Dallas City News

It’s officially draft week! This Thursday, April 25, the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft will get under way and we will finally find out what the Dallas Cowboys plans are, putting an end to all of the speculation and guesstimating. Before things officially kick off, here are five predictions for the biggest event in the offseason.

#1 – Cowboys trade down in first round

Being slotted in the latter part of the first round, and with so many holes in the roster that need to be filled with not a lot of draft capital to do so, the Cowboys end up trading down to acquire more draft picks. There are teams selecting behind them (Bills, Ravens, Chiefs) who could be looking to move up due to their similar draft needs, which could make Dallas’ No. 24 pick a rather hot commodity.

One reason for the prediction is the lack of a sure-fire, must-have prospect that is projected to be available for the Cowboys at No. 24, other than the top OC prospects Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson. There’s not a lot of difference between the other OT prospects and the ones they could target in a trade-down scenario. Adding extra draft capital by trading down is too tempting of an added bonus.

#2 – Draft LT Kingsley Suamataia

After trading down in the first round, the Cowboys use their first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on Tyron Smith’s replacement, Kingsley Suamataia, the left tackle out of BYU. He is still a work in progress, but possesses all of the intangibles and skill set to become a long-time fixture as the Cowboys new blindside protector. He and Tyler Smith would be a formidable duo on the left side of Dallas’ OL.

Suamataia is just as intriguing as the OT prospects Dallas would’ve considered at No. 24, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton. Unlike them, the former BYU left tackle was primarily a starting blindside protector in college. Because of that, he’s not as much of a projection as the other two because there is actual tape of him playing LT. On top of all of that, he fits what Dallas likes at the position, which only adds fuel to the fire of this prediction..

#3 – Cowboys miss out on both Jonathan Brooks & Trey Benson

It’s no secret the Cowboys will be adding at least one starting-caliber running back at some point in the draft. And if we know it, the rest of the league knows that as well. That could make it more difficult to land one of the top RBs in the 2024 draft class, particularly Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson. Someone selecting behind them could easily trade in front of them knowing it’s a “need” for the Cowboys.

If that’s not enough, Jonathan Brooks is expected be a second-round pick and ranked 48th overall in Dane Brugler’s Top 100 rankings. On the flipside, Trey Benson was given a third-round grade, ranking 81st overall. Based on that, Dallas may have to trade up if they want to secure Brooks’ services or overdraft Benson. The Cowboys aren’t known for reaching on prospects in the draft, so there’s a very real possibility they land neither.

#4 – Trade future draft capital

The Cowboys are currently projected to receive three compensatory picks in 2025 for Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, and Tyler Biadasz. Add that to the number of selections they should have in the 2025 NFL Draft and they should be flush with draft capital. Considering the fact they have so many roster needs right now, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see them use some of that future draft capital at some point in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys used future draft capital to help snag a player they were targeting just last year. They traded up in the sixth round by sending a future 2024 fifth-round pick to the Chiefs in exchange for CB Eric Scott. Keep an eye on them potentially doing the same thing this year at some point on draft day to try to acquire a player they covet that may not fall to them otherwise.

#5 – Pull off a surprise

The selection of Mazi Smith last year was somewhat surprising considering the Cowboys haven’t drafted a defensive tackle in the first round in over 30 years. So were the acquisitions of WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore via trade. And while it wasn’t a “draft day” trade, acquiring QB Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers absolutely caught us all off guard. So, what could they have in store for us this year, if anything?

Jerry Jones and Company might have something up their sleeve for the 2024 NFL Draft. It may be as simple as using future draft capital like we previously mentioned, trading for or trading away a certain player, or maybe even something big like trading Dak Prescott. Something big may happen that ends up catching us all by surprise.