Cowboys draft grade: Trade down for an extra 3rd-round pick, take Tyler Guyton at pick 29

Tyler Guyton is the member of the Dallas Cowboys!

In the team’s pre-draft press conference, Dallas Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said the team was “all-in” (again) in particular on “young guys” to keep them in contention for the 2024 season. This was on the eve of adding their latest rookie class, which will now include an additional third-round pick as the Cowboys traded the 24th overall pick on Thursday night to the Detroit Lions.

The Cowboys moved away from other offensive line prospects like Jordan Morgan and Graham Barton to take the athletic Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma. Guyton began his college career as a local prospect at TCU, transferring to Oklahoma in 2022 and starting five games as a junior and ten last year at right tackle. Guyton was a Senior Bowl player which is something the Cowboys value, obviously along with the freakish athleticism and high-ceiling that Guyton has at 6’7”, 322 pounds.

The Cowboys exceptional recent history with drafting offensive linemen, particularly in the first round where they did so as recently as 2022 with Tyler Smith, should give fans every reason to believe this can be the team where Guyton can reach his full potential. The Cowboys can pair their two latest first round OL picks Guyton and Smith on the left side now, clearly seeing value in leaving Smith at guard and not drafting an interior player with the 24th overall pick. It will be said a lot that Guyton became something of a last-resort OL pick as the best of the rest available once Dallas traded down, but this is a player with all the makings of a franchise left tackle if given time.

The Grade: B+

The domino effect this pick creates on the offensive line puts the Cowboys deeper into a position they’ve told us all along they’re comfortable with – relying on young and upcoming talent. Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass become immediate names to keep a closer eye on through the offseason as options at center, with the Cowboys opting to immediately fill the left tackle void left behind by Tyron Smith’s departure in free agency.

Like Smith, Guyton was a collegiate right tackle that plays with length, balance, drive, and finish. This is a player that can get out in space and punish defenders while mirroring speed on the edge well with light feet. Guyton resets blocks well with strong hands, with the technical side of this hand work and placement needing improvement, but there is much to like about a Cowboys offensive line that now features Guyton, Smith, and Zack Martin from an athleticism standpoint.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

If the overall picture of the first round of the NFL draft told fans anything, it’s that offense remains king in this league. A record 14 straight offensive players came off the board to start the draft, and the Cowboys not only stuck to this trend but did so at a major position of need where they have a high success rate. Most of these early picks were dominated by how important the passing game is in today’s game, with seven of the first ten picks being QBs or WRs.

For as much as everything the Cowboys have done this offseason has been criticized, they have top players at both positions already with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. They have a veteran opposite Lamb in Brandin Cooks, other young potential at WR in Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks. Offensive line was always the clearest path for this team to improve the overall offense in this draft, and they did so while gaining draft capital along the way.

Trading away from arguably the safest all-around OL prospect in this deep class with Barton is the only thing that keeps this grade out of the ‘A’ range for me, but the Cowboys are well-positioned to see Guyton make the immediate impact they’ll need, develop quickly through any growing pains at a new position (Tyler Smith, anyone?), and be a foundational piece to their future up front on the offensive line.

The Cowboys first pick of day two will be at 56th overall in the second round, followed by the 73rd overall pick they acquired from the Lions and 87th overall in the third round. Their need to acquire players that can step in and make an impact right away is still high, with RB, C, WR, CB, and DE being their remaining needs to monitor.

Dallas should have a lot of faith they got exactly this type of player in Guyton, while also showing they continue to think about a future beyond just the 2024 season. There is never a bad time to draft a young (Guyton is just 22 years old), athletic, and physical specimen of a tackle, and that is exactly what the Cowboys did on Thursday night.