FRISCO, Texas – It's officially draft week here at The Star in Frisco, Texas, and everyone is looking forward to seeing who the Dallas Cowboys select with the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Cowboys were quiet during free agency, losing more players than they added. There are a lot of positions that require some work, and we'll break them down for you today. Below are the Dallas Cowboys' 2024 NFL Draft picks.
Round 1: No.24
2nd round: No.56
3rd round: No.87
5th round: No.173
6th round: No.216
Round 7: No.233
Round 7: No.244
The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to San Francisco for quarterback Trey Lance in a mid-season trade. That means Dallas will have to wait a bit from rounds 3 to 5 before having a chance to grab another player.
This Cowboys team has a lot of positions that need help, including linebacker, running back, wide receiver, defensive line, offensive line, and cornerback. Here's a breakdown of each position heading into draft week.
Linebacker: The most important position that many could argue Dallas needs help with is linebacker. The Cowboys lost Leighton Vander Esch due to his continuing neck injury during free agency, and he retired for good after being released. The Cowboys have signed veteran Eric Kendricks to a one-year contract. Both Clark and Overshawn haven't played for very long, and Overshawn hasn't played in a single NFL game yet after tearing his ACL during training camp last year, so he's in the linebacker room. He will help Damone Clark and Demarvion Overshawn. Kendrick's experience will be of great help to both of them. The Cowboys are still looking to add another body to their room, and here are some options Dallas could take in the draft.
Edgerrin Cooper – Texas A&M
Junior Colson – University of Michigan
Peyton Wilson – North Carolina
Run back: Running back may be the next most important position to revamp heading into the draft. RB1 Tony Pollard left for Tennessee in free agency and signed a three-year contract with the Titans, leaving Rico Doodle with the Cowboys. There is speculation that the Cowboys will reunite with Cowboys member Ezekiel Elliott. Since a trade for Elliott hasn't happened yet, Dallas could be looking to add another organization to their running back room, and there are some good options here.
Jonathan Brooks – University of Texas
Bucky Irving – Oregon State
Trey Benson – Florida State University
Wide receiver: Michael Gallup becomes a free agent, leaving the Cowboys with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert. Most of Dallas' offense obviously goes through Lamb, but the Cowboys still need someone to replace Gallup, or can Tolbert handle the pressure? Cooks is in a contract year, but no deal has happened for him yet. Cooks slowed at the beginning of the season, but picked up in the middle and eventually became a big threat for the Cowboys. Tolbert is in his third year and showed much more confidence last year than his first year. If the Cowboys decide to draft a wide receiver, my guess is it will be in the third round or later, but here are the options Dallas could consider.
Xavier Worthy – University of Texas
Xavier Leggett – South Carolina
Defense line: The defensive line is another position Dallas will have to focus on since they lost so many players to free agency. The Cowboys lost Dorance Armstrong, Donte Fowler, and Jonathon Hankins to free agency. Dallas needs to acquire a defensive tackle who can play alongside last year's first-round pick Maji Smith. The other question is whether Sam Williams can fill that role standing behind Micah Parsons. The Cowboys aren't completely down, they still have DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons, but their inability to stop the run has been an issue for the Cowboys in recent years and they need bodies to help with that. Here are some notable options the Cowboys may be considering:
Laiatu Ratu – UCLA
Jayrix Hunt – Houston Christian
The draft will be held in Detroit, Michigan and begins Thursday, April 25th at 7:00 PM CST.