C+
Dallas Cowboys
Flashes of a plan, unevenly run, for the Cowboys: C+.
by mtz1109 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Marist Liufau at the 128th overall pick is 36 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Hit on Graham Barton and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 28 they get protection for the quarterback. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Braden Fiske at slot 56 squarely in line with his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
No edge and no loss on Trey Benson in No. 87; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid a round early for Brenden Rice in Round 3, Pick 25, more than the board wanted. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Marist Liufau this early at pick 128. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had cheaper options than Tanor Bortolini at the Round 5 slot, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Gabe Hall went about where he belonged in the Round 6 slot. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Trevin Wallace in Round 7, Pick 13, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.