F
Dallas Cowboys
The Hatten reach set a tone the Cowboys could not shake: F.
by jerrysux ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 41 picks
· 6 steals
· 24 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Cowboys started one anyway for Hayden Hatten, 97 picks ahead of schedule.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Getting Rice where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 11 they get a load in the middle at fair value.
In pick 20 they get a blindside protector. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 23 they get a bendy edge with upside. More want than need.
In the 24th overall pick they get a premier pass rusher, though they paid up to get him. Need was not the driver here.
T'Vondre Sweat at Round 2, Pick 2 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Fair-plus on Jackson Powers-Johnson, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Adonai Mitchell at Round 2, Pick 4 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ja'Tavion Sanders in No. 40 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They took Cooper Beebe at par in pick No. 49, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Edgerrin Cooper in the 51st pick is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They let Javon Bullard come to them and pounced at slot 56. A minor itch, scratched.
Kiran Amegadjie in pick 66 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach for Brandon Dorlus in the Round 3 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Jonah Elliss at the 69th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A cornerback of that caliber at the 78th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for Ben Sinnott at No. 87, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Mohamed Kamara. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
No drama and no debate, Gabriel Murphy went about where he belonged in pick No. 94. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Justin Eboigbe in Round 3, Pick 34 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They paid up for Tyler Davis at pick 105 when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Isaiah Davis at the 115th pick, and the board did not agree. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They barely believed it either: MarShawn Lloyd still on the board at slot 119. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Brenden Rice at pick No. 124 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Khristian Boyd in pick 128 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Nice patience on Javon Foster, who had no business lasting to No. 130. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on Mason McCormick in the 133rd pick; the board had better options right there. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Kendall Milton at slot 134 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Jared Wiley, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It fills a real need, too.
A wild overpay on Nathaniel Watson in the 157th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaylin Simpson in the Round 5 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value said wait; Joe Milton III in the Round 5 slot says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid sticker price for Dwight McGlothern in Round 5, Pick 27, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tahj Washington in pick No. 165, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ryan Flournoy at slot 166 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A premium they did not need to pay, Grayson Murphy a notch or two before his time. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Javontae Jean-Baptiste this early at the 168th overall pick. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Jaylen Harrell at the 170th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jalen Coker well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A big swing on Michael Barrett at No. 180, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A real head-scratcher, Matthew Jones in the 225th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Hayden Hatten in Round 7, Pick 8, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.