Tag: 2024 draft

Cowboys, Cardinals talked trade of 1st-round picks on draft night

From @ToddBrock24f7: The deal proposed by Arizona might have gotten Dallas a RB in the 4th round, but they would have missed on Cooper Beebe and Caelen Carson.

By all accounts, the Cowboys are extremely happy with Tyler Guyton, the player they selected in the first round of this spring’s draft. The just-turned-23-year-old out of Oklahoma is expected to take over for eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith and become the franchise’s left tackle of the future.

The Cowboys were even able to trade back five spots to get him, and they scored an extra third-round pick for the trouble.

But the rest of the draft might have worked out very differently if the Arizona Cardinals had gotten their way.

In the latest edition of the team’s Flight Plan YouTube series, the Cardinals reveal that general manager Monti Ossenfort was trying hard to move up from 27th to 24th, the spot originally held by the Cowboys.

“We’re talking to Dallas,” Ossenfort told Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell as Miami was still on the clock at No. 21. “Dallas is interested in bailing.”

They were indeed. With three picks to go before the Joneses would be up, there were more first-round prospects than that still on the Cowboys’ board. Sliding back, even just a couple spots, would allow them to get one of their targets… and amass a little extra draft capital to boot. The phone lines in Frisco were suddenly burning.

Ossenfort called the Cowboys and offered Picks 27 and 104 in exchange for 24 and 174.

“Obviously,” he added, “if our guy is there.”

When the Cowboys’ turn finally came around, they did trade the pick. But they had done a deal with Detroit. The Lions had offered Picks 29 and 73, getting the 24th selection and a 2025 seventh-rounder in return.

Detroit used the pick on Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. Tackle Jordan Morgan and Duke center Graham Barton went next, to the Packers and Buccaneers, respectively. Arizona ended up staying put at 27 and still got Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson, who it appears they had been trying to jump Green Bay to get all along.

“Some of the best deals are the ones you don’t make,” Bidwell whispered to Ossenfort.

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The Chiefs selected Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy at 28. Then, although it was five spots later than planned, the Cowboys still walked away with a starting-caliber offensive lineman with the 29th pick.

But the trade had given Dallas an additional bite of the apple within in the top 75. They used it on Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe, who could very well be the Week 1 starter at center.

Had Dallas taken Ossenfort’s offer, the Cowboys could still have secured Guyton at 27. And while the deal would have caused them to miss out on Beebe, the 104th pick would have allowed them at least a chance at a running back like Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Oregon’s Bucky Irving, Clemson’s Will Shipley, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen, or Notre Dame’s Audric Estimé.

The proposed Arizona trade would also have seen Dallas give up the pick they ultimately used on Wake Forest cornerback Caelen Carson.

Guyton/Beebe/Carson vs. Guyton/RB.

Time will tell if Bidwell was right about those deals you don’t make.

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Cowboys sign rookie DE Marshawn Kneeland to complete ’24 draft class contracts

From @ToddBrock24f7: The DE out of Western Michigan was the team’s 2nd-round pick but the last to sign his 4-year rookie deal.

The Cowboys’ entire draft class of 2024 is now officially official.

On Tuesday afternoon, the club announced the signing of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, the last of this year’s draft selections to put pen to paper on his rookie contract. The Cowboys took Kneeland in the second round, using the 56th overall pick on the Western Michigan prospect.

Kneeland brings an imposing physical presence to the end position and showed strong athleticism throughout the pre-draft process. He played five years of college ball, so if you’re looking for a downside, he’ll turn 23 in July, making him slightly older than most rookies. And he did face primarily small-school competition while in Kalamazoo.

Kneeland may have a leg up on climbing the Dallas depth chart, though, given the offseason departures of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. He’ll join a D-end group that already includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, Chauncey Golston, Viliami Fehoko, Tyrus Wheat, and Durrell Johnson… not to mention a certain superstar linebacker who typically lines up on the edge.

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The Cowboys appear to have high hopes for the 6-foot-3-inch Kneeland; they assigned him the No. 94 jersey, the same number previously worn by such franchise notables as DeMarcus Ware, Randy Gregory, and Charles Haley.

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Packers draft NFL-high 8 players from the Senior Bowl

The Packers dipped deep into the talent pool at the Senior Bowl during the 2024 NFL draft.

No team in the NFL selected more players from the Senior Bowl in the 2024 NFL draft than the Green Bay Packers, who took eight players from the annual pre-draft event.

A ninth player, linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper, was invited to the Senior Bowl but couldn’t attend due to injury. A 10th player, long snapper Peter Bowden, was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent.

Even if we only count the nine, the Packers have drafted or signed 47 players from the Senior Bowl since Brian Gutekunst took over as general manager in 2018.

Gutekunst said the Packers don’t set out to take players from the Senior Bowl, but the event is hugely valuable in the evaluation process.

“Not by design, but I will say that Jim Nagy and his staff do such an amazing job of access and allowing us to scout those guys that go there. And it’s a such a really positive experience for the players. Not only the competition on the field, seeing really good players go against really good players in drills, but our ability to talk to them, interview them and be around them in that competitive environment, there’s really not a much better evaluation phase for us.”

Here’s Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, a former Packers scout, breaking down the picks for the Packers from the event:

On Jordan Morgan: “Slam-dunk left tackle athlete jumps off tape. Has sweet feet, reactive mirror skills, & recovery quicks to compensate for lack of ideal length. Simply glides in pass pro. Functions easily laterally and at second-level. Should be even better next fall another year removed from ACL injury.”

On Javon Bullard: “Interchangeable FS/SS skill-set w/ nickel flex. Instinctive & competitive. Good eyes and trigger to make plays. Excelled during team periods in Mobile & helped himself with 4.47 time at Combine. Strapped together physically & more physical than measurables might suggest. Long-term building block in secondary.”

On MarShawn Lloyd: “Thought he was top RB in draft. He and Josh Jacobs give Pack one of best 1-2 RB rotations in NFL. Hard to handle in space. Elusive, explosive, & fun lateral cutter. Compact hard-to-wrap body type to bounce off contact. Way more dangerous in pass game than stats suggest. True 3-down back with high-end starter talent.”

On Evan Williams: “Many teams we’ve spoken with were targeting him early Day 3 where Pack took him. Falls into “good football player” bucket. Good centerfield skill-set. Fun tape loaded with cool range plays. Boosted stock with excellent Senior Bowl game performance. Gives coaches sub-downs options. Could see him at FS w/ Bullard moving to nickel in packages.”

On Kitan Oladapo: “Different than Bullard & Williams. Big, good-looking SS prospect who we could see Pack trying as dime-LB. Will be immediate factor in kicking game and good developmental depth piece behind X. McKinney.”

On Travis Glover: “Huge expansive human that scouting staff did nice job on. Was the only in-week addition to Senior Bowl and acquitted himself very well. Wasn’t overwhelmed by jump in level-of-comp. More than held his own in 1-on-1 drills. Long reach makes him hard to get around in pass pro. Pack has chance to hit on solid swing-OT in Year 2-3 window.”

On Michael Pratt: “Perhaps biggest surprise fall in entire draft. Most teams we spoke with had 3rd/4th grades. Elevated Tulane program. Plays QB position well. Accurate touch thrower, athletic enough to escape, & extremely tough. Had higher grade on Pratt than Clifford year ago. Solid No. 2 floor and wouldn’t shock us if he eventually became starter in right situation. Might be old-school Ron Wolf flip-for-higher-pick in a few years.”

On Kalen King: “Was in many way-too-early first round mocks this time last year. We thought ’22 tape was Day 2 level. Got tested early/often opposite Joey Porter Jr. as sophomore and responded but ’23 tape wasn’t same. Good athlete on tape but below average Combine testing didn’t help. Could be a steal if Pack coaching staff can help him regain confidence he played with two years ago.”

Drafted or signed from Senior Bowl

2018 (8)

CB Isaac Yiadom (signed)
OL Cole Madison (drafted)
WR Allen Lazard (signed)
QB Kurt Benkert (signed)
P J.K. Scott (drafted)
WR J’Mon Moore (drafted)
CB Chandon Sullivan (signed)
LB Oren Burks (drafted)

2019 (9)

CB Corey Ballentine (signed)
S Darnell Savage (drafted)
RB Dexter Williams (drafted)
S Jonathan Abram (signed)
RB Ryquell Armstead (signed)
OT Andre Dillard (signed)
WR Travis Fulgham (signed)
OL Elgton Jenkins (drafted)
DL Kingsley Keke (drafted)

2020 (3)

QB Jordan Love (drafted)
TE Josiah Deguara (drafted)
LS Steven Wirtel (signed)

2021 (5)

S Christian Uphoff (signed)
RB Kylin Hill (drafted)
OL Royce Newman (drafted)
CB Robert Rochell (signed)
WR Amari Rodgers (drafted)

2022 (7)

WR Romeo Doubs (drafted)
WR Bo Melton (signed)
WR Christian Watson (drafted)
S Tariq Carpenter (drafted)
OLB Kingsley Enagbare (drafted)
OL Lecitus Smith (signed)
DL Devonte Wyatt (drafted)

2023 (6)

DL Karl Brooks (drafted)
WR Grant DuBose (drafted)
WR Jayden Reed (drafted)
TE Luke Musgrave (drafted)
K Jack Podlesny (signed)
WR Dontayvion Wicks (drafted)

2024 (9)

OL Jordan Morgan (drafted)
S Javon Bullard (drafted)
RB MarShawn Lloyd (drafted)
S Evan Williams (drafted)
S Kitan Oladapo (drafted)
OL Travis Glover (drafted)
QB Michael Pratt (drafted)
CB Kalen King (drafted)
LS Peter Bowden (signed)

Saints first round draft pick OT Taliese Fuaga signs his rookie deal

The New Orleans Saints have officially signed their first round pick from the 2024 NFL draft, right tackle Taliese Fuaga:

The New Orleans Saints have put pen to paper with their first round selection in the 2024 NFL draft, offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga, as the team shared a photo of Fuaga signing his contract on Thursday afternoon. It’s good to see them moving so quickly to sign the former Oregon State right atckle.

Fuaga, who was picked at 14th overall in this year’s draft, is a highly- anticipated rookie. He should be New Orleans’ right tackle for at least the next four seasons. Hopefully this won’t be the last contract that he signs with the team.

The Saints have not had the best hit rate on first round picks in the past few years with only three players since 2018 either signing a second contract or remaining on pace to find an extension with New Orleans. They can’t afford to keep spending first-round selections on players that don’t pan out. Combine that fact with their desperate need at both tackle spots, Fuaga working out would be a massive win for the club.

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‘Just jumping out at you’: CB Caelen Carson’s physicality to good for Cowboys to pass on

From @ToddBrock24f7: Carson is a physical tackler who prides himself on helping stop the run, but he’d like more INTs. The Cowboys will be an ideal fit for him.

Cornerback has become a position of real strength for the Cowboys in recent years, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland leading the NFL in interceptions two of the last three seasons.

Their latest fifth-round draft pick is eager to join the party.

Calen Carson was the 174th overall player taken in this year’s draft, and although the team was admittedly hoping one of their targets at the much-needed running back position would be there for them after an 87-pick wait, the six-foot Maryland native provided extraordinary value.

“He was kind of just jumping out at you because of the grade we had on him versus the rest of our board,” Cowboys chief operating office Stephen Jones said during Saturday’s post-draft press conference. “You know, you just have to jump on a guy like that.”

Dane Brugler in his draft guide “The Beast” had Carson ranked as the 13th-best corner in the class and projected him to be a third- to fourth-round selection. (He ended up being the 25th corner taken.) To be there at the end of the fifth simply made Carson to good for the Cowboys to pass on. Now it’ll be his job to make it impossible for opposing teams to pass against.

Carson recorded 29 pass breakups in 36 games at Wake Forest, but he tallied just three picks over his college career. That’s a part of his game he’s hoping to improve.

“I would like to turn a lot of my PBUs into interceptions, and that’s coming with trying to go with two [hands] instead of one,” he told The Draft Show after being selected. “I’m looking forward to making those interceptions moving forward.”

Coming to work every day with Diggs and Bland will be a big step toward him achieving that goal.

“Definitely, definitely excited to learn from them,” he said.

Truth is, the learning curve will likely be a sizable one, according to the Cowboys’ pre-draft scouting reports. But in a good way.

“Really raw on technique,” noted VP of player personnel Will McClay, “and a lot of the things that he was doing was a lot on his natural ability. There were some things that we even noticed at the combine visiting with him, asking him questions, this and that. You know that there’s more upside there because of his answers and the things that he as looking at, plus his work ethic and how he competes.”

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What may have really sold the Cowboys on Carson, though, was his tackling. He’s known as a physical corner who prides himself on being a strong presence in run defense, too.

“I came out of high school playing safety, so I’ve always been able to tackle,” he explained. “I just don’t feel like you’re a complete corner if you don’t come up in the run game.”

Again, he’s coming to the right place. Jourdan Lewis was PFF’s highest-graded cornerback in run defense in 2023, with Bland coming in second. They were the only NFL corners (with qualifying snap counts) to finish the season with grades of 90.0 or higher in the category.

He can play inside, he can play outside. He has a knack for defensing passes, but he also loves to roll downhill and pound a ballcarrier.

And now noted DB gurus Mike Zimmer and Al Harris are getting their hands on him, to add him to already impressive stable of ballhawking and run-stopping cornerback thoroughbreds in Dallas.

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Sleeper or ‘Super’? Cowboys’ 6th-round WR Ryan Flournoy models his game after Jerry Rice, Dez Bryant

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 216th player chosen was nicknamed “Super” for his athletic feats, but he took a super challenging road just to make it to the NFL.

Most Cowboys fans never saw Ryan Flournoy coming. He’s grown used to it.

The wide receiver, chosen by the Cowboys 216th overall in 2024’s draft, had an unusual path to get to The Star in Frisco. But now that the 24-year-old is finally in the room, he plans to make sure everyone knows who he is.

“Super competitive and super athletic,” Flournoy told The Draft Show when he was asked to describe his play style.

It’s a super apt description for the guy whose college nickname was actually “Super,” thanks to his impressive feats both in the weight room and on the football field. He even made Bruce Feldman’s exclusive “Freaks List.”

Flournoy showed off 4.44 speed at the combine, a top-15 number among all wide receivers. And his Relative Athletic Score- 9.89 out of 10- nearly puts him in the 99th percentile of all receivers since 1987.

“I feel like I can do anything when I’m out there between the lines,” he said. “The Dallas Cowboys are going to get a great competitor and a great football player.”

Flournoy’s wasn’t widely recruited out of high school. His six-year college career started at Division II’s Central Missouri, where he redshirted as a freshman, missed the beginning of the next season with a knee injury and then recorded just 17 receptions in ten games playing catch-up with the offense, and then saw the Mules’ 2020 season canceled due to COVID.

He transferred to Iowa Western Community College and racked up 32 catches, 545 yards, five touchdowns before transferring again to Southeast Missouri State. There, he led the Redhawks in receiving, was a team captain, and was awarded first-team all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons.

“God put me through them obstacles to mold me into the man I am today,” he explained. “I feel like I can overcome everything.”

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Along the way, Flournoy had big aspirations driving him. Just look at the wide receivers he said he tries to model his game after.

“The great Jerry Rice. I used to watch his highlights all the time. And I still do today, just because of his work ethic and how he really just was dominant.”

Ironic, then, that Flournoy was drafted over Rice’s son by just nine spots on Saturday, after having bested Brenden Rice’s 40 time by barely a whisker in Indianapolis.

“I take a look at a lot of great receivers,” Flournoy continued. “I like to compare myself sometimes to Dez Bryant sometimes, just because we have the same frame and the same capabilities.”

Coincidentally, he’ll now be working alongside the man wearing Bryant’s former jersey number.

“Big fan of him and can’t wait to get to work with him,” Flournoy said of CeeDee Lamb. “Just to model my game after him and just learn from him, because I feel like he’s one of the greats.”

Flournoy became just the second player in Southeast Missouri school history to be invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he stacked up well against the nation’s top competition, logging a first down on one 13-yard catch and even taking a shotgun snap and showing off his speed on a designed run.

The Illinois native turned it up that whole week in Mobile, and he definitely turned heads. But he admits it may not have always been about his play.

“I had a chip on my shoulder that whole time,” he explained, “because I had a logo that nobody recognized on my helmet.”

Well, everybody recognizes the logo that Flournoy is about to put on his next helmet.

He traveled a super windy and super challenging road just to make it here.

Now he just has to keep being Super in order to stay.

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Here’s where Cowboys’ Day 2 selections will fit in depth chart

Where the Day 2 picks for the Dallas Cowboys could fit in the depth chart for the 2024 season. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys began the draft with three top 100 picks, but a trade back from pick No. 24 to pick No. 29 added an early third-round selection to their haul. Most saw Dallas’s top needs heading into Day 2 as running back, linebacker, and defensive tackle, but instead the Cowboys took a powerful edge prospect from Western Michigan, Marshawn Kneeland.

Kneeland has a clear spot on the depth chart vacated by Dorance Armstrong’s signing with the Washington Commanders. Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence are the team’s top-edge rushers; Sam Williams is a rotational piece that the team needs to step up. Kneeland lands right there in a battle with Williams for snaps.

He projets to be similar to Lawrence as a plus run stopper and then uses power and a relentless motor to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He might also slide inside on pass-rush downs to add an extra pass-rush element to the defensive line. Kneeland can also play a role opposite Lawrence if Parsons plays more snaps at off-ball linebacker. If Parsons starts as a linebacker, Kneeland’s ability to set an edge could make him the starter over Sam Williams.

Dallas got their best value at pick No. 73 with Kansas State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe. Beebe was very flexible in college, playing offensive tackle and offensive guard, but his shorter arms and lack of athleticism in the NFL will keep him as an interior-only option for Dallas. They already are set with two All-Pro offensive guards, making Beebe battle inside at center.

He was a second-round player on plenty of boards and is likely to outperform both T.J. Bass or Brock Hoffman for the center position. If something doesn’t go as planned and Smith has to move outside, Beebe could start at LG without an issue. If this year he plays as a back then his role could end up being Zack Martin’s replacement.

Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau was the Cowboy’s final draft pick of Day 2 at No. 87, and his position on the depth chart could fluctuate depending on the performance of other linebackers and safety options.

The easiest spot would be at linebacker if one of the starters were performing poorly, whether it is a falloff by Eric Kendricks, DeMarvion Overshown not being able to play well coming back from injury, or Damone Clark continuing to struggle to start his career. If any of those things occur, Liufau could move in to play any of their roles. He also can play the Jayron Kearse role if Mike Zimmer wants to keep that role in his defense, as Liufau has the athleticism to play in coverage with tight ends and has zero issues getting into a gap to bring down a ball carrier.

He has an excellent mix of instincts, ability to blitz, and cover, and he will hit the opposing team hard as much as possible, so he has all the flexibility a team could ask for. To begin with, he will definitely have a role on the special teams unit.

2024 NFL draft: Chiefs select BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia with pick No. 63

With pick No. 63 in the 2024 NFL draft, the Kansas City #Chiefs selected BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia

Following a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs selected BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia with the 63rd pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

After deciding to move on from veteran Donovan Smith, the Chiefs have targeted a versatile offensive tackle. Wanya Morris is currently slotted at the starting left tackle position. Still, general manager Brett Veach made it known in a recent press conference that the starting position will be a competition in training camp.

Suamataia had 22 career starts at BYU, splitting his time between left and right tackle, showing plenty of versatility on the offensive line.

Suamataia was a two-year starter inside BYU’s run-pass-option-oriented offense. He has incredible size and arm length and displays solid movement in the trenches to pair with exceptional strength.

The young offensive tackle’s family is no stranger to the NFL, as his cousin is a Detroit Lions star lineman Penei Sewell.

Cowboys’ Jones offers Texas RB Brooks stunning compliment ahead of Day 2

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys may be looking to add the Longhorns back on Day 2 of the draft. He already occupies a unique place within Jerry’s long history.

The Cowboys brain trust raved about first-round pick Tyler Guyton on Thursday night after making the Oklahoma offensive tackle the 29th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

But team owner Jerry Jones did a fair bit of gushing over a player still on the board, too, perhaps tipping his hand as to who he and the team are eyeing when the second round gets underway Friday evening.

When asked toward the end of the press conference at the conclusion of Day 1 about Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, Jones didn’t hesitate.

“In my 30 years, I thought it was the best interview that I’ve ever interviewed with a player,” Jones said of Brooks.

The brash businessman’s well-known hyperbole aside, that’s saying something, considering how many countless prospects he’s sat down with over the course of his ownership.

“He’s outstanding,” Jones went on about the Longhorns ball carrier who most have pegged as the top back in the draft class. “He’s just outstanding. He’s a great football player. We’ve got him high, high, high.”

If not for an ACL tear suffered in November, Brooks would have likely already been drafted, despite an overall depression in the running back market in today’s NFL and a growing tendency to not draft them early.

“I got to sit with him as well,” Stephen Jones added. “I think he’s working his tail off to get that knee [healthy], you know? He’s good friends with our guy [former Texas teammate and current Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion] Overshown.”

Overshown, the team’s third-round pick last year, sat out his rookie campaign with his own ACL injury.

“I think they’re taking notes on each other’s knees and how they’re coming along. They’re competitive like that,” Stephen went on. “But like Jerry said, he’s one hell of a football player… After visiting with him, you’re betting on him.”

Betting on Brooks to end up with a star on his helmet, though, may be a dicey wager. He’s currently listed by ESPN as the 11th-best prospect remaining; The Athletic ranks him 19th, and NFL.com has him 25th.

The Cowboys are currently slated to have the 24th pick once the second round gets underway.

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The Joneses’ fawning over Brooks could, of course, be a smokescreen designed to camouflage their true intention about who they’re targeting with the 56th overall pick or even a bit of chum thrown into the water to stir up some trade offers.

As the team’s VP of player personnel Will McClay quickly reminded everyone before the lovefest got too out of hand, Brooks is “one of several great players that are still left in this draft.”

But the conviction in Jerry’s voice when he recalled his interview with the 20-year-old Texas native was evident.

The Cowboys like Brooks. Whether that turns into something more will be a story to watch Friday night.

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‘This is a sexy pick:’ Cowboys see sky-high potential in Tyler Guyton as left tackle

From @ToddBrock24f7: Guyton projects to learn left tackle in Dallas and play alongside Tyler Smith. The Cowboys brass raved about his size and work ethic.

The Cowboys were happy to come out of the first round of the draft with one more draft pick than they went in with. But picking up an extra third-round selection after doing a deal with Detroit was just icing.

The cake was dropping five spots and still claiming Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton. And talking about the 6-foot-8-inch 322-pound Texas native and childhood Cowboys fan who’ll be coming back home to start his pro career, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was practically salivating with excitement.

“It’s hard to do with offensive lineman,” Jones said Thursday night after taking Guyton 29th overall, “but you would hope to have a little sexiness to this pick, using your first-round pick. And I actually thought we had that with Tyler Smith two years ago. I think we got it here; this is a sexy pick for the offensive line. It’s got a lot of upside.”

The reference to Smith, the club’s 2022 first-round star, is apropos, because the two Tylers will be joined at the hip on Sundays. The Guyton pick likely means Smith will remain at left guard, where he played this past season and earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors; Guyton is expected to become the team’s new left tackle.

It will still require an adjustment, given that Guyton played right tackle in college.

“I think we all understand,” head coach Mike McCarthy explained, “they have a left-handed quarterback at Oklahoma, so he is the backside tackle. It will definitely be an easy transition for him as far as the responsibility of playing the backside of the quarterback. It’s footwork, and there’s going to be things that are new anyway. But God, what a great pick for us.”

The Cowboys have had a good track record of successfully shifting offensive linemen to new positions, as executive vice president Stephen Jones pointed out.

“To get a left tackle is a big, big deal,” he said. “We had these same discussions with Larry Allen when he was here, because he would have been a great left tackle: All-Pro, Hall of Famer at left tackle or left guard. Certainly, Tyler [Smith] played, really, at a high, high, elite-type level at guard. This certainly allows him to kind of entrench there.”

Vice president of player personnel Will McClay agreed.

“When you build an offensive lineman, you look for athleticism, the feet,” he told reporters. “We’ve got a history of having guys that do things at a high level at that position. There are some traits that definitely showed us that that was there.”

The front office admitted that they had several top options open to them when Detroit made a late phone call to trade up for the 24th pick. Sliding back five spots, they felt, would still give them an excellent chance at getting one of them. Stephen revealed that the room was looking hard at Duke lineman Graham Barton (who, coincidentally, would have also been asked to move positions, to center).

Barton went to Tampa Bay with the 26th pick, but the team nevertheless landed a prized big body, one that occupies a rare place even within McCarthy’s extensive coaching career.

“I haven’t had too many tackles over six-five, six-six,” he marveled.

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Guyton’s size is impressive. But it took more than that to convince the team to look past a relative lack of experience playing football. He grew up focused on basketball and shifted to the gridiron so late that he got next to no scholarship offers. Even once he got to college, it took a while to find a position; his first start came at TCU as an H-back/tight end.

It wasn’t until he transferred to Oklahoma that he became a true offensive lineman, and then over his two years in Norman, he made just a handful of starts.

No, it’s Guyton’s sky-high ceiling that made him a first-round draft pick.

“As a coach, we’re excited about all the promise that he has in front of him,” McCarthy explained. “The 14 starts, to me, is a positive. It’s not a knock against him. It just shows: all these kids- more than ever, with the NIL and the portal- more than ever, these players take different paths and different courses and there’s different thresholds and directions that they go. So I think it’s important for us to look at the potential.”

McClay added: “And if they’re athletic, have the work ethic that you need, and they’re willing to learn, that’s an opportunity to grow and improve.”

And having Tyler Guyton get that opportunity to grow and improve right next to Tyler Smith had his new head coach so excited, McCarthy has already come up with a new nickname for the explosive duo who’ll be protecting Dak Prescott’s blindside.

“TNT, man. You heard it here first.”

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