As we prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have several holes to fill, and drafting a wide receiver will happen at some point.
I would be the happiest man alive if Jerry Jones shut all of us up, traded up ahead of the Arizona Cardinals, and took Marvin Harrison Jr., but I will stop talking about that now because that is the last thing he would do.
That said, I have looked at a few names in the draft that the Cowboys could take outside of the first round. They will likely go offensive linemen in the first round and running back or defensive in the second.
Names To Watch
The first guy I didn’t watch much in college, but after looking at his highlights and others talk about him on social media, is Ladd McConkey, a slot guy from the University of Georgia.
https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1777805285307912703
He didn’t put up huge numbers in college, but playing behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks next season would do him well.
He is 6 feet on the nose and 185 pounds. He played multiple positions while in college, and the more I watched his tape, the more I liked the guy.
I don’t even know if Dallas knows who will be the third guy this year. My guess would be Jalen Tolbert. He out-snapped Michael Gallup in three or four games last season.
The next guy to watch is Zakhari Franklin; if you don’t know who he is, let me tell you.
He is projected to go in the seventh round, but He started his college career at UTSA before transferring to Ole Miss a season ago.
UTSA WR Zakhari Franklin has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, per @mzenitz.
He's expected to receive big P5 interest after catching 94 passes for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.https://t.co/j0ekKPxVpv pic.twitter.com/8J6g3M8QWp
— On3 (@On3sports) April 28, 2023
He only caught four balls last season, but he set school records during his time with the Roadrunners.
In his Junior season in 2021, he caught 81 passes for 1027 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his Senior season, he had 94 catches for 1136 yards and 15 touchdowns. He set the college record for UTSA in all three categories in both years.
Clearly, he struggled when he transferred, and some places say he was dealing with an injury that forced him to miss three or four games.
These guys would fit with what the Cowboys are trying to do.
Given the cap space and what has been happening lately, they want to go younger, and these two late-round wide receivers can give them a cheap option.
Let’s Be Real
This team lost a few starters and a lot of depth from a year ago. Does anyone really think that they will be able to make up for that in the draft?
I hope I am wrong, but it is hard to see this team winning 10 games this season.
They will be CeeDee Lamb dependent, have a below average running game with a young offensive line.
The backend might be okay with Trevon Diggs’s and the others’ return even with Gilmore gone, but still.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Cowboys could be considered a "sleeper team" to draft a QB, per @AdamSchefter
Could be a good contingency plan if they cannot work a deal out with Dak Prescott. pic.twitter.com/nfpGvgIpFE
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) April 10, 2024
Time will tell, I am normally a bit more thrilled for the NFL Draft, but this year is down for me, I am disappointed in the way this offseason has went.
They could have made cap space, and I hate that Jerry Jones talks the talk, but doesn’t do anything to make the team better when he can.
I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong, but this could be the last year we see Dak Prescott, Mike McCarthy and maybe some others in Dallas.
Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb might be the only two guys we have to look forward to on Sunday’s after the 2024 season and it sucks they wasted the window that they had.
