2 biggest Cowboys 2024 NFL Draft mistakes

The Dallas Cowboys walked out of the 2024 NFL Draft with eight new players to add to their roster. As much as it was a guessing game going into the draft, it likewise is just as much of one post-draft. Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for criticism, and that any team isn’t prone to make mistakes.

If you’re the Cowboys, you know that criticism is never too far away. Being one of the most storied franchises in NFL history has a way of attracting that. Having an eccentric owner on top of that only intensifies things, especially when there are always high expectations, warranted or not, because of that silver and blue star that resides on each side of the helmet. That makes every decision the Cowboys make a pivotal one, including their 2024 NFL Draft decisions.

Dallas was tasked with a tall order in this year’s draft, having to replace eight players lost to free agency, five of whom were starters last season. Most of those were on both sides of the line, which the Cowboys did address, getting guys like Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland. But by no means were they mistake-free.

So, let’s look at the biggest mistakes the Cowboys made in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys didn’t draft a single running back

The most important need for the Cowboys entering the 2024 NFL Draft was replacing left tackle Tyron Smith, who is now with the New York Jets. The other need that most thought they would address was the running back position. That never happened.

Granted, this was one of the lesser talented running back draft classes in years. It wasn’t until the second round with the No. 42 overall pick that the Carolina Panthers selected Texas’ Jonathon Brooks, who was still considered drafted a bit too high. There wasn’t another running back taken until the third round at No. 58 overall. Overall, 15 running backs were taken but the Cowboys passed on every one of them. Why?

The entire purpose of this draft for the Cowboys was to get bigger, stronger, faster up front. Being beat up like they were in the NFC divisional round opened a lot of eyes. While protecting their $50 million-plus salary cap hit quarterback in Dak Prescott has to be of the utmost importance, giving him a running presence would have also been nice.

The current running back room in Dallas is razor-thin on experience outside of the returning Ezekiel Elliott and even thinner on recent production. The Cowboys’ current depth chart will likely look something like Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, and Snoop Conner. Minus Elliott, the others’ total yardage last season wouldn’t even total 1,000 yards. And Elliott, 28, is a former shell of his once productive self. He played in all 17 games last season, starting in five, rushing for just 642 yards on 184 attempts with three touchdowns.

This was the biggest mistake by the Cowboys in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it wasn’t the only one.

Drafting Edge Marshawn Kneeland at No. 56