FRISCO, Texas — Knowing they were on the hunt to add picks to their eventual 2024 NFL Draft haul, the Dallas Cowboys went to work in the first round and struck a deal when the Detroit Lions gave them a call for the 24th-overall pick. The deal gave the Cowboys the 29th-overall pick — selecting offensive tackle Tyler Guyton — but also an extra third-round pick.
And at the 73rd-overall pick, by way of the Motor City in the Motor City, the Cowboys select interior offensive lineman Cooper Beebe out of Kansas State.
Round 3, No. 73: Cooper Beebe, iOL, Kansas State
Three things to know:
- Unanimous All-American (2023), First-team All-American (2022)
- Two-time Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2022, 2023)
- Three-time First-team All-Big 12 (2021, 2022, 2023)
Beebe marks the third consecutive high-level athlete the Cowboys have selected in this year's draft, in as many picks — grading out at 9.49 on the Relative Athletic Score.
He'll get a chance this year to block, once again, for running back Deuce Vaughn, who was the Cowboys' fifth-round pick in 2023.
This is an absolutely delicious pick for the Cowboys.
One of Beebe's few knocks is his arm length, but is less of an issue for an interior lineman, which is his role and, speaking of roles, he brings the flexibility to play all five positions across the offensive line in Dallas — though you should expect he'll be the one snapping the ball to All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott.
But, for reference, he logged eight starts at right tackle in 2020 and 13 starts at left tackle in 2021, before being moved inside and racking up even more national and conference honors.
It's a testament to exactly how freakishly athletic and talented Beebe is, who plays with explosive power that would tandem nicely with Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, and his anchor is not easily moved and, often, not moved at all. As noted, he doesn't lack for experience as a starter, and he also has the demeanor to lead with the football IQ to quickly diagnose defensive sets to get the offensive line sets in order and position to succeed against them.
Blink on any given snap and you'll also open your eyes to notice Beebe has already made it to the second level after clearing his initial defender, and probably with ease, able to carve run lanes and to also lean on his bread-and-butter, namely protecting the quarterback.
He simply does not allow pressure up the middle, and the Cowboys are thirsty for that type of skill set, and especially when it's mixed with the power in Beebe's hands, which is arguably enough to spin the Earth in the opposite direction if he ever locked into the planet's shoulder pads.
If you're wondering why he was available at 73, that's answered above (arm length), and while his anchor is concrete when planted, he'll need to improve on lateral ability (though he's not completely deficient there, hence his time spent at both tackle positions).
In all, Beebe is a stellar grab and this is amazing value to acquire him in the third round, considering many had him projected as a late second-round pick.
