The Dallas Cowboys Had the Best Draft in the NFL and It Wasn’t Particularly Close
The virtual NFL draft was a new experience for everyone involved. Most coaches and general managers chose to draft from the comfort of their own homes. Some, such as Kliff Kingsbury, flexed their futuristic mansions. Others, like Bill Belichick, simply worked from their quaint dining room tables with a laptop, pen, and paper. Jerry Jones, in typical Jerry Jones fashion, went a different route and drafted for the Dallas Cowboys from his yacht. Maybe he should do this every year, considering he put together the most impressive 2020 NFL draft class in the entire league.
The Cowboys stole the best wide receiver in the 2020 NFL draft
The Cowboys didn’t have a glaring need at wide receiver entering the draft, but that all goes out the window when Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb falls in their lap. Lamb was pegged as a possible top-10 pick and the first receiver off the board. When he fell to No. 17, snagging him was a no-brainer for Jerry Jones.
Jones could’ve gone a different route by shoring up the pass rush or snagging a replacement cornerback for Byron Jones, but he did a fantastic job of simply not overthinking the pick. Who cares if you already have Amari Cooper? Lamb has the talent to be as good if not better in a few years.
The one-two punch of Cooper and Lamb, combined with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield with an ever-improving Dak Prescott elicits just one word — lethal. The Chiefs proved last year that offense is king. Points, points, and more points are the key to success in today’s NFL, and Jones set the Cowboys up to be one of the highest-scoring teams in the entire league for years to come with this pick.
The Cowboys got value out of every pick in the NFL draft
The Cowboys absolutely crushed the first two days of the 2020 NFL draft. Lamb was the feature addition, but Jones’ first three picks all provided great value.
Dallas followed up the Lamb selection with another first-round talent in Alabama’s Trevon Diggs. The cornerback was regarded as one of the best at the position, but the Cowboys scooped him up near the end of the second round. Pro Football Focus had Diggs ranked as the 31st best player in the draft. Jones picked him at No. 51.
Diggs filled Dallas’ biggest need entering the draft as well. He has the potential to become everything Byron Jones was for the team.
Jones wasn’t done there. In the third round, the Cowboys picked up a second-round talent. Sensing a theme here? Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore could’ve been a late first-round pick, but he slid to the third round somehow. Jones noticed and pulled the trigger.
Each of the Cowboys’ first three picks presented tremendous value at the spots they were selected. PFF graded each selection at least 11 picks better than when the player should’ve gone off the board.
Jerry Jones filled every need the Cowboys had pre-draft
The Cowboys badly needed cornerback depth entering the 2020 NFL draft. They got two studs, including a top-five corner in the draft in Diggs. Reggie Robinson II out of Tulsa also provides fantastic upside as a fourth-round pick.
Dallas also needed a center to replace Travis Frederick, so they nabbed another Wisconsin product in Tyler Biadasz. You can never go wrong with Wisconsin offense lineman. Biadasz can be molded into the new starter in a few short years.
They also needed help with the pass rush. Gallimore in the third round was a steal, and the Cowboys also added Bradlee Anae out of Utah in the fifth. Both players have the talent to contribute in year one.
Jones didn’t even need to spend his first-round pick on these needs. Instead, all he got was the most complete wide receiver in the entire draft. If Jones doesn’t draft from his fancy yacht every year moving forward, it would be a mistake. It must be his good luck charm because he put together the best draft class in his career as GM and the best in the NFL in 2020.
