DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys had three picks total during the second and third rounds of the 2024 NFL draft and they used them to take two players to help in the trenches and a linebacker to bolster their weakest position on the roster. If the goal was to get bigger, faster, and stronger, the Cowboys were successful on Day 2.
After trading back in the first-round, the Cowboys had picks 56, 73 and 87 to work on Day 2 and with a laundry list of holes to fill. They weren’t going to accomplish it all with three picks, but Dallas came away with players who have the traits to help them fill out a roster that had been raided in free agency. The question is, with the caliber of prospects that they selected, will the new talent contribute in 2024, or are they prospects for the future?
2nd Round, pick No. 56: Western Michigan DE Marshawn Kneeland
With their second-round selection, the Cowboys went with a defensive end out of Western Michigan. Kneeland was the best pass rusher available, and the defense had a sneaky need to add depth where there was very little.
After starting star DEs Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, only third-year man Sam Williams has shown any potential to be a rotational piece with Chauncey Golston not yet developing as a third-rounder from 2021. After losing Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in free agency, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer needed another quality option.
Kneeland had 28 career sacks and despite playing at a small school, he has the skill set to be a difference maker. His pass rushing repertoire needs some refinement, but Kneeland’s best work right now comes in the run game, where the defense desperately could use the help.
Playing behind Lawrence is the perfect situation for a player who has a similar career projection. Lawrence was also rough around the edges coming out of Boise St. but had the traits to excel. Now Lawrence is one of the best two-way DEs in the league, which is where the Cowboys believe Kneeland is headed.
His best football is ahead of him, and with the veteran on the last year of his deal, the hope is that Kneeland is ready to step in if Lawrence doesn’t return in 2025 while providing some on-the-job training reps behind the starters in 2024.
3rd Round, pick No. 73: Kansas State OL Cooper Beebe
By the time the draft is over, Beebe could end up being the fanbase’s endorsed selection as a player that many hoped would land in Dallas. The Kansas State lineman is a physical marvel who played four positions on the offensive line for the Wildcats, but never at center where he is likely to be tried, according to head coach Mike McCarthy.
After missing out on the top two centers, the Cowboys get a mauler who blows people off the ball, is quick enough to get to the second level, and has a high football IQ. Beebe is a load in the middle, tough to knock off balance, and pass blocks at an elite level.
There will be healthy competition, but it looks like the Cowboys have found themselves a center if he takes to the intricacies of the position. The incumbents for the job were two undrafted free agents in Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass, two players who are more suited to be backups. Beebe should step in and quickly establish himself as the best center on the roster, despite never playing a game at the position.
When asked about his gameday mentality, the third-round pick said, “he likes to put people in the dirt.” That’s the type of offensive lineman that Cowboys fans are excited to see in the trenches for a team that had lost a little grit in the run game in 2023.
3rd Round, pick No. 87: Notre Dame LB Marist Liufau
After getting some value from their first three picks in the 2024 draft, the Cowboys went a little deeper down the board to select Liufau out of Notre Dame but they did so at a position of desperate need. Dallas’ depth chart was starved of linebackers and Liufau should be able to compete with Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown right away for playing time.
Only free agent signee Eric Kendricks’ job is safe, as he comes to Dallas handpicked by new defensive coordinator Mike ZImmer, but Liufau’s style and skills look eerily similar to the veteran LB. Like Kendricks, Liufau is a fast, run and chase LB who excels in coverage.
The veteran Kendricks only signed a one-year deal with Dallas so the Cowboys could be training Liufau to take over if Kendricks leaves after the 2024 season. Liufau is an instinctive LB whose best assets are his football IQ and play recognition, something the Cowboys didn’t have much of at the position in 2023.
Day 2 draft grade: B
The draft class for the Cowboys is starting to find its theme as Dallas ended up selecting the same types of players in the second and third rounds as Tyler Guyton from round one. The Cowboys used their trio of picks on Day 2 to add prospects with the physical tools that can be molded into good NFL players, if they are developed.
Dallas is drafting more for what the players are projected to be than what their production showed in college or even what they can be right out of the gate in their rookie seasons. Despite not opting for more plug-and-play talent, betting on big, fast, strong prospects with great skills is a calculated risk with the Cowboys’ solid history of developing their players. Betting on themselves is where Dallas is putting its draft capital.
The Cowboys also put their resources where games are usually won, in the trenches. The team got physically tougher with the selections of Kneeland and Beebe, players who can help the run game on both sides of the ball, respectively. Dallas addressed major areas of need in the second and third rounds by drafting Kneeland to help stop the run and Liufau to infuse the barren linebacker position with fresh talent.
Overall, it felt like Day 2 of the draft was more about building the future than it was for the 2024 season, a common theme for this offseason despite the “all in” motto from the owner. Only Beebe looks like a starter, and with three other picks in the premium rounds, the expectation is that the team should come away with surefire starters. That does not appear to be the case right now, so the Cowboys see their grade reduced for Day 2.
What grade would you give the Cowboys for their Day 2 picks? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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