From the 2024 Big Green NFL Draft Scouting Notebook: Here's the Dallas Cowboys' dream picks
FRISCO — Straight out of the 2024 Big Green NFL Draft Scouting Notebook, here's who the Dallas Cowboys won't draft this year, but should. With the lack of activity in free agency, the Cowboys have at least nine vacancies on their depth chart. However, they only have seven draft picks, just three of which are in the top 173 selections.
So, the hope is that the phone rings and the Cowboys can trade down to pick up additional picks.
In this scenario, the Cowboys make a trade with Baltimore, dealing their top two picks (No. 24 and No. 56) to the Ravens for their first (No. 30), second (No. 62), third (No. 93), and fourth (No. 130) round picks. The deal adds up perfectly on the Trade Value Chart.
So, as Dak Prescott would say, "Here we go!"
First Round (No. 30)
Keon Coleman - WR - Florida State
My favorite player in this draft: This 20-year-old, 6-foot-3, 213-pounder is an explosive all-around athlete with a competitive drive and high football IQ.
He's a two-sport athlete who was All-State in football and basketball in Opelousas, Louisiana, the same hometown as Cee Dee Lamb. In fact, Coleman is Cee Dee's cousin. Coleman averaged 33 points per game in high school basketball and played both football and basketball at Michigan State before transferring to FSU last year.
In his first game for the unbeaten Seminoles, he scored three TDs in a season-opening 45-24 win over LSU. You can make the case Coleman was the best receiver on the field that night, which is a mouthful since LSU's first round prospects Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. were also on that field that night.
The knock on Coleman is that he only ran a 4.61 forty at the combine, but he also recorded the fastest gauntlet drill among wideouts, clocking over 20 mph.
An insider with the FSU program says Coleman is "the real deal, and he played hurt the last seven games of the season." With the release of Michael Gallup and with Brandin Cooks on the back side of 30 in the final year of his contract, the Cowboys have a huge need for a big, explosive, productive receiver to pair with Lamb. The Big Green Notebook believes Cee Dee's Cousin Keon is the perfect fit.
Second Round (No. 62)
Brandon Coleman - OT - TCU
No relation to Keon Coleman, Brandon Coleman was a three-year starter for the Horned Frogs. He made 15 starts at left tackle in 2022, when TCU made its run all the way to the National Championship Game. In all, he made 22 starts at left tackle and 12 starts at left guard in his TCU career.
After spending his formative years growing up in Germany, Coleman moved to Denton at age 15 where he first played basketball and then turned his attention to the gridiron.
He didn't start playing on the offensive line until his senior season at Denton High School, and then he spent two years honing his skills at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. That's where TCU coaches discovered him and offered a scholarship in 2020.
Now 23 years old, Coleman has matured into one of the most athletic, versatile, experienced, intelligent and hardest-working offensive line prospects in this draft.
The athletic measurables he posted at the combine rank No. 7 out of 1,583 OG prospects measured in 23-year-olds last 37 years.
Aside from the 10.75-inch hands and 34.625-inch arms, Coleman ran a 4.99 forty at 313 pounds. His 34-inch vertical, 9-6 broad jump, 4.62 shuttle and 7.40 cone drill are comparable to what Tyron Smith posted in 2012.
Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl, says Coleman has good tape at both left guard and left tackle and has been extremely impressive in pre-draft interviews with teams.
Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari ran the offensive line drills at TCU's pro day, and Coleman says he had a great visit with Solari in his office on his visit to The Star on Dallas day when the Cowboys bring local prospects to the facility.
Just put the 23-year-old Horned Frog alongside 23-year-old North Crowley grad Tyler Smith on the left side of the offensive line, and let Solari sort it out as to which one plays tackle and which one is at guard.
Third Round (No. 87)
Trevin Wallace - LB - Kentucky
Another favorite to watch, Wallace has terrific 4.5 speed at 6-foot-1, 237 pounds. That speed shows up on the field as he is a sideline-to-sideline defender who reads and reacts quickly and closes fast on a ball carrier. He has a great knack for timing his blitzes, accounting for 5.5 sacks in 2023. A team captain who just turned 21 in February, Wallace was a state champion powerlifter in high school in Jesup, Georgia. He set school records competing in the long jump, high jump, sprints, hurdles, and shot put. He also averaged 11.7 yards per carry as a running back. He will be a four-down player, able to defend the run and the pass and a special teams demon.
Third round (No. 93)
Braelon Allen - RB - Wisconsin
This guy has amazing maturity and accomplishments, having just turned 20 years old in January. As a 17-year-old freshman, Allen became Wisconsin's lead running back, rushing for over 100 yards in seven straight games. In three seasons, he amassed 3,494 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns. A physical, downhill runner, this 6-foot-1, 235-pounder possesses tremendous contact balance. He lives in the weight room, where he can bench press 400 pounds and squat 610 pounds. A great communicator, Allen displays maturity beyond his years and will earn immense respect among his teammates and coaches.
Fourth Round (No. 130)
Beaux Limmer - C - Arkansas
We didn't get the center Graham Barton in the first round, but we find one with starting potential here in the fourth round, which was the same spot the departed Tyler Biadasz was selected. A Tyler Legacy High School grad, Beaux Limmer was a four-year starter at Arkansas, starting 11 games at center in 2023 after starting 28 games at right guard the previous three years. Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman calls Limmer "a freak of nature" who can squat 700 pounds. The 6-foot-5, 302-pounder put up an amazing 39 bench reps at the combine. That plus a 36.5-inch vertical and 7.47 cone drill shows elite athleticism.
Fifth Round (No. 174)
Keith Randolph - DT - Illinois
Randolph's a 6-foot-3, 296-pound former two-time State Champion high school basketball player, who started playing football his junior year, earning All-State honors and 30 scholarship offers as a senior. Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema: "What I really like about him is he's extremely intelligent and has a high football IQ. He has exceptional ability, length and athleticism, but he is just scratching the surface of what he can be."
Sixth Round (No. 216)
Qwantez Stiggers - CB - Toronto Argonauts
The Cowboys haven't re-signed veteran CB Stephon Gilmore and need to add depth at this position. Stiggers could contribute immediately following a unique path to the draft. A 6-foot, 197-pounder with 4.47 speed, Stiggers didn't play college football after his father was tragically killed in a car accident. He played in the Fan Controlled Football League in his hometown of Atlanta in 2022. Last year, he signed with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts and was named the Most Outstanding Rookie, making the CFL All-Star team.
Seventh Round (No. 233)
Trey Taylor - S - Air Force
This Frisco Lone Star High School grad is the cousin of one of the greatest safeties in NFL history, Hall of Famer Ed Reed. A three-year starter, Taylor became the first Air Force Falcon ever to win the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the country. This 6-foot-1, 213-pounder put up 22 bench reps with a 37.5 vertical and 4.59 forty at his Pro Day.
Seventh Round (No. 244)
Logan Lee - DL - Iowa
Lee is a three-year starter and team captain who has a worker-bee mentality and physical traits that could translate to the NFL. 6-foot-5, 281-pounder clocked a nice 7.16 cone drill at the combine to go along with 25 bench reps. A two-time state champion wrestler in high school in Illinois, Lee played tight end before converting to the defensive line. He has special teams value, having blocked two field goals at Iowa.