Cowboys NFL Draft Grades: Tyler Guyton pick caps excellent first round

The build-up to the 2024 NFL Draft was an anxious one for Dallas Cowboys fans. The front office did everything to ruin the hype, but they put forth an excellent showing on Thursday night, which was capped with the selection of Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton with the No. 29 overall pick.

The Cowboys entered the draft with the No. 24 overall pick. In need of more ammo on days two and three, they orchestrated a nifty trade back with the Lions, moving back to pick No. 29 while picking up the No. 73 overall pick in the third round.

Time will tell if the Cowboys will regret not drafting Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who went two picks later to the Buccaneers and projects as a stud center from day one. On the surface, though, it's hard not to be pleased with what Dallas did in round one.

Cowboys NFL Draft grade for Tyler Guyton selection: A-

It's important to note that Guyton alone doesn't get an A-. The grade bakes the trade-back into account. As it should, right? The Cowboys taking Guyton with pick No. 24 would have been a head-scratcher, especially given Barton and other top targets were still available.

To get Guyton five picks later when he was the No. 28-ranked player according to the consensus rankings is really strong front office work. Speaking strictly in terms of Guyton the player, the pick would probably receive a B-grade. He only made 12 starts at Oklahoma, all of which came at right tackle.

However, Guyton only allowed two sacks with the Sooners. At 6-foot-7 and 322 pounds, he has the physical profile to flourish at left tackle. He posted a 9.73 relative athletic score, which ranked 38th out of 1,377 tackles that have tested since 1987. He lacks explosion and his technique needs coaching, but all signs point to Guyton developing into a cornerstone left tackle.

Head coach Mike McCarthy noted that the Cowboys liked Guyton's athleticism as a former high school basketball star and he should make a smooth transition to left tackle given he blocked for lefty QB Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma.

Another important domino effect from the Guyton pick is that Tyler Smith will continue his development at left guard. Smith was a second-team All-Pro at left guard in 2023, which was his first year at the position after he played exclusively left tackle as a rookie in 2022 filling in for the injured Tyron Smith.

That's a major win for the Cowboys, which nearly pushed our grade to a clean A.

More Cowboys coverage