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Cowboys draft class review of rookie minicamp shows they are “the right kind of guys”

May 19, 2024
NFL: APR 25 2024 Draft
Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

If the mindset can translate to production, this years draft class will be exciting to watch for years to come.

It hasn’t even been a full month since the 2024 NFL Draft, but the new Dallas Cowboys’ draftees have not wasted any time getting their minds and bodies ready for their first season in the NFL. The Cowboys’ coaches are going to ask a lot of their rookies this season, depending on them to fill important positions on this roster. While that may seem like a lot of pressure to put on the young guys, they all seem to be enthusiastically accepting to the challenge.

The draft brought three new faces to the offensive line, Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Nathan Thomas. This is a position group where the young guys will be taking on a lot of responsibility. Not only are they replacing Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz, but the team will be looking to the offensive line to be the driving force for the running game that is using a “RB by committee” approach.

The first-round pick, Guyton, is absolutely ecstatic about the opportunity to be playing for his favorite team and is already working to take over protecting Dak Prescott’s blind side at left tackle. He didn’t want to wait until the team’s rookie minicamp to get started. Just two days after he was drafted he already started working on transitioning back to LT. Nick Harris from DallasCowboys.com quoted him saying “I couldn’t wait to get up here. You can either sit at home for two weeks, or get to work”.

Guyton isn’t the only offensive lineman to hit the ground running on a position shift after the draft. Cooper Beebe, who mostly played guard in college, confirmed that coaches reached out to let him know that he would be competing for the spot at center this season. At the rookie minicamp, Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com tweeted about how comfortable Beebe already looked at the position.

There are a lot of reasons for fans to be excited about Beebe, and his gritty attitude about his style of play only adds to the excitement. The term “dirt people” has now been making waves all over Cowboys Nation.

One of the most important attributes of a great offensive line is the connection between each other, understanding each others’ play style, tendencies, and communication styles. Guyton and Beebe have been able to get a jumpstart on that aspect as well. They’ve been working closely together at building that connection and making sure that they motivate and lift up one another. In an article by Nick Harris from DallasCowboys.com, Beebe expanded on their relationship so far at the rookie minicamp:

“Last night, we were doing walkthroughs in the hotel together just to make sure we’re on the same page,” Beebe said. “I’ll quiz him about stuff, he’ll quiz me. Just to keep us fresh and to make sure we know our stuff.”

The seventh-round OL draftee, Nathan Thomas, has some ground to make up to earn himself a starting role on this roster, but he already possesses a few of the ingredients that are needed in order for him to do just that: his attitude and work ethic. After getting drafted, Michael Gehlken quoted him saying that he is:

“someone who’s going to war every day, who’s going to do their job. ...I’m coming in there to dominate, meet the expectations and exceed them. ...I’m just glad they’re willing to give me the opportunity to show them that”.

It’s not just the new OL draftees that are hitting the ground running. Defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, a second-round pick, is also ready to get to work. If it wasn’t clear before about the high expectations this team has for Kneeland, it should be clear as day after they assigned him the number 94 made legendary by players like Charles Haley and DeMarcus Ware. He understands the importance of representing that number and judging by the notes made about him from the rookie minicamp, he’s got the drive and ambition to do just that.

Rookie LB Marist Liufau has been on a mission to impress from before he was even drafted by the Cowboys. Whether that mission was intentional or subconscious, he has been quite successful at it. His mindset about what is required to be a quality starting LB in this league is top-notch and it impressed Mike Zimmer and the rest of the coaching staff. In an article by Patrik Walker from DallasCowboys.com, he emphasized the importance of knowing all of the ins and outs of the defense:

“There’s a standard at Notre Dame, especially for linebackers, that we have to know the [entire] defense and know what the guys around us are doing,” he explained. “It helps us do our job to the best of our ability but to also be there for our teammates and help them when they need to know something — they can always come to us.”

Rookie cornerback Caelen Carson is joining a position group that already has two All-Pro’s and NFL interception leaders. And while he will be working real closely with Al Harris on improving his ball-hawking skills, his quote about tackling is what stood out from the rookie minicamp. It should be music to Cowboys fans’ ears as stopping the run was one of the biggest pain points from last season.

At the rookie minicamp, the newest WR draftee, Ryan Flournoy, talked to Patrik Walker about his admiration for Jerry Rice, representing his small school (Southeast Missouri State), and did not shy away from mentioning one of his biggest goals: winning the Super Bowl.

It is not all talk for Carson and Flournoy either. They were both spotted staying late after practice, putting in the extra work.

Although he was the final Cowboys’ pick in the 2024 draft, DL Justin Rogers possesses exactly the right attitude one would want from the big bodies in the middle of the defensive line. It is refreshing to hear the words “I love defending the run” when that sentiment is usually reserved for rushing the passer.

“The right kind of guys” is a term that Cowboys fans are all too familiar with. A term that emphasizes how character and ambition are just as important as physical ability when looking for new players to join the team. After a few weeks of getting to know the Cowboys’ 2024 draft class a bit better, it is clear that each of these players are “the right kind of guys”. If their attitude and love of the game can translate to production on the field, this is going to be an extremely fun draft class to follow in the years to come.


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