Who should the Cowboys select in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft?

This year’s 2024 draft is loaded with offensive tackle and wide receiver talent which is perfect for the Dallas Cowboys who have the 24th pick in the first round. 

With all the veteran talent that has walked out the door in free agency, the front office seems like they’re electing to bring in new blood through the draft to compete.

Key players that have departed to new teams are Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Neville Gallimore, and Jonathan Hankins. 

The only outside signing Dallas made was former Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers LB Eric Kendricks.

Nonetheless, it’s looking like this year’s draft will be more important than most years given the front office’s complacency with not getting veteran help.

Biggest Needs

As stated, the Cowboys have a lot of spots to fill before they kick off next season. This is a deeper draft than usual in my opinion which benefits Dallas as they are usually great at finding hidden gems in the later rounds. 

The two biggest positions they need to draft high are offensive line and wide receiver. Currently, the majority of analysts and mock drafters, including myself, see the Cowboys selecting a big-time offensive lineman in round one. 

The Cowboys let two starters walk in free agency, Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. That means left tackle and center are a focal point in the draft. Even with some younger depth guys on the roster now, they need to grab some first-round talent that can be a new staple on the line next to LG Tyler Smith. 

In the later rounds, they’ll need to find a wide receiver two due to Michael Gallup’s departure. They also need to fill the running back position along with interior defensive line and secondary help. So, reiterating, this draft is the most important in some time if the Cowboys want any hope of making a deep playoff run. 

My Top Offensive Lineman Picks

With the 24th pick, the Cowboys will already be out of the running for quite a few big-name guys. Players like Joe Alt (Notre Dame), Taliese Fuaga (Oregon St.), Troy Fautanu (Washington), and Olumuyiwa Fashanu (Penn St.) will almost certainly be off the board barring any unseen circumstances. 

So, some mid-late first-round players will be the target unless Dallas uncharacteristically trades up. Here are my top three picks for this year’s draft:

Jackson Powers-Johnson, Center, Oregon

This would be my favorite selection out of the three I’m going to name. Powers-Johnson is a 6’3 330-pound center who is at the top of his class. He is a versatile player who played all over the line before strictly playing center this past season. 

According to PFF.com, Powers-Johnson had the highest offensive grade out of all the centers in college last season. In the run game, he can move downfield and obliterate whoever is in his path. His pass blocking is also at the top of his class. He is not the type of player who is going to get out strengthened as Biadasz did at times because he was undersized. 

While watching the film, he shows flashes of former All-Pro Travis Frederick. That is what gets me the most excited about this pick. The Cowboys have not had a real staple at the center position since then, and Powers-Johnson can do just that. Learning next to future Hall-of-Famer Zack Martin will speed up the transition process also. 

If the Cowboys are lucky enough to have his name still on the board by pick 24, he is a must-draft type of player. 

Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

With the Cowboys electing to not re-sign Tyron Smith, they left themselves with a huge gap to fill to protect Dak’s blindside. As much as I love the Powers-Johnson pick, I see the front office addressing the left tackle position first.

However, that presents issue number one, Guyton is naturally a right tackle. 1,011 of his college career snaps came from the right side while he only had 70 plays at left. Flipping from right tackle to left tackle is one of the hardest transitions in football. The Cowboys would have to be extremely confident Guyton has the ability to do it. 

Guyton stands at a staggering 6’8 320 pounds. The man is massive but he will need to put on some weight and get stronger to be great in the NFL. He is still a raw talent with only 13 starts in college but only allowed two sacks in 548 pass-blocking plays.

That is the biggest issue with reaching and hoping a first-round pick displays his full potential in his career let alone year one. He’ll need to be coached up once he walks into the building. Left tackle is one of the hardest positions in the NFL and there will certainly be an extra spotlight on him if he has a star on his helmet. 

Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

Similar to Guyton, Mims stands at 6’7 340 pounds and will be a project. He has only played right tackle in his 801 career snaps. So, if the Cowboys chose to move him to left tackle, once again there would be a transition period and learning curve. 

However, the hype and potential are certainly there for Mims. He is another raw talent with only eight career starts but has some great strengths. His footwork and strong hands already look NFL-ready. He also brings athleticism and overall strength to fit the build. 

Staying healthy may affect the former Bulldog. He missed time this past season with an ankle injury. Mims has a high ceiling if he can stay on the field and can translate his strengths to the next level. He could make a serious impact this season for Dallas if he is picked 24 overall. 

Final Thoughts

It seems almost certain that the Cowboys address the offensive lineman issue in the first round. It’s not a flashy pick but over the years it has shown every single lineman they select in the first round is a home run. 

The last four times they went that route turned out to be Tyron Smith (2011), Travis Frederick (2013), Zack Martin (2014), and Tyler Smith (2022). If there is one position I trust the Jerry Jones and company to make it is a future All-Pro offensive lineman. 

However, the unlikelihood they go a different route, it would likely be a wide receiver. With a deep receiver class, I would much rather them go grab someone in the middle rounds. Some names that have circulated in Dallas talks are Xavier Worthy (Texas) and Brian Johnson Jr. (LSU) in the first round.

They are two very different receivers. Worthy is a deep threat with insane speed. He stands at 5’11 170 pounds. His hands are questionable at times and he probably will be a gadget-type player at the next level. 

Thomas Jr. is a big-body, go-get-ball, receiver. He is 6’4 200 pounds. Great receiver after the catch but struggles to get separation against top-tier corners and his hands are also questionable. Nonetheless, he will be someone’s number-one receiver with great upside to keep improving. 

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