Cowboys news: 3rd-round pick Cooper Beebe is becoming a favorite in the draft class

Your Sunday morning Cowboys news.

The proof is in the dirt with this guy – Mickey Spagnola, dallascowboys.com

Amidst a solid draft class for the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper Beebe is one to watch.

My favorite draft choice is Cooper Beebe with the ninth pick in the third round, technically the third guard off the board in the entire draft now being moved to center. Didn’t know much about Beebe heading into the draft.

But here is what turned me on to Beebe, a consensus All-America, the 2022 and 2023 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year and one of nine FBS finalists for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy (known as the Academic Heisman) who was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete: A mere interview or two speaking volumes of his play style, personality and commitment to football. Here we go. “My mindset is kind of dirt dudes,” Beebe began. “I just try to go out there and put people in the dirt, and that’s what I like to play with. I try to make dudes quit.” Then there was this: “I would say I’m a pretty nasty guy. I’m a dude that tries to ‘dirt’ people anytime I can, but I’m also a dude that focuses on technique. I have that kind of mindset that I want to dirt dudes anytime I can. So it’s kind of that nasty playstyle.”

That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Music to my ears, right Big Newt? Now, in case you’re wondering, but probably not now, “dirting dudes” means knocking defenders off their feet. Put them down in the dirt, or in most cases nowadays make those rubber-filled turf pellets fly. OK great, but talk can be cheap. So went on a mission to find examples of “dirt dudes” taking place. Oh my, there were many. Don’t take my word. Google Beebe yourself. There’s plenty.

One my favorites out there on the great wide web is the time Beebe, playing left guard, pulls to his right to take on a defender wearing No. 97. Engages head on and knocks the “dude” off his feet. But just about then, here comes No. 6, likely a safety, stepping over his fallen comrade only to meet head on with Beebe. Just imagine a nasty 322 now engaging with a spry 185 or so. I mean KABOOM, down in the dirt you go, too.

How the Dallas Cowboys turned a position of need into a major strength – Tyler Browning, A to Z Sports

The Cowboys have transformed this position group to be one of its more stacked personnel groups.

Cowboys fans have the franchise alike, have not had to worry about the tight end position for as long as most can remember. The Cowboys drafted Jason Witten heading into the 2003 season, and when he started taking a majority of the snaps in the 2004 season, the Cowboys found their guy for the next decade-plus.The Cowboys explored players to pair with Witten, such as Martellus Bennett, but they eventually decided to move on from Witten and would replace him with a combination of Dalton Schultz and Blake Jarwin.

Dalton Schultz would emerge as the guy in Dallas, and for a three year stretch he would put up respectable numbers.Schultz’s play would earn him a new contract with the Houston Texans, and the Cowboys would turn to the draft to find his replacements. The Cowboys would select Jake Ferguson out of Wisconsin in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and they would also add another tight end in Peyton Hendershot out of Indiana in the undrafted free agent pool.

The two would have surprisingly similar numbers in their rookie years. Both players would have over 100 yards receiving, but shy of 200 yards. 2 touchdowns, and for both players, 8 of their receptions would go for first downs.In year two of their careers, Jake Ferguson would establish himself as the guy. Ferguson would have 71 receptions, for 761 yards, and added 5 touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl season.

Hendershot’s usage as a receiver would decline, partially due to suffering from injuries during the season; but he still would see 164 snaps of action in the season.The Cowboys would add another tight end in Luke Schoonmaker out of Michigan in the 2023 NFL Draft; though he would have very minimal impact in his rookie season, it did solidify their depth.

Will McClay shares insight on Cowboys’ late-round draft – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star

The “real GM” of the Dallas Cowboys, Will McClay, gave his take on the Cowboys approach in the later stages of the draft.

CB Caelen Carson

“He has the ability to play inside and outside. Really raw in technique. A lot of the things he was doing (in college) was a lot on his natural ability, You know that there is more upside there because of his answers (during pre-draft interviews) and the things he was looking at, plus his work ethic and how he competes. He will tackle as a corner, which is also a positive.”

Many draft experts are calling the Cowboys’ pick of CB Caelen Carson one of the steals of the draft, comparing him to the last cornerback taken in the 5th round by Dallas, DaRon Bland McClay says they like him because his raw talent was good enough to get him by in college without refining techniques. Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Backs Coach Al Harris will be eager to get his hands on the young cornerback from Wake Forest.

WR Ryan Flournoy

“He’s a big receiver that we really like. Big, fast, strong, and physical. Really stood out and fit in at the Combine and at the Senior Bowl to show that he belonged with the NFL-type players. We think that there is a great upside there.” The Cowboys drafted WR Ryan Flournoy with their 6th-round pick from Southeast Missouri State.

Flournoy measures in at 6’1″ tall and a healthy 202lbs, bringing more size and physicality to a team that is desperately trying to change its identity. He draws self-proclaimed comparisons to former Cowboys WR Dez Bryant in his play style and attitude on the field. The key word used by McClay is “upside”. Flournoy has the upside to be great but needs fine-tuning in his technique and route running before he can make an impact.

Setting the year one expectations of Cowboys first-round draft pick Tyler Guyton – Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys

Expectations for the Cowboys first-round draft pick Tyler Guyton are as big as the 6’8” Oklahoma product, but there are reasons to have a tempered standard for the rookie.

Guyton was a two-year starter at Oklahoma where he set up his home on the right side protecting the Sooners left-handed quarterback. He doesn’t have much experience playing football as basketball was his primary forte in high school. He enters the league with limited offensive tackle experience (only 15 starts in college), but with appealing athletic traits to excel at the position.

With Tyron Smith leaving for the East Coast, the left tackle position is there for the taking. The team would prefer not to move third-year offensive stud Tyler Smith from left guard, and rightfully so. Smith earned All-Pro honors in his first season at the position. Keeping Smith in a spot he is very good at should be priority one, meaning Gupton will have every opportunity to start the season as the team’s new left tackle.

The Cowboys have some other options available but none are that desirable. Fifth-round picks Asim Richards (last year) and Matt Waletzko (2022) are both on the roster, but these guys haven’t shown enough to make anyone feel good about them being the guy to replace Smith. The team also re-signed veteran Chuma Edoga to maintain depth on the edge. While all of these guys are players in the mix as swing tackle options, none are purposely projected to be the starter who protects the blindside of Dak Prescott this season.

Unless he struggles or is hindered by injuries, Guyton will be thrown to the wolves and his on-the-job training will start immediately meaning an up-and-down rookie season is on the horizon. He has great size and foot speed to put himself in good spots off the snap. He’ll be able to square up even against the quicker edge rushers. There are weaknesses in his fundamentals that will show up periodically. Guyton is tall and plays a little upright, so his lack of leverage will get him in trouble sometimes. He has long arms and strong hands but doesn’t toss defenders aside. He’ll need to learn how to create more torque to displace defenders. Whether sustaining blocks in pass protection or creating lanes in run blocking, expect Guyton to give up ground.

There will be plenty of win-some, lose-some reps as consistency will be his real struggle his rookie year. We shouldn’t expect him to play anywhere close to what the Cowboys got from Tyron Smith last year, so the criticism will come now and then. The learning curve will be steep, but when he starts figuring things out, we should hear more praise down the stretch.