It's officially draft week! This Thursday, April 25th, the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft begins, and we will finally find out what the Dallas Cowboys' plans are, putting an end to all speculation and speculation. become. Before things officially begin, here are his five predictions for the offseason's biggest events.
#1 – Cowboys trade down in the first round.
Picked late in the first round, the Cowboys ended up trading to get more draft picks because they had a lot of holes on the roster and didn't need to fill as much draft capital to do so. It's going to go down. Behind them are teams looking to move up with similar draft needs (Bills, Ravens, Chiefs), so No. 24 for Dallas could be a highly sought-after item.
One reason for this prediction is that other than top OC candidates Graham Burton and Jackson Powers-Johnson, there are no solid must-have prospects expected to be available to the Cowboys at No. 24. . There's not much of a difference between his other OT prospects and the ones he could target in a trade-down scenario. Adding draft capital by trading down is just too tempting an added bonus.
2nd Place – Draft LT Kingsley Suamataia
After trading down in the first round, the Cowboys will select left tackle Kingsley Suamataia out of BYU to replace Tyron Smith with their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He's still a work in progress, but he has all the talent and skillset to be the Cowboys' new blindside protector for a long time. He and Tyler Smith will be a formidable duo on the left side of Dallas' offensive line.
Suamataia is just as interesting as the OT candidates Dallas would have considered at No. 24, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton. Unlike those guys, the former BYU left tackle primarily served as a starting blindside protector in college. So there is actual tape of him playing his LT, so he doesn't project as much as his other two. What's more, he's a perfect fit for Dallas' preferred position, which only adds fuel to the fire.
#3 – Cowboys will miss both Jonathan Brooks and Trey Benson
It's no secret that the Cowboys will add at least one potential starting running back at some point in the draft. And if we know it, the rest of the league knows it too. That could make it even more difficult to acquire the top running backs in the 2024 draft class, particularly Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson. Someone picking behind them can easily trade in front of them knowing it's a “need” for the Cowboys.
If that's not enough, Jonathan Brooks is projected to be a second-round pick and is ranked No. 48 overall in Dane Brugler's Top 100 rankings. Conversely, Trey Benson was given a third-round grade and ranked 81st overall. Based on that, Dallas may have to trade up if it wants to secure Brooks' services or overdraft Benson. The Cowboys aren't known for taking prospects in the draft, so it's very likely they get both.
#4 – Trade future draft capital
The Cowboys are currently expected to receive three compensatory picks in 2025: Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. Add that to the number of picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the draft capital should be the same. Considering the fact that they have so much roster need right now, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see them use some of their future draft capital at some point in the 2024 NFL Draft .
The Cowboys used future draft capital to acquire the players they were targeting last year. They traded up to send a future 2024 fifth-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for sixth-round cornerback Eric Scott. Note that they could do the same at some point on draft day this year to try to acquire a coveted player who might not otherwise be available.
#5 – Make the surprise a success
Last year's selection of Madge Smith was somewhat surprising considering the Cowboys hadn't drafted a defensive tackle in the first round in over 30 years. The same goes for the acquisitions of WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore via trade. And while it wasn't a “draft day” trade, acquiring QB Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers caught us all completely off guard. So what do they have in store for us this year?
Jerry Jones and company may be up to something heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. It could be as simple as using future draft capital as mentioned above or trading or trading away certain players. Or maybe even something big like trading Dak Prescott. Something big may happen and surprise us all.
