The title of this post may feel like a no-brainer, after all, doesn’t good scouting always win the draft?
Of course it does. But the 2024 NFL draft may present a very special set of circumstances that make it even more important to get the scouting right, especially for teams drafting in the second half of each round.
- First, the Cowboys have two key positions of need going into the draft, offensive line and linebacker, and they are probably going to draft a running back in the Top 100 as well.
- Second, and perhaps uniquely among recent drafts, the top guys at these three positions are tightly clustered: There’s an unusually high number of first-round offensive linemen, the top linebackers look like second-round guys, and the top running backs will likely go from the mid-second to the mid-third.