The Dallas Cowboys 2024 draft saw them prioritize rebuilding their offensive line while completely passing on their other big need, running back.

That seems to point toward them signing Ezekiel Elliott in the next few days as they retool the team that won a division championship last season but then flopped in the playoffs.

Dallas will need several members of this draft class to plug into starting roles next season. Did the Cowboys draft well enough to do that?

Here is the class:

Here are some grades from around the net, and they are all over the place.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter: A-

“Gaining a third-round pick in a move down the board and still landing a starting tackle made for a successful Thursday night for Dallas. Kneeland and Beebe should prove to be excellent values, while Liufau will be a solid addition to the middle of the Cowboys’ defense. The Notre Dame ‘backer was picked a bit early for my taste, though.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper: B-

“Not bad. The Cowboys were able to trade down five spots in Round 1, pick up an extra third-rounder and still get their guy. Tyler Guyton (29) is going to get a chance to be their starter at left tackle, and from what I see on tape, I think he can make the move over from the right side. He has special ability as a pass-protector and can get to the second level in a hurry in the run game.”

Bleacher report: B-

“Give the Dallas Cowboys credit for trading back in the first round, getting an extra Day 2 pick in the process and still filling a vital need. Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton may need some time to develop, but he has the potential to become Tyron Smith’s long-term replacement at left tackle.”

Fox Sports: B

“For a team that had so many holes to fill after they did nothing in free agency, the Cowboys made some curious choices. They did a great job plugging two key holes on the O-line (Oklahoma LT Tyler Guyton in Round 1 and Kansas State C Cooper Beebe in Round 2). But no running back? No receiver until Round 6? Instead, in Round 2, they took Western Michigan edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland, who could be terrific in 2025, but might not be a huge help now, when they’re supposedly “all-in.”

CBS Sports Chip Trepasso: C

“I, personally, am not sure what the Cowboys are doing. Ok, well I do know they stood by their word and attempted to rebuild the offensive line. I commend that. I loved Beebe in Round 2 and particularly Thomas in Round 7. Guyton is very much a project who doesn’t quite play to his workout. Kneeland is another project-y type who never came close to dominating in the MAC.”

The Ringer: A-

“The Cowboys ate their vegetables in this draft, grabbing a trio of tough and physical trench players with their first three picks. Dallas added a highly athletic offensive tackle in the first round in Tyler Guyton, who’s raw but moves exceptionally well and could emerge as their future blindside stalwart. I loved the Marshawn Kneeland pick; he’s an explosive, long-levered pass rusher with great size and a solid repertoire of pass-rush moves and will complement Micah Parsons well on that defensive front.”

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

Hobbled by an unspecified right knee injury, Mavericks’ Luka Doncic clearly hasn’t been his usual dominant self in this first-round playoffs series — not up to his standards in past games against the Clippers, regular-season and playoffs.

After Los Angeles’ 116-111 victory on Sunday afternoon in American Airlines Center, tying the series at 2-2, Doncic’s drop-off is most glaringly reflected in his statistics. He shooting 38.6% from the field, including of 13-of-49 (26.5%) on 3-pointers.

It’s clear Doncic’s defensive falloff since he sustained the knee injury during the first quarter of Game 3. Doncic was whistled for two fouls in the first 2:23 of Game 4 as he struggled to stay in front of Clippers attackers, a pattern that continued through the game as Los Angeles hunted him.

“It’s hurting, obviously, but it shouldn’t be an excuse, man,” Doncic said. “We just came out a little sloppy. We’ve got to do way better than that.”

It might seem like quibbling after a game in which Doncic had a triple-double — 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. But anyone who has watched Doncic throughout his career, this season especially, knows he isn’t his usual self.

On Sunday he shot 10-of-24 from the field, including 1-of-9 on 3-pointers.

When asked specifically about his ability to move laterally and how that affects his defense, Doncic acknowledged it’s a problem. He was assigned to guard Amir Coffey, but Clippers star James Harden hunted Doncic in pick-and-rolls.

“I mean, yeah, I was in foul trouble,” Doncic said. “We said we wanted to try to limit Harden’s 3s. I was just trying not to give him 3s. Obviously, it wasn’t good, especially me.”

Doncic not being himself is also reflected in his postgame interviews following Games 3 and 4. Doncic’s voice is raspy and he sounds congested. After Game 4, he was asked whether the congestion makes it harder to breathe during games, thus affecting his energy level.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “We lost the game. Like I said before, for the knee, it shouldn’t be an excuse. I’m out there trying to play, trying to play a lot of minutes, trying to play hard. But sometimes you don’t have the perfect situation. So you’ve just got to go through it and do better.”

As Doncic noted, the Mavericks still not only rallied from a 31-point deficit but took a 105-104 lead on Kyrie Irving’s driving layup with 2:15 left. Irving scored 40 points, all of them after the first quarter.

“I have to help him more,” Doncic said. “I feel like I am letting him down so I have to be there. I have to help him more. He’s giving everything that he has. He’s been amazing for us the whole series.”

Twitter: @townbrad

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Five thoughts from the Dallas Mavericks’ 116-111 loss in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers:

Bottom line

With a victory at home in Game 4, the Mavericks had an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead in this best-of-7 first-round series. How commanding? Entering this season’s playoffs, teams that have taken a 3-1 series lead have gone on to win 95.4% of the time: 268-13.

By losing Sunday afternoon, Dallas lost homecourt advantage and the series is tied 2-2. That sets up a pivotal Game 5 on Wednesday in Los Angeles. In NBA history, when series are tied at 2-2, the Game 5 winner goes on to win the series 81.7% of the time: 188-42.

The Rally

The Clippers took a 55-24 lead after James Harden’s 3-pointer with 5:43 left in the second quarter. Dallas stormed back by scoring 52 of the next 73 points to pull within 78-76 on a Kyrie Irving 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the third quarter.

The Clippers pushed the advantage back up to 92-81, but a Derrick Jones Jr. 3-pointer with 8:31 left in the game started another rally. When Luka Doncic’s 3-pointer with 5:03 left tied the score at 98, it marked the game’s first tie since it was 0-0.

Kyrie Irving’s layup with 2:14 left gave Dallas its first lead, 105-104, since it was 8-7 in the game’s opening minutes.

Paul George erupts

The self-anointed Paul “Playoff P” George entered Game 4 averaging 40% shooting while scoring only 51 points for the series, including just 9 points in Game 3. In Games 2 and 3 he totaled the same number of fouls as field goals: 10.

But in Game 4, George scored 16 points in the first quarter alone and had 26 by halftime to finish with 33. He was especially deadly from 3-point range, making 7-of-10 attempts.

No Kawhi, no problem

Clippers president Lawrence Frank announced before the game that there had been an “organizational decision” to sit six-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, due to a return of soreness and inflammation in his right knee.

Frank said it was clear to everyone in the organization, including Leonard, that he wasn’t himself in Game 3, when he scored 9 points and pulled down 9 rebounds while being limited to 25 minutes of court time.

“The obvious question I know is coming: ‘When’s he coming back?’ I can’t tell you a timeline,” Frank said. “I wish I had a crystal ball. It will just basically be until he can show that he can make all the movements that he needs to make. That’s when he’ll come back. That will be the timeframe.”

Much like when they played without Leonard in Game 1, the Clippers jumped out to a big early lead. In Game 1 they led 34-22 after one quarter. In Game 4 they 39-16 after one quarter.

Dallas defense falters

The Clippers scored 93 points in Game 2 and 90 in Game 3, marking the lowest back-to-back outputs by Mavericks opponents this season. On Sunday afternoon, though, the Clippers shot 61% in the first quarter and 54% for the game to finish at 116 points.