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Dallas Cowboys' 2020 NFL draft analysis for every pick

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Trevon Diggs' NFL draft profile (0:52)

Take a look at the highlights of former Alabama CB Trevon Diggs. (0:52)

The 2020 NFL draft is in the books, and the Dallas Cowboys' draft class is complete.

The draft, which had been scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, was successfully completed virtually from the homes of coaches, general managers and other front-office staff because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's a pick-by-pick look at how each player Dallas has selected will fit.

Analysis of every pick | Updated depth charts


Round 1, No. 17 overall: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

My take: Wide receiver was a need for the Cowboys but few saw it as a first-round need. Most expected the Cowboys to focus on defense. Earlier this offseason, Mike McCarthy said he wanted a defense that played better than the one he had in Green Bay, especially toward the end of his tenure, when the Packers had to outscore everybody for their best chance to win. But this can be viewed as a "Dak Prescott-friendly" move -- Lamb gives the Cowboys a big-play threat on the outside with the ability to move around the formation. Alongside the equally mobile Amari Cooper, Lamb will put pressure on defenses in how they want to match up against the Cowboys. Lamb will have to adjust to more physical defensive backs at the pro level, but he has a feel for the game.

More money to the offense: Dallas gave Cooper a five-year, $100 million deal earlier in the offseason that included $40 million fully guaranteed at signing. Michael Gallup is coming off a 1,000-yard season and is eligible to sign a contract extension after this season. The Cowboys have big money tied up on offense with Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, and Prescott is set to make at least $31.4 million this year on the franchise tag. This move -- Lamb projects to have a contract worth about $14 million -- will add to the imbalance against the salary cap for the Cowboys, although they can get out of the Cooper contract after 2021 without major cap ramifications.

Historical perspective: Lamb is the sixth wide receiver selected in the first round in Cowboys history, and the first since Dez Bryant in 2010. The others are Alvin Harper (1991), Michael Irvin (1988), Mike Sherrard (1986) and Dennis Homan (1968). Harper helped the Cowboys win Super Bowls, but Irvin and Bryant are clearly at the top of that list -- Irvin, the heartbeat of the 1990s Super Bowl teams, is in the Hall of Fame, and Bryant is the franchise leader in touchdown catches. As a rookie, Bryant had Roy Williams and Miles Austin in front of him, and Lamb, similarly, will be able to come in and learn behind Cooper and Gallup as the lead receivers.


Round 2, No. 51 overall: Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

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Neville Gallimore's NFL draft profile

Former Oklahoma DT Neville Gallimore's highlights show off a player with athleticism on the interior.

My take: The Cowboys entered the second round needing cornerback help and Diggs can help immediately. He played receiver at Alabama and has good ball skills. He is still learning the position, but he has the ability to take the ball away. He had three interceptions and 11 pass breakups last season. With Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis entering the final year of their contracts, Diggs can help now and help for the future. He is the younger brother of Stefon Diggs, the Buffalo Bills receiver, and the Cowboys hope he can be as productive on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas has not had a cornerback have with more than three interceptions in a season since Terence Newman had four in 2011.

Diggs on getting turnovers: "I feel like that's what I'm best at. That's something I try to work on in practice, catching the ball, getting interceptions, getting turnovers. That's something that was valued a lot at Alabama, so for me that was important. Get my hands on the ball, always be around the ball. ... I played wide receiver. I can attack the ball, go get the ball, so it's like you got a receiver playing corner. I don't want pass breakups. I want interceptions."


Round 3, No. 82 overall: Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma

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Tyler Biadasz's NFL draft profile

Take a look at the best plays from former Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz.

My take: The Cowboys added veteran defensive linemen Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe on three- and two-year deals respectively, so they wanted to make sure they were in position to have some young depth up front. They drafted Trysten Hill in the second round last year, but he was a disappointment, playing in seven games. Some thought Gallimore would be gone by the time the Cowboys picked, but he has some ability to match what line coach Jim Tomsula wants in a D-lineman. Gallimore is active (18 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks) and started 27 games in his last two years. The Cowboys might have been better served with a pass-rusher or even a safety, but on Day 1 of the draft, they said they are following their board.


Round 4, No. 123 overall: Reggie Robinson, CB, Tulsa

My take: The Cowboys know the draft isn’t just about 2020, so that’s why Robinson makes sense. Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis are set to be free agents after this season and Maurice Canady signed just a one-year deal. Like second-rounder Trevon Diggs, Robinson has the ability to get the ball. At least he showed that in his final season with all four of his career interceptions. He also broke up 17 passes. He has a background with, too, with a knack for blocking kicks.


Round 4, No. 146 overall: Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin

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Bradlee Anae's NFL draft reel

Check out the highlights for former Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae.

My take: The Cowboys downplayed the need for a center entering the draft, especially early, but after trading up with Philadelphia for the final pick of the fourth round they added Wisconsin's Biadasz. He is not a replacement for center Travis Frederick, who retired early in the offseason. The Cowboys have Joe Looney, Connor McGovern and potentially Connor Williams as starting options in 2020, but Biadasz was a three-year starter who won the Rimington Trophy in 2019 and is viewed as a tough competitor if not the best of athletes. To get Biadasz, the Cowboys gave up a fifth-rounder this year and a fifth-rounder next year to the Eagles.


Round 5, No. 179 overall: Bradlee Anae, DE, Utah

My take: Based on his on-field production at Utah, with 13 sacks and 14 tackles for loss that helped him earn All-America honors, Anae should have been gone by the time the Cowboys picked at No. 179 overall. The Cowboys have a pass-rush need, but the expectation should not be that he can replace Robert Quinn's 11.5 sacks. The hope is Anae would be part of a rotation with Dorance Armstrong and last year's draft picks, Joe Jackson and Jalen Jelks, while the team also has hope Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory will be reinstated.


Round 7, No. 231 overall: Ben DiNucci, QB, James Madison

My take: In the pre-draft news conference, the Cowboys lauded coach Mike McCarthy's ability to develop a quarterback, so DiNucci becomes his first quarterback in Dallas. A transfer from Pitt, DiNucci completed 70% of his passes with 29 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in leading his school to the FCS national championship game, which was played just up the road from The Star. He joins a quarterback room with Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush and Clayton Thorson. In 13 seasons with Green Bay, the Packers selected five quarterbacks during McCarthy’s tenure and had seventh-round success with Matt Flynn. Maybe DiNucci can be another seventh-round find.