FRISCO, Texas — As Jerry Jones got comfortable in his chair Saturday evening for the post-draft news conference, he provided a lighthearted one-liner to help sum up the work done over the course of three days and seven rounds.
“Why do you rob banks?” Jones said. “Because that’s where the money is.”
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The Dallas Cowboys felt like the money in this year’s draft was in the trenches, more specifically, up front on the offensive line. The Cowboys spent two of their first three picks on Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe, players who could end up being the team’s starting left tackle and center, respectively. They added another offensive lineman in the seventh round.
Dallas still needs to address running back (most obvious), but clearly had a vision of what it wanted to get done in the draft and stuck to the script in what’s become the team’s primary method of roster improving.
The picks
| ROUND | PICK | NAME | POSITION | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 29 | Tyler Guyton | OT | |
2 | 56 | Marshawn Kneeland | Edge | |
3 | 73 | Cooper Beebe | OL | |
3 | 87 | Marist Liufau | LB | |
5 | 174 | Caelen Carson | CB | |
6 | 216 | Ryan Flournoy | WR | |
7 | 233 | Nathan Thomas | OT | |
7 | 244 | Justin Rogers | DT |
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Best value pick
Cooper Beebe, G/C, third-round pick. Dane Brugler had Beebe ranked 38th on his top-100 big board. Dallas was able to get him at Pick 73, the selection they received for trading back from 24 to 29 with Detroit. Beebe is expected to immediately compete for the starting center job. His competition will likely come from Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass. While Beebe did not play center in a game at Kansas State, he did work at the position in practice and during the pre-draft process. If he struggles at center, his future could be as Zack Martin’s eventual replacement at right guard, depending on how much longer Martin wants to play.
“He will definitely be a part of the center competition,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously, he has played mostly at guard, but he has played them all. That was part of the evaluation. He is someone we are very, very excited about. His position flex as you look at today’s game with the 17 games and you look at our history, you can’t have enough players — let alone linemen — that can play two positions. Yes, he will definitely have an opportunity to compete at center.”
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Most surprising pick
Marist Liufau, LB, third-round pick. The Cowboys didn’t really have a surprising pick. This one gets the edge just because of where most experts had him graded entering the draft. Brugler had a fifth-sixth round grade on the Notre Dame linebacker. The Cowboys didn’t have a fourth-round pick and they needed linebacker help. They had Liufau in as an official 30 pre-draft visitor, so it’s not a huge surprise that he ended up in Dallas. It just might’ve been a little earlier than most on the outside expected. The Cowboys really liked his versatility, specifically his ability to play off-the-ball linebacker but also rush off the edge.
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“He has 34-inch arms,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said. “(He’s) able to match tackles. He plays all over the field and can drop in coverage. The multiplicity and the number of things he can do at a high level was attractive. … He’s a damn good defensive player that will contribute on special teams.”
Biggest question mark
There were a number of things that raise questions about the Cowboys’ approach to the running back position. After the first day, Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones was asked about Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, which prompted Jones to heap superlatives upon Brooks, as a player and an interview. The Carolina Panthers took Brooks with the 14th pick in the second round so there was barely a chance that the Cowboys would get an opportunity to pick him but it was an interesting approach by Jones — if there was legitimate interest in him. Jones dismissed that he created a smoke screen and that the praise was genuine.
In that same Day 1 news conference, the Cowboys were asked about their meeting with Ezekiel Elliott and his representation the day before the draft. Stephen Jones acknowledged it but laughed off the meeting as more of a casual thing of the Cowboys doing their homework. The next day, however, the Cowboys did not select a running back with any of their three Day 2 picks. Coming out of Day 2, it was difficult to fault the Cowboys for the direction they went with their picks. They addressed needs along the offensive line, got a high-value edge rusher and added another linebacker, though the linebacker pick may have been a bit of a reach.
After Day 2, Jerry Jones kicked the casual Elliott dialogue from 24 hours priors into high gear. Asked why the Cowboys didn’t pick a running back and how they felt about their outlook at the position, Jones invoked Elliott’s name unprompted, then held court with reporters and talked at length about the potential of Elliott, saying the former Cowboy and Patriot could still be an NFL starter. Still, it felt more likely than not that the Cowboys could add a running back on Day 3 — but they did not. After a quiet first two days at the position, running backs flew off the board in the fourth and fifth rounds before the Cowboys’ first selection of the day.
So, what now? Even if the Cowboys add Elliott, who has shown little signs of tread left, the running back room of potentially Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis and Royce Freeman leaves much to be desired. There’s still plenty of time before training camp, but the primary player acquisition windows have passed and the Cowboys’ approach to improving the running game remains a mystery.
Remaining needs
The two main remaining needs for the Cowboys are running back and defensive tackle. The aforementioned outlook of the running back position applies as to reason why, but defensive tackle isn’t far behind as a position the Cowboys will need a boost. The two positions are very different, though, in terms of how much help could have even been expected to come out of the draft.
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Whereas running backs run high on supply — even mid-round players being looked upon as answers to depth chart questions — defensive tackles have a far lesser immediate hit rate, as the transition from college to the pros takes more time. There’s no better example of that than Cowboys’ 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith, who the Cowboys are hoping makes a significant jump from his disappointing rookie season. Even if Smith rebounds to be a formidable player, the position inside is still thin behind him and Osa Odighizuwa. The reality is, if the Cowboys were going to upgrade at defensive tackle immediately in 2024, that would have had to come in free agency or very high in the draft. Getting Auburn’s Justin Rogers with their final pick adds a body but is hardly a solution.
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At the start of the offseason, Jerry Jones singled out the rush offense and the rush defense as two areas Dallas must improve. On the one hand, the Cowboys worked toward those goals by adding offensive linemen and linebackers, respectively, but running back and defensive tackle are primary positions to address in getting better in the run game on both sides of the ball.
Aside from those two positions, to a lesser extent, the Cowboys could still use help at wide receiver. They drafted Ryan Flournoy in the sixth round and there should be room for competition on the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.
Post-draft outlook
Major questions remain at running back and defensive tackle. Dallas has unquestionably taken a step back at both positions. And for a team that has struggled running the ball and stopping the run, this is a concern. Will a running back-by-committee approach really be the answer? While the Cowboys will be able to find young players to attempt to make the roster at defensive tackle, like Rogers, they have not replaced the loss of veteran Johnathan Hankins. It’ll be interesting to see how new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer attempts to get better production from that position group. Unless Mazi Smith makes a major jump in Year 2, it’s difficult to project the run defense being significantly better.
(Top photos of Marshawn Kneeland, Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe: Michael Wade, Brian Bahr, David Rosenblum / Getty Images)