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Advertise with Us Terms of Use Write for Us Newsroom Analysis. History. Perspective. Dallas Cowboys Seek to Land Impact Players in 2024 NFL Draft Posted on April 25, 2024 by Chris Kent Tweet The Cowboys seek top talent from the draft. Like a soap opera, the Dallas Cowboys are the most drama filled team in the National Football League. So much that even the smallest issue can dominate the news like wildfire. Whether it is incidents with players in their personal lives, relationships among players, coaches, and staff, rumors generated on players’ podcasts, or the ongoing saga of contract negotiations, Dallas is always generating drama in a way that commands public attention with an abundance of questions. The Cowboys’ 2024 offseason has been dominated by questions so far and have involved many of the team’s star players as well as coaches Is quarterback Dak Prescott going to get a contract extension to remain in Dallas beyond the 2024 season? Will head coach Mike McCarthy be around after this next season? What is edge rusher Micah Parsons saying lately on his podcasts and is he using this platform in the right or wrong way? Are the contract negotiations of wide receiver CeDee Lamb and Parsons moving forward? Will cornerback Trevon Diggs regain his all-pro form following last season’s torn ACL that lead him to miss all but two games? How does Mike Zimmer look in his return to the Cowboys as the new defensive coodinator? Why has Dallas signed just two free agents this offseason while losing seven key starters from last season and other important players? While all 32 NFL teams are facing similar questions like these, they always mean more in Big D based on the history of this iconic franchise and its’ quest to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years. If the Cowboys are to reach the Super Bowl in the immediate or near future, they will have to make a big splash in this week’s NFL Draft. Dallas and 31 other NFL teams will be looking for their future stars, starters, and complimentary players while hoping to secure some depth for their rosters this week. The draft will take place from April 25-27 at Campus Martius Park, Hart Plaza in Detroit, MI starting this Thursday. It will be televised on ESPN Thursday and Saturday with Friday’s coverage airing on ESPN2. The NFL Network, ABC, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Radio will also provide coverage. Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy will be coaching on an expiring contract in 2024. Three straight 12-5 regular seasons and a pair of NFC East division titles have proven that the Cowboys are an above average team in recent years. However they are 1-3 in the playoffs during this time which does not sit well with team owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones or the fan base of this proud franchise. Dallas has many needs, none bigger than the front seven on defense to shut down opposing rushers. The Cowboys allowed 112.4 rushing yards per game and gave up 4.2 yards per carry in 2023, both of which ranked 16th in the league leaving Dallas as a middle of the pack team against the run. Green Bay had its’ way running the ball in its’ 48-32 playoff upset vctory over the Cowboys back in January. Aaron Jones – who has owned Dallas – ran 21 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns in the one-sided win. The Packers rushed for 143 yards on the day and made their drives count. The losses of Jonathan Hankins and Dorrance Armstrong – two starters on the defensive line – as well as fellow lineman Dante Fowler and Neville Gallimore leave the Cowboys thin there. Add in the loss of linebacker Leighton Vander Esch who was forced to retire due to recurring neck injuries and Dallas needs a significantYoung players like defensive ends Sam Williams and Chauncey Gholston will have to rise and contribute more along with other players Dallas lands. The Cowboys need a linebacker or two as well to go along with the newly acquired Eric Kendricks who they signed to a one-year deal in free agency. The 10-year veteran out of UCLA brings experience with the ability to make defensive calls on the field and had Zimmer as his head coach for part of his time in Minnesota. DeMarvion Overshown could be a wild card at linebacker. Dallas used a third-round draft pick on him a year ago but he never saw the field after suffering a torn ACL during a preseason game. While the defense lost more in quantity, the offense might of lost more in quality. The offensive line took big hits with the free agent losses of future hall of fame left tackle Tyron Smith and 2022 pro bowl center Tyler Biadiaz who had started 49 of 51 regular season games games over the last two years. While 2022 top draft pick Tyler Smith is projected to replace the departed Smith at left tackle, he also has flexibility to play guard. Whether it is a tackle, a guard, or a center or someone who can play multiple positions along the offensive line, the Cowboys need toTurner, Latu, and Robinson are forecasted to go in the first round before Dallas picks at No. 24. Thus, the Cowboys might have to move up via a trade to get one of those players. Junior Colson of Michigan is another top prospect as a traditional linebacker that could help solidify the middle of the Dallas defense. As for the offense, it is hard to say what the Cowboys have at running back because it is unproven with one new face in Freeman. Dallas will enter the 2024 season with none of its backs having been in the league more than six years and not one of them having reached 1,800 yards rushing in their career. The Cowboys were 14th in the league in rushing yards last year with 1,920. Meanwhile, Prescott completed 410 passes with 36 touchdown passes in 2023, both of which lead the NFL. That could reveal why Dallas is not an elite team in the league. More efficient play is needed on offense and they have to balance it out with better play from their running backs and tight ends. While Prescott has proven he can throw the ball to Lamb, Cooks, and Ferguson, more production is needed from the backs and tight ends. Part of this is a reliable running game and part of it is using the backs in the receiving game with short outlet passes. First and second down offense has to be more productive so you can avoid third down altogether or have only one or two yards to pick up on third down. A strong and shifty back with speed is needed to lend balance to the offense and keep the defense guessing. At times in recent years, the Cowboys have been one dimensional with only its’ passing game to rely on. This has left them mostly predictable. Florida State’s Trey Benson breaks free from defenders. A running back like Jonathon Brooks from Texas or Trey Benson from Florida State would fit nicely in Dallas and give them some young legs and juice. Blake Corum from Michigan or Braelon Allen from Wisconsin could lend help as physical runners from the ground and pound nature of the Big 10. Other backs include Marshawn Lloyd of USC and Isaiah Davis of South Dakota State. It is not a prime draft for running backs and it is likely that a running back might not be chosen until the middle of the second round. So teams could find a value pick or sleeper at this position in the later rounds. Value or gems in the later rounds could also be found at wide receiver. While Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is the top rated non-quarterback prospect and will be long gone in the first four to seven picks, there are others to be had in the later rounds. Florida State’s Keon Coleman, North Carolina’s Devontez Walker, and Oregon’s Troy Franklin are options in the later rounds along with Xavier Worthy from Texas, Xavier Legette from South Carolina, Ricky Pearsall from Florida, Roman Wilson from Michigan, and Jermaine Burton from Alabama. Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy dazzled NFL coaches and scouts with a time of 4.21 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February setting a record time at the event. Worthy set an NFL Combine record in February when he...