B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys let Haulcy fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody in pick 92 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Cowboys sat still while A.J. Haulcy, the No. 50 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
Spending an early pick on safety with offensive lineman, quarterback and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped offensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the offensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
Mansoor Delane in pick No. 12 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In the 20th overall pick they get the heartbeat of the defense at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
The board fumbled A.J. Haulcy all the way to Round 3, Pick 28, and they scooped it up. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They bypassed pressing needs at offensive lineman, quarterback and other spots to take Bud Clark, a safety that was not the priority.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Malik Benson at the Round 5 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Josh Cameron. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They paid sticker price for Dae'Quan Wright in the 180th pick, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
Jimmy Rolder at slot 218 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.