DRAFTPLEX

Welcome to the eighth annual edition of my DRAFTPLEX featured content series, Drafting Dallas! In this exercise, I assume front office duties to mock draft the full seven rounds for my favorite team, the Dallas Cowboys, using my DRAFTPLEX Board and the current official draft order. In previous years, this has been, more often than not, a fun exercise in team building — an opportunity to explore the board, connect the dots, and craft a scenario that serves to address a priority need or two, identify potential upgrades, and churn the depth at the bottom of the roster. But, make no mistake about it, with the way the Cowboys have operated this offseason, be it by circumstance or by choice, this edition of Drafting Dallas is defined by plugging holes — filling the significant vacancies across the depth chart created by a mass exodus of popular starters, valuable reserves, and quality role players who will no longer be wearing the star in 2024, headlined by the likes of Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, and Tyler Biadasz on offense and Leighton Vander Esch, Johnathan Hankins, and Dorance Armstrong on defense. The organization subsequently compounded the losses through their limited participation in the free-agent market, signing only two outside veterans in linebacker Eric Kendricks and running back Royce Freeman.