May 02, 2024
After promising that the Dallas Cowboys were "all in, " Jerry Jones and company did next to nothing to improve the team in free agency, while also losing a slew of key contributors. We gave them a grade of "incomplete," figuring that because they had done so little that substantial moves were to still come. But nope. All they have done since is bring back a washed Ezekiel Elliott.
Heading into the draft, the Cowboys had a bigger list of glaring needs than usual that they were going to have to address. Let's look at each of their picks and grade them on what they did.
• Pick 29: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma: In free agency, the Cowboys lost long-time starting LT Tyron Smith to the Jets and center Tyler Biadasz to the Commanders. Prior to the draft, the Cowboys' offensive line looked something like this:
• LT Tyler Smith
• LG: T.J. Bass
• C: Brock Hoffman
• RG: Zack Martin
• RT: Terence Steele
It felt like a near-certainty that the Cowboys would be forced to select an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, and sure enough, they did.
Guyton began his career at TCU as a defensive lineman before moving to TE and eventually finding a home at OT. In 2022, he transferred to Oklahoma where he started five games (1 at LT, 4 at RT). He became a full-time starter at RT in 2023. Guyton can move for a 6'8, 322-pound lineman, but he is raw, as he had just 14 career starts in college.
Guyton was a player many projected to Philly, where he would be able to sit for a while, learn from Jeff Stoutland and Lane Johnson, and then ease into a starting role whenever Johnson retired. In Dallas, he'll likely be expected to start as a rookie, and that could be at LT, where he only had one career college start. If Guyton does indeed start at LT, Tyler Smith would slot back in at LG.
Guyton was a popular projection to the Cowboys, and the value was appropriate where they landed him. And actually, the Cowboys traded back from 24 to 29 in a deal with the Lions, and were able to draft Guyton anyway while also adding a third-round pick:
| Lions got | Cowboys got |
| Pick 24 (Terrion Arnold) | Pick 29 (Tyler Guyton) |
| 2025 7th round pick | Pick 73 |
If you're a Cowboys optimist, then "YAY an extra third-round pick." If you're a pessimist, you might point out that the Cowboys weren't so sold on Guyton that they were willing to move back and risk losing him.
This was a good pick long-term, in my opinion, but Guyton is likely to experience some early growing pains, given his inexperience.
• Pick 56: Marshawn Kneeland, EDGE, Western Michigan: Kneeland's production isn't super impressive (12.5 career sacks), but he has decent enough size (6'3, 268) and obvious athletic traits.
The Cowboys lost Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in free agency this offseason, and DeMarcus Lawrence is 32. They need more pass rush help. However, like Guyton above, Kneeland is probably a little raw and it may take a while for him to get his NFL sea legs.
• Pick 73: Cooper Beebe, OG, Kansas State: Beebe played LT, RT, LG, and RG at KSU. His forever home in the NFL was projected to be at guard, with maybe some cross-training at center. He has a squatty body type at 6'4, 335, and he is able to effectively anchor against bull rushes, but his lack of length is always going to be prohibitive on the edge at the NFL level. Beebe can move defenders with his pure strength at the line of scrimmage, but I was surprised by his ability to get on the move. He doesn't give off "athlete" vibes, but this dude is fun to watch getting to the second level and burying linebackers and defensive backs.
My top interior OL in the 2023 draft is someone who’s played predominantly at tackle.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) July 17, 2022
Kansas State LT Cooper Beebe (50) is a versatile lineman with great pad level, a nasty edge & good play strength. Think he’s a high-floor starter in the pros. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/ntU7K1Zf3n
The Cowboys' starting five along their offensive line likely projects like so, if we're not including Beebe:
LT: Tyler Guyton
LG: Tyler Smith
C: Brock Hoffman
RG: Zack Martin
RT: Terrence Steele
If Beebe is just a guard, there are no immediate starting spots available with two great guards in Smith and Martin already in place. The obvious hole is at center with the loss of Biadasz. Beebe will likely be given a chance to win a starting job there, and I'm sure he's already practicing snapping in earnest.
Of course, as noted above, the Cowboys are likely to already be starting a raw prospect in Guyton at LT, and if Beebe is to play center, that is also more of a projection than a certain fit.
• Pick 87: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame: Liufau is this year's ceremonial Cowboys mid-round linebacker selection.
• 2021: Jabril Cox, Round 4
• 2022: Damone Clark, Round 5
• 2023: DeMarvion Overshown, Round 3
• 2024: Marist Liufau, Round 3
He has good measurables, but unimpressive college production.
• Pick 174: Caelen Carson, CB, Wake Forest: I had looked at profiling Carson for our prospects series during the 2023 football season a few times, but in my opinion, he didn't possess any obviously distinguishing traits, thus making him kind of a boring profile subject, so I didn't. He does offer some inside-outside versatility.
The Cowboys developed Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into All-Pro players, but it will be interesting to see how their corners play as the team transitions from Dan Quinn's scheme to Mike Zimmer's.
• Pick 216: Ryan Flournoy, Southeast Missouri State: Flournoy was at Central Missouri for three years to start his college career, then one year at Iowa Western Community College, before landing at Southeast Missouri State. Good production — 61-984-7 in 12 games in 2022, 57-839-6 in 10 games in 2023. And he's athletic, with good size at 6'1, 202:
Flournoy will turn 25 in October, which, you know, is very old for a rookie. The Cowboys have drafted some Day 3 receivers who have had their moments, like Noah Brown and Cedric Wilson, but it's been a while.
• Pick 233: Nathan Thomas, OT, Louisiana-Lafayette: Thomas was a fourth-round projection by Lance Zierlein on NFL.com and a fifth-round projection by Dan Brugler of The Athletic, so the Cowboys seemingly got a good value pick in the seventh round. In addition to having holes at the starting spots along their line heading into the draft, the Cowboys lacked quality depth. It's no surprise that they drafted three offensive linemen.
• Pick 244: Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn: 6'3, 330-pound depth space eater. The Cowboys' run defense was concerning in 2023, and they didn't really do much to add to the interior defensive trenches aside from this one seventh-round pick.
The Cowboys entered the 2024 draft with some obvious holes at OT, C, EDGE, iDL, RB, and WR. They were right to prioritize the trenches with each of their first three picks, although as noted above, Guyton and Kneeland are raw, while Beebe might be forced to learn a new position and start immediately.
If we were reviewing a team that is looking at more of a long-term building strategy as opposed to one geared toward winning now, I might like this draft significantly more. But much like their free agency, this draft class does not at all scream "all in."
Grade: C+
The Cowboys' draft was largely panned.
🏈🧑🏻🎓 I´ve compiled 20 evaluations of the 2024 NFL draft and totaled the team grades.
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 28, 2024
Here is the spreadsheet. Sorted by GPA for all 32 teams.
I also sorted the 20 evaluations by GPA. From left (soft graders) to right (hard graders).
Thanks to all who give out grades every year! pic.twitter.com/53EozhxKQT
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
