Dallas Cowboys sign all but one rookie ahead of minicamp
The Dallas Cowboys begin rookie minicamp on Friday and before the cleats come on, they’re inking their new draftees to their official contracts. According to Dallas Morning News‘ David Moore, the team signed all but one of their eight draft picks to their rookie deals on Thursday. The only rookie who hasn’t signed yet is second-round selection Marshawn Kneeland.
Dallas began the draft with seven selections. However, by trading down from No. 24 overall in the first round to No. 29, the team picked up an extra third-round selection, which they used to draft another offensive lineman.
Round 1, Pick 29 – OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Round 2, Pick 56 – DE Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
Round 3, Pick 73 – OG Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Round 3, Pick 87 – LB Marist Liufau, Notre Dame
Round 5, Pick 174 – CB Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
Round 6, Pick 216 – WR Ryan Flournoy, SEMO
Round 7, Pick 233 – OT Nathan Thomas, Louisiana
Round 7, Pick 244 – DT Justin Rogers, Auburn
For their drafting this year, the Cowboys received a B-, according to NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. He liked what Jerry Jones’ front office decided to do with the first few selections, but wasn’t a big fan of taking linebacker Marist Liufau instead of an available running back in the third round.
Along with the eight rookies, the Cowboys will also have 12 undrafted newcomers join them for minicamp.
Cowboys add 12 to rookie minicamp as undrafted free agents
Nathaniel Peat, RB, Missouri: Peat began his career with three seasons at Stanford, before transferring to Mizzou. In two seasons, he rushed for 755 yards and five touchdowns. He posted a 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
Cam Johnson, WR, Northwestern: Johnson, 6-foot, 205 pounds, took three different stops at the collegiate level, first with Vanderbilt, then Arizona State, and finally, Northwestern. At Northwestern, he posted 50 receptions for 684 yards (13.7 YPC) and five touchdowns.
Corey Crooms, WR, Minnesota: Corey Crooms played four seasons at Western Michigan with second-round selection Marshawn Kneeland before transferring to Minnesota. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver had 28 catches for 376 yards in 2023 (13.4 YPC).
Josh DeBerry, S, Texas A&M: A transfer from Boston College, DeBerry posted 10 tackles, one interception and 1.5 tackles for loss in the first game of 2023. However, his stats dipped after the first game and he ended the season with 39 total tackles.
Emany Johnson, S, Nevada: Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 216-pound safety, played six seasons at Nevada. In 2023, he tallied a career-high 100 tackles and three interceptions.
Julius Wood, S, East Carolina: A standout for the Pirates, Wood, 6-4, 195, had two very productive seasons before entering the NFL Draft. He had 87 tackles in both 2022 and 2023, as well as four total interceptions, and one pick-six.
More Dallas UDFA signings
Brock Mogenson, LB, South Dakota: He earned the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. He put together consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons while at South Dakota. He was an FCS All-American last season. Also, his teammates voted him as a two-time captain.
Byron Vaughns, LB, Baylor: Vaughns had several stops in his college career. He started at Texas, then transferred to Utah State before spending last season in Waco. He played in 11 games in 2023, with 32 tackles, including three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Denzel Daxon, DL, Illinois: He’s a big nose tackle who grew up in the Bahamas. Daxon spent his first three seasons at Ohio before transferring to Illinois. He started 11 games last fall.
Alec Holler, TE, UCF: Holler is a former walk-on who has evolved into a receiving threat. He caught 22 passes last season for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Overall, Holler posted 63 catches in his college career and was a starter the last three years.
Jason Johnson, LB, UCF: Highly productive inside linebacker with 240 tackles for the past two seasons. Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, projected Johnson as a practice-squad level player as a rookie.
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota: Spann-Ford was a terrific run-blocking tight end in college. His most productive season as a pass-catcher came in 2022. He had 42 catches for 497 yards and two touchdowns.
On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.