and Junior Colson was the payoff at Round 2, Pick 24. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Jermaine Burton at pick No. 58, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
By-the-book stuff, Kiran Amegadjie at Round 2, Pick 30 squarely in line with his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Michael Hall Jr. at pick 75 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Circle this one: Jaylen Wright at the 80th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the Round 3 slot, with Renardo Green worth more than the price. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Mohamed Kamara at No. 87 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
No edge and no loss on DJ James in the 88th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board had cheaper options than Ben Sinnott at slot 91, and it noticed. It fills a real need, too.
They let Malik Washington come to them and pounced at the 93rd overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid up for Jalen McMillan at pick 94 when waiting would have done the job. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Tommy Eichenberg this early at slot 97. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Brennan Jackson in No. 106, miles early. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Jarrian Jones at Round 4, Pick 7 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Isaac Guerendo in the 108th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Mason McCormick at pick No. 113, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jared Wiley well ahead of where he belonged. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A conviction pick on Tyrone Tracy Jr. at Round 4, Pick 15 that the board grades a round light. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
McKinnley Jackson at No. 116 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Brandon Coleman slipping to the 118th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Hunter Nourzad in pick No. 119, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Jordan Travis in slot 124, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Joe Milton III at the 126th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
A big swing on Tip Reiman at pick 130, well ahead of any board in the building. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaylan Ford in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Tyrice Knight. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A safety of that caliber at pick 162 is the definition of value, full stop. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Isaiah Davis at the 163rd overall pick is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value said wait; Aaron Casey in pick No. 176 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached into another round for Nathaniel Watson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach for KT Leveston in slot 200; a little patience would have been rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They barely believed it either: Kamal Hadden still on the board at No. 204. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kimani Vidal at Round 6, Pick 41 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They did well to land Cody Schrader in the 218th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
Jalen Coker in No. 219 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Michael Barrett at the 220th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, McCallan Castles in pick No. 224 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay Nathan Thomas at Round 7, Pick 8 for years; that is how good the value is. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value said wait; Matthew Jones in pick 230 says they were not listening. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Trente Jones well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Richard Jibunor at the Round 7 slot, and the board is aghast. A pick in search of a role on this roster.
They went early on Kendall Milton in Round 7, Pick 17, and the value did not follow. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A tidy bit of business in pick 242, where Justin Rogers graded well above the range. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on Jordan Whittington in the Round 7 slot, a genuine coup. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Josiah Ezirim in the 245th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board fumbled Myles Harden all the way to the 246th pick, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tyler Harrell at pick No. 252 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Nick Samac. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.