I have never believed in assigning grades immediately after the draft. The NFL draft is a crap shoot and no reasonable assessment can be made until about three years have past. However, if I did give draft grades I would imagine that the Dallas Cowboys would receive high marks. I have never been as excited after the NFL draft as I am about the 2020 Dallas Cowboys draft class. It was not as if the Cowboys made every selection that I wanted them too. (For example, I preferred Kristian Fulton over Trevon Diggs.) Even still, every single selection they made was by my estimation and by that of most experts, a player that was expected to be drafted earlier then the Dallas Cowboys selected them. Furthermore, every single player was a player that Cowboy fans get genuinely get excited about. It may take a few years to truly assess this years haul but the 2020 Dallas Cowboys draft class appears to be one with immense potential. Here is a closer look at each player selected:
Round 1: Pick #17, WR, CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
According to most experts, CeeDee Lamb was the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class and a potential top 10 pick. The Dallas Cowboys were in agreement and that is why they chose to draft him with pick#17, ignoring requests to trade down or other positions of more immediate need. Wide receiver was a need for the Dallas Cowboys but in a deep WR class, they likely anticipated addressing it in the later rounds. Sometimes, the draft gods smile on your team though and you get the opportunity to draft a prospect like CeeDee Lamb. Lamb may not be the fastest wide receiver in the draft but in my opinion he is the best. He has fantastic hands, runs great routes, and has incredible ability after the catch to elude defenders. He does not possess great size but he plays like he is the biggest guy on the field running hard, blocking very well, and he has the ability to high point and snatch the ball out of the air to make contested catches. Lamb has the ability to play outside and in the slot which will allow the Cowboys to move on and upgrade after the loss of Randall Cobb in free agency. CeeDee Lamb jersey’s are going to be the hottest ticket item for fans of America’s Team for a very long time.
CeeDee Lamb Dallas Cowboys Jersey
Round 2: Pick #51, CB, Trevon Diggs, Alabama
There is a lot to like about Trevon Diggs, the little brother of former Viking and current Bills WR Stefon Diggs. Trevon has great size and he is extremely athletic. He does not possess blazing speed and his poor showing against LSU was concerning but the converted WR is a player on the rise. What stood out about Diggs and why the Cowboys coaches are impressed with him are his ball skills. Mike McCarthy wants to get players in the secondary who can take the ball away more so than guys who can simply cover well, explaining why Byron Jones was not prioritized in free agency. Diggs has the potential to be that guy for the Dallas Cowboys and what great value to draft him in the mid second round when I am sure he was in consideration for the Cowboys first round pick.
Round 3: Pick #82, DT, Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
I mentioned that Trevon Diggs was in consideration for the the Dallas Cowboys first round pick. Well, Neville Gallimore was in consideration for their second round pick before falling to them in the third round. Another great value pick for the Cowboys, he was the second player taken from the Oklahoma Sooners and he joins Tyrone Crawford, L.P. Ladouceur, and Christian Covington to become the 4th Canadian player on the roster. (Technically Covington is a F.A but who’s counting?) Neville Gallimore was expected to be drafted much higher than he did because he is an athletic marvel for such a big man who plays with relentless energy. The man dubbed “The Canadian Bulldozer” requires a little more refinement in his technique in order to reach his full potential and in Dallas he can learn from new Cowboy and former Sooner Gerald McCoy.
Round 4: Pick #123, CB, Reggie Robinson II, Tulsa
After the Dallas Cowboys nailed their first three picks, day three would just be icing on the cake for Cowboys fans. With their first pick in the fourth round, they doubled up at the cornerback position and once again got great value with a player whose draft stock had risen significantly after the combine. Reggie Robinsion II is a raw prospect but he has great size and he possesses elite athleticism. He can be molded into either a cornerback or safety going forward and he also has experience playing special teams. Special teams will be an emphasis going forward under Mike McCarthy and a player like Robinson, who has four career blocked kicks, may end up having a huge impact in that phase of the game.
Round 4: Pick #146, C, Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
The Dallas Cowboys traded back into the 4th round in order to draft Biadasz out of Wisconsin. This is not the second coming of Travis Frederick, the former Wisconsin Badger who recently retired, but Biadasz was considered one of the best Centers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Biadasz played very well in 2018 but suffered an injury and regressed some in 2019. The potential for Biadasz to step in and start right away is there but there is no pressure for him to do so with Joe Looney and Connor McGovern also on the Cowboys roster. Competition and depth are good things to have on the offensive line and once again the Cowboys found great value here just before the 5th round.
Round 5: Pick #179, DE, Bradlee Anae, Utah
Curtis Weaver out of Boise State was a player that I was very fond of who fell pretty far down the draft board. Weaver had excellent production in college but lacked ideal frame, athletic traits, and played against lessor competition. Bradlee Anae is another player that fits this profile. Both Weaver and Anae tested better than expected at the NFL combine, but that was not enough to prevent a draft day slide for both players. Fortunately, the Dallas Cowboys were able to wait until the 5th round to address the edge rusher position and did so with a player expected by some to go as high as the second round. Anae has outstanding production in college as a pass rusher and is also stout against the run. He will compete with Tyrone Crawford, Dorance Armstrong, and possibly Randy Gregory and Aldon Smith for a spot at RDE.
Round 7: Pick #231, QB, Ben DiNucci, James Madison
The Dallas Cowboys like to draft developmental quarterbacks and little is known about this young man who transferred from Pitt to James Madison. It appears that Mike McCarthy was impressed by him enough that the Cowboys drafted him in order to avoid getting into a bidding war against other teams to sign him as an undrafted free agent. There is no guarantee that this kid will follow in the footsteps of Joe Montana or Dan Marino (Other Italian quarterbacks from Pennyslvania of note) but don’t write him off just yet.
So this is the 2020 Dallas Cowboys draft class. A collection of players that has many fans, myself included, more excited than any other draft class that I can remember. Hopefully, this group can draw comparisons to the 2016 class that included Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith, Maliek Collins, Dak Prescott, Anthony Brown, and Kavon Frazier because that would mean great things for the 2020 Dallas Cowboys.
2020 Undrafted Free Agents
- Darius Anderson, RB, TCU
- Sewo Olonilua, RB, TCU
- Ladarius Hamilton, Edge, North Texas
- Garrett Marino, DL, UAB
- Francis Bernard, LB, Utah
- Rico Dowdle, RB, South Carolina
- Ron’Dell Carter, Edge, James Madison
- Sean McKeon, TE, Michigan
- Aaron Parker, WR, Rhode Island
- Stephen Guidry, WR, Mississippi State
- Terance Steele, OT, Texas Tech
- Luther Kirk,DB, Illinois State
- Charlie Taumoepeau, TE, Portland State
- Azur Kamara, Edge, Kansas
- Kendrick Rogers, WR, Texas A&M
*Photo by William Prost https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
Prospect rankings and analysis based in part by information provided by…
NFL.COM2019 Draft Prospects ;https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/prospects
NFLTradeRumors.https://nfltraderumors.co/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-visit-tracker/
WalterFootball.com;https://walterfootball.com/prospectMeetings/byteam
Lindy’s Sports 2020 NFL Draft Guide annual magazine,published by J. Lindy Davis. Jr. and printed by D.M.D Publications Inc. 2100 Centennial Drive, Suite 100, Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35216
