F
Dallas Cowboys
The Dinkins reach set a tone the Cowboys could not shake: F.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 47 picks
· 6 steals
· 26 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Cowboys spent the 199th pick on Khalil Dinkins, a name most had 131 spots down the list. It bottoms out at a F.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. The McNeil-Warren pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
Kayden McDonald in slot 19 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
In the 20th pick they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 27 they get a green-dot type in the middle. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the Round 1 slot they get a true top target at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
The board had cheaper options than Max Iheanachor at No. 33, and it noticed. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Christen Miller at the 74th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
A tidy little value on Jacob Rodriguez in the 75th pick, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was still sitting there in slot 76, and they pounced on premier safety value. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Darrell Jackson Jr. in Round 4, Pick 7 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The roster fit checks out.
They barely believed it either: Bryce Lance still on the board at the Round 4 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A real head-scratcher, J.C. Davis in pick No. 109 is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They went early on Jack Endries in the 110th overall pick, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Bud Clark is a better player than No. 111 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Treydan Stukes at pick 112 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
De'Zhaun Stribling at the 115th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Gracen Halton at pick 119, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Chris McClellan in slot 123 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Skyler Gill-Howard. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Beau Stephens at Round 4, Pick 27 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Mikail Kamara in the 129th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They paid up for Kaytron Allen at pick No. 133 when waiting would have done the job. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into Nyjalik Kelly at the Round 4 slot, and the board did not agree. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A reach for Tim Keenan III in slot 138; a little patience would have been rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jakobe Thomas at the Round 5 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the safety. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Charles Demmings in No. 150 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on Louis Moore in the 152nd overall pick; the board had better options right there. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They reached into another round for VJ Payne, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They reached a country mile for Jadon Canady at pick No. 158, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Keagen Trost at Round 5, Pick 19 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A big swing on Matt Gulbin at the 162nd pick, well ahead of any board in the building. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: DJ Campbell in slot 164, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kevin Coleman Jr. at the 165th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Albert Regis in pick 166; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A conviction pick on Zane Durant at Round 5, Pick 28 that the board grades a round light. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Bobby Jamison-Travis this early at No. 172. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Bryce Boettcher at pick No. 173 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the Round 5 slot, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Good price on Dae'Quan Wright in the 188th overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Pat Coogan enough to skip the value, taking him in the 189th pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Khalil Dinkins at No. 199 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Eric McAlister at the Round 6 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid a round early for Zavion Thomas in pick 211, more than the board wanted. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Aiden Fisher at pick No. 218 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Marvin Jones Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A wild overpay on Jordan Hall in the 248th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Haynes King at slot 250 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value said wait; Adam Randall in slot 253 says they were not listening. It patches a soft spot without any drama.