Well, that was probably one of the more exciting NFL Draft weekends I’ve ever seen. A record number of trades were finalized. A goodly amount of quarterbacks were drafted. And a nice feel-good story late on Saturday to top it off.
But now that enough time has passed since the Rams selected good old “What’s-His-Name?” with the final pick, lets take a look back at how the Cowboys fared. I’m leaning toward an overall grade of B-. Mostly because I think they panicked in the second round.
Their UDFA signings immediately following their final pick though kept this grade from a C+. We’ll take a look at those players as well. First, the Drafted Eight.
A Solid Start
The Cowboys’ run defense was the fatal flaw in 2022. They addressed that in the first round by picking Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith. This was a solid pick, despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth of not drafting Michael Mayer at tight end after Dalton Kincaid was sniped the pick before.
Dallas did not need a tight end. They needed to address the lines on both sides of the ball and did so here. So far so good.
The Big Reach
If the front office just had to get a tight end, they could have waited. A total of six tight ends were selected after the fourth round. Taking Luke Schoonmaker, who is already three years older than an average rookie, seems like a reach the more I look at it.
It gets a little worse when you look at the next player selected, offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence. He would have filled another more pressing need.
In the Cowboys draft history they found Jason Witten in the third round and both Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson in the fourth. The last three tight ends they drafted in the second round? Gavin Escobar, Martellus Bennett and Anthony Fasano. I’m thinking Dallas eventually rues making this pick.
The Unknown Man
When the Cowboys selected DeMarvion Overshown I’m betting a lot of you went: “Who?”. I’m betting a lot of you didn’t watch a lot of Texas Longhorns football either.
Overshown is going to be the steal of the draft. Just wait and see.
Off The Rails
The fourth round pick of Viliami Fehoko is still a puzzle to me. Where’s he going to find snaps to get in on Sundays? Unless they play on moving him to linebacker, I don’t like this pick at all.
The pick of offensive tackle Asim Richards was the result of letting Torrence get away from them three rounds earlier. He might develop into a solid pick, but that won’t be this year.
The picks of defensive back Eric Scott Jr. (6th) and wide receiver Jalen Brooks (7th) will also likely not pan out this year. But the pick sandwiched in between them stole the show on Saturday.
Bring Your Son To Work….For Days
By now we all know the story of Cowboys college scout Chris Vaughn and how the used a sixth round pick to draft his son, Deuce Vaughn from Kansas State. Even as a dad myself, I can’t even begin to grasp how that must have felt.
And to be honest, of the five picks Dallas made on Saturday, this is the only one I really liked. Not because of the feel-good aspect of it either.
Yes, Deuce Vaughn is a small running back. But do you recall another player of similar stature named Darren Sproles? He drove defenses insane in his day. I get the feeling Deuce Vaughn is going to end up doing the same.
The League Of The Undrafted
While Dallas didn’t hit a grand slam in the draft, they did improve the team in areas of greatest concern. They followed that up with some solid undrafted free agent signings.
The top two that caught my eye were Florida A&M edge Isaiah Land and North Dakota State fullback Hunter Luepke. I watch two college football teams’ games every year — Texas and North Dakota State. For those worrying about how Tony Pollard or Deuce Vaughn are going to get a yard on 3rd-and-1? Forget about it.
Luepke gains two yards on every play he touches the ball before the defense even touches him. He’s your short-yardage brute and a great get by the Cowboys.
There are several other signees we’ll keep an eye on. But, despite two questionable picks in the second and fourth rounds, Will McClay and company did well this year.
