6 Nuggets: CBs to safety, floating war room, so DiNucci and McCarthy walk into an elevator…

Also, the connection between QB Ben DiNucci and coach Mike McCarthy, a possible cornerback-to-safety plan in the team’s secondary, and more.

The real MVP of the Cowboys’ draft

(Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

The irony of the 2020 Draft, in which none of the Cowboys’ decision-makers were in the same room as one another, is that it appears to have been a stronger and more cohesive group effort than in years past when the entire staff is entrenched together at The Star in Frisco.

Communication was always going to be the key going in to the all-remote draft, and the Dallas power brokers nailed it. Owner Jerry Jones, chief operating office Stephen Jones, coach Mike McCarthy, and vice president of player personnel Will McClay had choreographed a system that allowed them to be in constant contact for the duration of the selection process.

“We have the ability to figure the trades and share that with each other as we’re on the clock. That’s very doable. And the communication between us in the draft room is excellent,” Jerry Jones said ahead of the draft per the team website. “We have the ability to communicate. I have a direct line with Mike. I have a direct line with Stephen. We have direct lines with each other. We can see what moving down, the risks and the players we might miss to move down, whether that’s justified to what we need. We have the ability to do all of those things, and of course, that’s the exercise that is going on in all of the drafts of the past that I’ve been involved in.”

As Round 4 got underway on Saturday, with the Cowboys having already secured three players who were all ranked higher than where the team picked them, most of the credit- at least from inside the front office- was going to McClay.

McClay did indeed go yard on Day 3, with a quartet of solid picks. Dallas even traded up to get Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz- the Rimington Trophy award winner given to the nation’s top center- with the final selection of the fourth round.

“I think he’s done a phenomenal job with the process and coordination both with the scouts and the coaches working together,” McCarthy had said of McClay as the group finalized their draft prep the week prior. “Really, these last few days with the leadership group, Jerry, Stephen and myself and Will going back through this list of players has been unique to my experience.”

The Cowboys’ seven picks earned them a perfect report card from numerous media outlets. And the mastermind behind it all was the best GM in the league who’s not actually a GM.

Draft picks, D-Law give more d-line clues

The Cowboys’ 2019 underwhelming sack total is a sore spot with the team’s fans and defensive players alike. While it’s certainly not a magic bullet stat that directly translates to wins, putting pressure on the other quarterback invariably leads to lots of other good things. Dallas finished 19th overall in sacks last season with 39, or just over two per game.

The club has restocked the defensive line this offseason with Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy to help fill the void left by Michael Bennett and Robert Quinn. Randy Gregory and Aldon Smith will also upgrade the front, pending reinstatement to the league.

Dallas also addressed the D-line through the draft with a pair of highly-touted prospects. Interior lineman Neville Gallimore, taken in the third round, is a massive player with explosive speed and freakish athleticism. Edge rusher Bradlee Anae out of Utah was projected to go in either Round 3 or 4, but fell to Jerry Jones and the Cowboys late in the fifth.

So what does all of that mean for the Dallas defensive front in 2020? Despite a ton of back-and-forth from fans about whether the Cowboys will officially line up in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme, coach Mike McCarthy has made it clear he’s not hung up on nomenclature. He is, instead, intent on stockpiling talent: fast, strong guys who will get after the quarterback.

Whatever it’s called, the Cowboys’ defense will have a different look when they take the field again. And its superstar anchor may have already given a hint as to what fans (and opposing passers) can expect to see.

Commish’s man cave leads Draft-A-Thon’s auction bidding

League commissioner Roger Goodell took a huge gamble by pushing forward with the weekend’s draft, scrapping the in-person fanfest scheduled for Las Vegas and moving the entire proceedings to cyberspace. But that roll of the dice ended up hitting the ratings jackpot, with 2020’s Draft setting records for viewership of the annual event.

That number included an incredible 15.6 million viewers for Thursday night’s opening round alone, a total better than several of last year’s World Series and NBA Finals games.

The NFL dubbed it Draft-A-Thon, and turned the entire broadcast into a good old-fashioned fundraiser for coronavirus relief efforts. Those numbers blew the roof off, too.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones used the maritime moment aboard his yacht to do some serious good by subtly reminding viewers about the league’s underlying fundraising efforts for coronavirus relief efforts.

Apart from taking basic viewer donations, the league is also hosting an online auction to raise additional monies. While items up for bid include everything from signed balls to in-game gear and even Super Bowl ticket packages, the top item was a very last-minute add.

Watching Goodell announce picks and egg on booing fans from his basement was one of the unexpected hits of the weekend. Lounging in his leather recliner and kicking back in a sweater with a jar of M&Ms by his side, Goodell showed a new side of his personality to fans, and it was well-received.

So well-received, in fact, that on Saturday, Goodell announced that he would auction off a private Monday Night Football viewing with the commissioner at his own house to the top bidder. The once-in-a-lifetime prize also comes with two tickets to an NFL game of the winner’s choosing.

Bidding goes until May 10 and has already topped $200,000.

Cowboys Wire 2020 NFL Draft Coverage

Grading all 7 Cowboys 2020 draft picks | UDFA Tracker
QB Ben DiNucci | DE Bradlee Anae |  C Tyler Biadasz
CB Reggie Robinson | DT Neville Gallimore |  CB Trevon Diggs
WR CeeDee Lamb | Lamb jersey choice |  Lamb Gallery

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