What we know about the Cowboys' intentions and approach heading into the NFL Draft (2024)

FRISCO, Texas — The team-building philosophy for the Dallas Cowboys is not a secret. “Draft and develop” has become the outspoken mantra.

“You embrace draft and develop when you draft well,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said at the team’s pre-draft news conference Tuesday. “That’s when you start to embrace it, when you have the success that we’ve had as an organization.”

The superstar right guard that held out in training camp last year was the team’s 2014 first-round pick. The superstar wide receiver appearing to be on the brink of a a holdout this year was the Cowboys’ 2020 first-round pick. The franchise quarterback and elite pass rusher also due for top-of-the-market deals were also homegrown, in 2016 and 2021, respectively.

The reliance on that philosophy is enough to explain the magnitude of this week, when the NFL Draft begins Thursday night and concludes Saturday. But this draft has a little extra sauce to it for the Cowboys, thanks to more than a couple of glaring roster holes and a nearly invisible showing in free agency.

Considering information from Tuesday’s news conference, along with recent background conversations around the team, let’s take a look at what we know about the Cowboys’ plans heading into the 2024 NFL Draft.

Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones at the Cowboys’ annual pre-draft news conference today at The Star pic.twitter.com/IoCQJp6D92

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 23, 2024

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First-round intentions

The Cowboys enter the draft with their first selection at No. 24 overall. If everything goes according to plan, they won’t select a player with that slot.

“I’ll say this,” Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said. “It’s very likely to have an opportunity to (trade down to get more picks).”

Jones added the usual caveats — evaluating which players went off the board early and how they grade the players left on the board, along with weighing what they’d be getting back in a trade. The Cowboys need more darts to throw at the board this year, particularly in the middle of the draft, because of how many positions require help. They lost one of those mid-draft picks last summer when they traded their fourth-round pick for quarterback Trey Lance.

What the Cowboys’ board looks like will vary from the other 31 teams — let alone from the many public rankings outside the walls of NFL teams. This year’s first-round pick not only needs to be a hit, but he needs to be a Day 1 starter. The Cowboys can’t afford a 2023 situation of first-rounder Mazi Smith struggling all year and the Cowboys explaining it by preaching patience because the transition to the pros takes time (as true as that may be). This year, they haven’t afforded themselves that margin for error. If the Cowboys believe that guy is there at No. 24, and may not be there at, say, No. 29, there will need to be an on-the-fly risk assessment of how to proceed.

“I’m not trying to be cute there,” Jerry Jones said. “Obviously we’d like to have some mid-round picks. But by the same token, Micah Parsons might be sitting there with that pick. Now, do you want to go for some more picks or do you want to snag him?”

Ironically, Parsons was sitting there at the Cowboys’ original slot at No. 10 in 2021 and they chose to trade back two spots to add a third-rounder instead of turning in the card at No. 10. It worked out, the Cowboys selected Parsons at No. 12 and enjoyed the benefit of the extra third-round selection. That’s the sort of result they’ll be hoping for Thursday.

Pecking order for positions of need

Left tackle, center, running back and linebackers are the main positions to keep an eye on this week. The Cowboys also have a need at defensive tackle but, whether it’s founded in practicality or not, they’re counting on a big jump from Smith to help fill that void. Additionally, aside from landing one of the best at the position in this class, the Cowboys don’t feel strongly that a mid-to-late round defensive tackle would be an upgrade over the veteran options they already have.

One semantic thing that’s somewhat interesting is how much the Cowboys looped together the two positions and talked about the offensive line, as a whole.

“Certainly, I think we’ve had great work put into this process, and, as Jerry said, it’s certainly fortuitous when you look up and probably one of the deeper positions on this draft, I think unanimously is the offensive line position,” Stephen Jones said.

The general view is that this is a solid left tackle class but the supply for confidence in landing a Day 1 starter does take a hit after the first round. The Cowboys also appear to be prioritizing left tackle over center, not just for how the positions compare relative to draft supply but because of what the alternatives mean in-house. Even if the Cowboys draft a center, it wouldn’t be shocking if Brock Hoffman emerged from training camp as the Week 1 starter. That’s a reflection of how the Cowboys view Hoffman, the nature of the center position and where the Cowboys might be eyeing a center in the draft.

Meanwhile at left tackle, Tyler Smith is a fine consolation plan but the Cowboys continue hoping to keep him at left guard, until they really don’t have a choice. Smith’s position flexibility is a factor in draft plans, specifically about not feeling the pressure to force a left tackle selection early.

“I think the biggest thing is you’ve got to take the best player, the best value,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s why we have the draft process. Tyler’s flexibility gives us something unique to have. The fact that he’s started at both positions at such a young age is pretty special. I look at these players, just say the offensive line room, which player, regardless of the position, do they make the offensive line room better? I have great confidence in our process that if we do select one high, that we’ll make the offensive line room better and we’ll figure it out.”

Between the two positions, if the availability is equal, the Cowboys would prefer to address left tackle before getting to center.

The Cowboys don’t grade the quantity of quality prospects at running back and linebacker in this draft class as highly. That could result in the team addressing those positions in the front half of the draft rather than wait. A popular view of the Cowboys’ first three picks has been two offensive linemen and a running back, but it wouldn’t be surprising if their first three selections featured one offensive lineman, one running back and one linebacker, with the second offensive lineman selection — likely a center — coming later.

One additional note on running backs. The Cowboys added veteran Royce Freeman last week to a backfield that already has Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn and fullback Hunter Luepke. They’ll likely add at least one more running back in the draft. Despite all of that, don’t rule out the Cowboys from exploring the veteran market again, especially after the added cap space after June 1.

Unlikely positions to be drafted

There’s a wide range of importance when evaluating the Cowboys’ positions of need. Help along the offensive line and at running back is obvious and atop the list. Cornerback and wide receiver could use depth, but Dallas is fairly formidable where it stands right now at those positions. There are two positions, though, that the Cowboys feel are set in stone.

At quarterback, the Dak Prescott is entrenched as the starter and the front office likes to take every opportunity it can to rave about Cooper Rush’s abilities.

“I’ll say this about our quarterback room: Cooper Rush goes 5-1 in this league, I don’t care what team you’re playing on, that’s impressive,” Stephen Jones said. “He’s shown he’s more than capable of being a winning quarterback in this league.”

Even with Prescott and Rush as the top duo, the Cowboys would have considered taking a chance at quarterback in the middle rounds, if the right player was available. In their estimation, that’s what they did by trading for Lance last season.

“We don’t have those mid-round picks, a fourth-round pick, and that’s probably where we would have been looking for a quarterback,” Stephen Jones said.

The other position off the board for the Cowboys is tight end. That’s not just because of the emergence of Jake Ferguson, who has two years left on his rookie deal, or Peyton Hendershot, who will be a restricted free agent next year, or Luke Schoonmaker, who they drafted in the second round last year. All three of those players will be part of the equation but it’s the expectations for a fourth tight end that seals it.

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has been the center of the conversation regarding a 2023 rookie who looked promising and was going to have a role last year, if not for a preseason ACL tear that ended his season. To a lesser extent, that’s the vibe on offense some coaches and executives share about 2023 undrafted free-agent tight end John Stephens Jr. When Stephen Jones rattled off a few players the Cowboys expect to serve as upgrades this season over last season, Stephens’ name was sandwiched between Overshown and Trevon Diggs, with Jones adding that Stephens “was on his way to making this team before he tore his ACL.”

(Photo of Jerry Jones: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)