B
Dallas Cowboys
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Cowboys a B.
by bbg ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Jacob Rodriguez at pick 39. The Cowboys jumped the board by 33 and dared it to prove them wrong.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through wide receiver. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Muhammad.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
They reached into another round for Jacob Rodriguez, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nothing to complain about; D'Angelo Ponds went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Malik Muhammad in the 112th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Kaleb Elarms-Orr in pick No. 152, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Red Murdock at pick 177 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Zane Durant at slot 180 squarely in line with his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Kaelon Black in pick 218, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.