What should Dallas do with early picks in the NFL Draft? | Yahoo Fantasy Football Show
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and Pro Football Focus' NFL Draft Analyst Trevor Sikkema explain why an offensive lineman might make the most sense for the Dallas Cowboys early in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Video Transcript
TREVOR SIKKEMA: I think that Graham Barton going to the Dallas Cowboys at pick number 24 in the first round makes a ton of sense. He can start at left guard for you. He can start at center. He gives you that ultimate flexibility along the interior to get your best five offensive linemen out there. And I think that the Cowboys are at a tipping point, right? I mean, Biadasz was a solid center for them. Tyron Smith, longtime left tackle for you.
Fans sometimes get carried away with versatility. They go, oh, this guy can play left guard or left tackle. You're right. He can only play one of them, though. It's not like you're good at both spots because this guy could play both these spots for you. If he plays one, somebody's got to play the other. Terence Steele didn't really play great at right tackle for them last year. You obviously still have Zack Martin, but Zack Martin is 33 years old now. So it's like they kind of need to reemphasize the offensive line with those two departures last year and not knowing how much longer Zack Martin is going to play.
So Barton, to me, does give you a ton of flexibility to be able to play at any of those interior spots. And it's going to be-- it's going to take a little bit of draft capital and free agency capital, if you ask me, for the Cowboys' offensive line to be back in that top five category like we've seen it be over the last couple of years at times. So Barton is a really good start for that. And that, to me, when you're talking about-- I don't know if I want to say the closing of a winning window-- but last year felt like the Cowboys' year to really take a run into the deep playoffs.
MATT HARMON: Well, vibes are weird there. There's no--
TREVOR SIKKEMA: Right.
MATT HARMON: Vibes are weird out of Dallas right now, whether you want to call it closing window or whatever. But vibes are very weird. But I can see, if they come away with just a meat and potatoes type of draft here--
TREVOR SIKKEMA: Yes!
MATT HARMON: --it's not going to quell all of the media stuff, because nothing ever will coming out of Dallas.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: It's very true, yeah.
MATT HARMON: But regardless, come with an offensive lineman. Get yourself a running back on day two. I can see how that would sort of at least quiet the noise.
TREVOR SIKKEMA: Yes, yes. I think in the second round of this mock, I have the Cowboys taking Jonathan Brooks from Texas, who I think is RB1 in this class. And it's like, OK, if you, all of a sudden, go get Graham Barton and then Jonathan Brooks, like you mentioned, like a backbone, eating your vegetables type of draft for you that you know is hopefully going to give you the flexibility to bring in some playmakers and draft some playmakers in future years.