The long-anticipated 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, leaving many fanbases excited and others scratching their heads at their team’s moves.
The New York Giants didn’t use the #6 overall pick on a quarterback, instead adding a weapon at wide receiver for his last chance to prove Daniel Jones can be the guy.
Giants fans are raging on social media. They can’t believe their team didn’t use the pick on Michael Penix or J.J. McCarthy.
The Atlanta Falcons drafted the aforementioned Penix with the 8th overall pick even though they just gave QB Kirk Cousins $184 million guaranteed.
Falcons fans are posting their disgust on social media and a video of the Atlanta War Room showing Falcons’ GM Terry Fontenot getting a scolding from Owner Arthur Blank has gone viral.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded an NFL-record nine times and still ended up with one of the best drafts of the weekend.
What do Cowboys fans have to say about the eight new draft picks? There are mixed emotions.
Some (like myself) are excited at the additions to the trenches: LT Tyler Guyton, DE Marshawn Kneeland, C Cooper Beebe, and NT Justin Rogers.
Others are concerned that certain positions were not addressed properly or at all. Can I say that you can feel both ways?
I agree there are some areas that seemed to have been kicked to the wayside in this draft in favor of special teams value or developmental potential.
In a draft where several holes needed to be filled, it feels like the Cowboys’ decision-makers might have been thinking past 2024 or they are too confident in what is already on the roster.
There’s one position that got ignored that I have to point out as the focal point of this article: running back.
Pipe Dream
Even though a rumor was going around on draft day that the Cowboys would consider trading back to the end of the 1st or top of the 2nd round and take RB Jonathon Brooks, I don’t think that rumor was true.
However, the 2nd round is where we speculated all offseason that the Cowboys could choose to fill the void at running back left by Tony Pollard.
The scenario seemed too perfect even to be written by scriptwriters.
RB Jonathon Brooks had his surgery done by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ team physician. Dallas has a reputation for taking 1st-round talent hampered by injury with their 2nd round picks.
It seemed the stars aligned, except the Carolina Panthers blew the trumpet with the 46th pick to awaken Cowboys Nation from their fairytale dream.
Deep down we all knew the dream of Jonathon Brooks to the Cowboys was far-fetched but we allowed ourselves to believe it anyway.
Offensive Edge or Defensive Edge?
When the 56th pick came around, we weren’t sure what to expect but we knew the biggest needs after the 1st round left tackle were center, running back, and linebacker.
What a surprise when the name called was DE Marshawn Kneeland from Western Kentucky.
Kneeland is one of the nastiest run defenders in the nation, drawing praise from current Assistant DL Coach Greg Ellis, who said he “reminded me much of myself” and also has drawn comparisons to a young DeMarcus Lawrence.
The Cowboys chose rush defense in the 2nd round instead of the offensive running game, leaving names like Florida State’s Trey Benson and Michigan’s Blake Corum on the board.
The Chicken or the Egg?
With the early 3rd-round pick the Cowboys received in their 1st-round deal with the Detroit Lions, they chose IOL Cooper Beebe from Kansas State.
Beebe played guard in college but the Cowboys intend for him to start at center to replace the departed Tyler Biadasz.
The versatile lineman from Kansas State was projected by experts to be drafted as high as the late 30s but somehow fell to the Cowboys at pick 73.
It brings up the old adage about which came first, the chicken or the egg.
With the Cowboys running game, does an elite line make the running back elite, or does an elite running back make the line look elite?
I prefer to have a strong offensive line with a smart and decisive back taking handoffs so I’m perfectly fine leaving players like Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright and Michigan’s Blake Corum on the board at pick 73.
Aloha, Goodbye to All the Running Backs
In the 13 picks between 73 and 87, Blake Corum from Michigan was the only running back taken, leaving names like Jaylen Wright and USC’s Marshawn Lloyd still available.
Instead, the Cowboys drafted their Leighton Vander Esch and eventually Eric Kendricks replacement with LB Marist Liufau from Notre Dame.
Again, I can’t blame the Cowboys for addressing the source of the bleeding before a running back position that might be able to get by with a smaller bandage.
The Cowboys’ run defense has been its Achilles Heel for several seasons in the playoffs, and it’s about time it gets addressed.
Still, the Cowboys failed to trade back into the 4th round so 87 picks went by in between their 3rd and 5th round picks.
In this time, 12 more running backs were drafted, including big names tied to the Cowboys like Nebraska’s Braelon Allen and Marshall’s Rasheen Ali.
He Thinks He’s a Rapper
At pick 174 in the 5th round, it was the Cowboys’ last chance to address the running back position with a higher pick than the 6th-round pick used on Deuce Vaughn last year.
Instead, the Cowboys chose their next cornerback slash rapper since Kelvin Joseph was traded to Miami last offseason.
Caelon Carson, cornerback from Wake Forest, likes to rap in his spare time. Let’s hope he can do his day job better than the previous guy.
In the range of the 174th pick, only names like Troy’s Kimani Vidal or Alabama’s Jase McClellan made sense.
They both got picked before the Cowboys went on the clock again at 216 and the chance to address the running back with a higher projection than the 6th round went out the window.
What’s the Plan?
Former Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott agreed to terms with the team early Monday morning.
Other than adding some undrafted free agents from what was left of the draft pool, they seem content to go into the season with Rico Dowdle, Elliott, Royce Freeman, Vaughn, and Hunter Luepke.
For the second draft in a row, the Cowboys fail to address the running back position with a high pick in the draft.
Only time will tell if that decision will be the catalyst to another early playoff exit.