The Dallas Cowboys stood pat on opening night of the 2019 NFL Draft, never succumbing to any desire to jump into the first round, and as Day 2 rolled on they toed that same line all the way up to their own pick at No. 58. At the conclusion of Round 3 Stephen Jones said the Cowboys
received offers to move down while on the clock at both Nos. 58 and 90, but stuck with their guns and used their picks to get their guys.
The Cowboys utilized their second round pick, No. 58 overall to select Trysten Hill a defensive tackle out of Central Florida. In the third round, at No. 90 overall the Cowboys selected Connor McGovern out of Penn State. McGovern can line up at both guard and center, and started C, LG and RG while in college. Those selections took care of a couple of needs, leaving several others for the team to address on Day 3.
Safety
The position most focused on entering the draft still hasn’t been addressed. The Cowboys acknowledged they haven’t made the necessary investment here over the years and in the press conference said Hill was chosen ahead of Virginia’s Juan Thornhill. Dallas may still look to fill the void.
Tight End
Irv Smith, Jr. almost made it to Dallas’ No. 58, which would have made for an interesting dilemma. Jason Witten’s return from retirement may have been all the club wants to do here, despite naming it as their biggest priority when the offseason started.
Running Back
The club made it clear they want a three-down back to serve as Ezekiel Elliott’s backup. Alabama’s Damien Harris was snatched up just 3 picks before Dallas got on the clock. There was a run on backs on Day 2, but several still remain.
Cornerback
The brass acknowledged they know Kris Richard’s prototypes aren’t on the roster right now, but through two picks haven’t done anything to address this. There are still a couple of long corners remaining on the draft board.
Wide Receiver
The Cowboys have plenty of wideouts on the current roster, but many of them are on expiring deals. They could look to add a player that may be in line behind Randall Cobb, Allen Hurns orTavon Austin as they work on a new deal for their virtual first-round pick Amari Cooper.
Entering Friday nights’ action the Cowboys had few positions that were in desperate need of an upgrade, and fewer that could be upgraded with second or third-round picks. With less draft capital to work with this year, the success rate of picks becomes all-the-more important. They had chances to trade down and didn’t take them, will they move up or down in Round 4 to help round out the roster?
You can follow Burke at @BurkeDowner.
