The Dallas Cowboys actually got rave reviews for their 2020 draft class, and their sports betting odds of winning Super Bowl LV after the draft are 17/1, better odds than any other team that did not make the playoff last year, with the exception of Tampa Bay, who dropped to 15/1 after adding Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. There was a time when the Cowboys were more interested in making headlines than picking quality players; Cowboys fans remember Jerry Jones picking Quincy Carter with the team’s first pick in the 2001 draft. While Bill Parcells was able to use Carter to get the team to a 10-6 record and an NFC East title in 2006, that had a lot more to do with Parcells’ coaching than anything Carter did. Now that Jones has started to let football people make the decisions on draft day, the team’s picks have started to improve. How did the Cowboys do this year? Let’s break down their selections.
NFL Betting: Dallas Cowboys 2020 Super Bowl Odds & Analysis After the Draft
Dallas went with the “best player available” approach in the first round
The Dallas defense has lost four starters in free agency: defensive end Robert Quinn, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, safety Jeff Heath and cornerback Byron Jones. Of the four, Heath was the least likely to start again in 2020, as he has slowed a bit. However, the Cowboys need defensive contributors. Their first pick, though, was wide receiver CeeDee Lamb from Oklahoma. Lamb does fill a need, and it was surprising that he was still available at the 17th pick. He can make big plays out of the slot or on the outside, with mobility that is comparable to that of Amari Cooper. Lamb won’t like the increase in physical play by NFL defensive backs, but he will adjust. The Dallas wideout corps also includes speedster Michael Gallup, so there’s really no excuse for the Dallas offense to fail to deliver like it did so often in 2019.
Trevon Diggs is another stout pick…this time, for the defense
Losing Byron Jones meant that the Cowboys needed a blue-chip cornerback, and Diggs was somehow still available at the 51st pick. Diggs played wide receiver at Alabama before switching over to defense, and he has a pedigree in going up after the football, as his older brother, Stefon, is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL today. The last Cowboy to have more than three interceptions in a season at cornerback was Terence Newman, who had four, all the way back in 2011.
Neville Gallimore fills a needed hole in the defensive line
Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe had already come to town on free-agent deals, and Aldon Smith could be reinstated in time for the season. Last year the Cowboys drafted Trysten Hill in the second round, but he did not do much for the D-line, only appearing in seven games. Gallimore hung around on the board and was still there at the 82nd pick, which made the third straight pick in which Dallas found a higher-rated player still available when it was their turn. Gallimore started 27 games at Oklahoma and posted 18 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
Reggie Robinson is a pick for the future
Robinson played cornerback at Tulsa and broke up 17 passes, picking off four in his last season with the Golden Hurricane. Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie are entering their contract years, so Robinson looks to be a pick for the future, as the Cowboys look to groom him to fill in for one of their departing free agents. Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys use him in their kick-blocking set too.
Tyler Biadasz could be the next Dallas center
Travis Frederick, who had missed significant time due to Giulian-Barre syndrome, retired in the off-season, so the Cowboys had a need at the middle of the offensive line. Joe Looney, Connor Williams and Connor McGovern are also potential replacements who were also on the roster, but Biadasz won the Rimington Trophy in 2019 as the best center in the nation, and one of Wisconsin’s strengths is its offensive line. The Cowboys sent a pair of fifth-round picks (one in 2020, one in 2021) to Philadelphia to move up to take him.
