The Dallas Cowboys are in a unique situation, in that they have the talent to quickly turn around from a 2019 playoff omission and become one of the top contenders for a title in the 2020 regular season. That said, they needed to put together a top-tier draft class to get to that point. Did they accomplish that with their seven-pick slate, or did they fall short? Here’s a look at the Dallas Cowboys’ 2020 NFL Draft grades!
Cowboys Draft Selections
Round 1, No. 17 overall: CeeDee Lamb, WR Oklahoma
Round 2, No. 51 overall: Trevon Diggs, CB Alabama
Round 3, No. 82 overall: Neville Gallimore, DT Oklahoma
Round 4, No. 123 overall: Reggie Robinson, CB Tulsa
Round 4, No. 142 overall: Tyler Biadasz, C Wisconsin
Round 5, No. 179 overall: Bradlee Anae, EDGE Utah
Round 7, No. 231 overall: Ben DiNucci, QB James Madison
Best Player: CeeDee Lamb
It speaks volumes when the decision for “Best Player” is an easy one, even after the draft the Cowboys had. Dallas acquired near-maximum value in almost every round, but they made their best overall selection in the first round with Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb, my WR1 in the 2020 NFL Draft, is a dynamic offensive threat who has the size, fluidity, quick twitch, and toughness to be a premier weapon at the NFL level. It’s almost unfair that he went to a team that already had Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Now, Lamb simply gets to make Dallas’ receiver unit that much better.
Best Value: Neville Gallimore
You could legitimately choose five different Cowboys picks to carry this mantle. Lamb might just be the best value in the first round, as no one expected him to slide to number 17. Trevon Diggs provides immense upside with his length and athleticism 51 overall, almost twenty spots lower than he was expected to go.
Tyler Biadasz, the Cowboys’ second fourth-round pick, might just be the team’s starting center in the fall, and fifth-round selection Bradlee Anae has the inside track to a prominent role on the edge.
All this, and the Cowboys’ best value pick hasn’t been listed yet. It was Oklahoma defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, selected in the third round. The Cowboys already had a solid foundation on the interior defensive line with newly-signed veterans Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, but Gallimore adds a whole new element to the line, and he gives Dallas valuable depth.
Gallimore is a stout, explosive interior threat who offers tantalizing potential with his power and motor, and once McCoy and Poe fade away in a couple of years, Gallimore should be a game-changer on the front line.
Biggest Reach: Reggie Robinson
Can I write “pass”? No? Okay then. If I had to pick a reach for the Cowboys, it would be Tulsa cornerback Reggie Robinson. Robinson is an excellent size-speed athlete with plus ball skills, but he might have been taken a round early in the eyes of some. I think his draft position was fine; he offers big-time upside and could help fill a major need for the Cowboys right away.
But he is a bit of a projection to this point, and while he might not have lasted another round, the Cowboys are banking on his upside here. But in all truthfulness, Robinson is not much of a reach at all, and his selection is justified. It speaks to the overall solidity of the Cowboys 2020 Draft grade that Robinson is the biggest reach.
Biggest Sleeper: Bradlee Anae
After trading away Robert Quinn to the Chicago Bears, the Cowboys have a need on the edge across from veteran Demarcus Lawrence. Some projected LSU edge rusher, K’Lavon Chaisson, to the Cowboys at number 17, but in the end, the Cowboys opted to bypass edge rusher all the way until the fifth round when they selected Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae.
Anae, a challenger for the best value pick, is a below-average athlete, but he’s an instinctive, angry edge defender, and in a position battle for the number two edge-rushing spot, he has the profile to rise above the looming ambiguity in Dallas, and lock down a role as a potential starter.
Dallas Cowboys 2020 Draft Grade: A
They may be easy to hate, but credit has to be given to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys — they absolutely hit a home run with their 2020 NFL Draft class. At almost every juncture, they notched incredible value, from the electric Lamb in the first round, to the big-armed Ben DiNucci in round seven.
The Cowboys’ value additions meshed well with their positions of need, and they should be primed to reclaim the NFC East crown. They ensured themselves a chance by hiring experienced head coach Mike McCarthy, and now, after their 2020 NFL Draft performance, the Cowboys are truly one of the most talented teams in the NFL.