Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy praises rookie class as 'best one yet'

The Dallas Cowboys loved their 2024 class of rookies on paper after picking them up in the draft in April, but now, they’re loving them on the field as well. Head coach Mike McCarthy went into depth about the class of eight draftees and 12 undrafted rookies on the team on Tuesday, which was the first day of mandatory minicamp.

“You’re looking for that first impression and they’ve definitely established that,” McCarthy said. “They’re in here on the weekends, doing the extra work. No one’s faded away. That’s what you’re looking for. I feel really good about the learning and the ability to communicate. They’ve been engaged very well and done a really good job. We’ll challenge them this week. We haven’t had a class at this point that’s better than this class, that’s for sure.”

Two sure contributors in year one for Dallas are first-rounder Tyler Guyton and third-round pick Cooper Beebe. While Guyton is working on filling the shoes of veteran Tyron Smith, who is now with the Jets, Beebe is vying for a starting spot as well but at center, which he’s never played in a game before. Despite those great challenges, McCarthy sees both stepping up to the plate already.

“These guys are on point,” he said. “You look for the mental part of it and they’ve picked it up really good.”

Cowboys assess rookies amid minicamp

Although training camp is still a month away, the Cowboys are getting a good idea of what each rookie might be able to accomplish this year based on how well they’re picking things up in OTAs and minicamp. This week, they’ll finish up the offensive and defensive installs, which allows them to test the young players’ mental acuity.

“The rules are the same as far as how you can practice and what you can do,” McCarthy said of the difference between OTAs and minicamp. “We’ll have helmets on but the structure will be very similar to OTAs. We’ll complete the install phase, it’s the most important part to these offseason activities. These are heavy installs. There’s a lot of moving parts. We really, really want to maximize this time with our rookies.”

The Cowboys signed all but one of their draftees to their rookie contracts before rookie minicamp last month. The only one they hadn’t signed was second-round selection Marshawn Kneeland.

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 the team taking linebacker Marist Liufau instead of an available running back in the third round.