At the time of this writing, we’re roughly 80 hours from the start of the 2024 NFL Draft.
We know the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of holes to fill on the roster. They’ve lost several players to free agency and retirement.
They’ve only signed two outside free agents – a linebacker and a free agent — but still need players at those positions.
Barring any trades, Dallas has seven picks in the seven-round draft this weekend.
But they do not have a fourth rounder. They do have a pair of seventh rounders however.
We also know they have some contract extension issues – including one involving their starting quarterback of the past eight seasons.
What We Don’t Know
But it’s what we don’t know as we approach Thursday’s first round that is driving Cowboys fans up the wall.
Speculation is running rampant on social media and among the talking heads. What we have in common – and this includes me – is that none of us have a clue as to what’s coming.
There is, at most, three people who know what the Cowboys have in mind.
Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Will McClay.
McClay isn’t talking. Nor should he be.
Jerry and Stephen are talking, and most of us wish they’d shut up.
Of course, most of us wish they’d just go away and take the rest of the Jones family with them, but that’s the subject of another post.
Stephen recently indicated that Dallas needed to get bigger and stronger in the middle of the defense. He was clearly alluding to the inability to stop the run.
Problem is, they were supposed to have addressed that last year by drafting Mazi Smith in the opening round.
Then they turned him into Dat Nguyen by making him drop 30 pounds in training camp.
Rumor has it he’s beefing back up but Dallas still needs to add another defensive tackle to the roster.
The Dak Prescott drama heated up last week. Prescott seemed to hint at the possibility of moving on after this year.
As most regular readers know, I’m prepared to help him pack – preferably before this year’s training camp.
I know I’ve seen enough after eight seasons to know he won’t get Dallas to the Super Bowl. But I don’t know if the Cowboys’ front office has yet.
So, we continue to wait and see. Will they extend Prescott or not?
Who knows? I sure don’t and neither does anyone else outside The Star.
Stay tuned.
How Will The Cowboys Draft?
Again, anyone who says they know Dallas’ draft plans with any certainty is lying – unless their name is Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones or Will McClay.
Most mock drafts I’ve checked out have Dallas going offensive line in the first two rounds and then grabbing a running back in the third.
Could that be the thinking in the war room at The Star? Certainly.
Is it a bad strategy? Given the needs on this roster this year I don’t think any position – other than tight end – is the wrong position to draft in any of the three rounds.
My biggest issue with the running back in the third round mocks is that most seem to think a solid running back is going to be there.
Many tab Trey Benson out of Florida State as the Cowboys’ third round pick. I will be shocked if he’s still there when Dallas’ turn comes up in that round.
There aren’t many good running backs in this year’s class. If the Cowboys do go offensive line in the first two rounds, I don’t think they’ll have a solid running back to pick in the third.
Same goes for wide receiver.
So if Dallas does double dip on the line, they probably should go linebacker in the third. Which means a running back by committee in 2024.
Pardon me while I put in a Door Dash order for a case of Pepto Bismol from my local CVS.
My Last Draft Prediction
I still smell a trade in the first round for the Cowboys. And there are two possibilities.
One, they swing for the fences, jettison Prescott in a trade up and draft the best available quarterback.
They see what they have in Trey Lance while the rookie gets ready to take over in 2025.
This is an unlikely scenario – so the Dak Pack defenders can ease up on the hate mail – and would indicate Dallas has already washed its hands of the 2024 season and head coach Mike McCarthy.
The more likely trade will be to trade down – probably out of the first round altogether – and pick up and extra pick or two.
With the gaping holes in the roster, this move makes the best sense.
The Cowboys can fill more of those roster holes – and hopefully find another gem or two in the undrafted free agent pool like they did with T.J. Bass and Hunter Luepke last year.
So, there’s my last best guess – and that’s all any of us are really doing here.
We’ll see who got it right by the end of the week.