D
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bled value on every deal, hence the D.
by nitebar ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on Michael Pratt; the Cowboys did not wait, grabbing him 53 spots ahead at the 87th overall pick. Put together, it is a D.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. McClellan at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The linebacker hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, linebacker very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 11 they get a matchup problem out wide. Exactly the need they had to hit.
No edge and no loss on Tyler Guyton in the 23rd pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In pick No. 24 they get a bendy edge with upside, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
Jonathon Brooks at the Round 2 slot is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Michael Pratt in No. 87, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Khyree Jackson at slot 108. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They talked themselves into Hunter Nourzad at slot 132, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jordan Jefferson in pick 157 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
Walter Rouse at No. 159 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jalyx Hunt at the 174th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Fabien Lovett at the 216th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The roster fit checks out.
They paid a round early for Bub Means in Round 7, Pick 10, more than the board wanted. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Ryan Watts at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Steal is underselling it; Jase McClellan at pick No. 244 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.