D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D+.
by Boke ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The Cowboys torched the value chart for Patrick Payton, taking him 68 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D+ is the result.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Spending an early pick on edge rusher with quarterback and running back open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Golday steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and quarterback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get a three-down second-level presence. The biggest hole, addressed.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Zion Young well ahead of where he belonged. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose edge rusher. Jake Golday in the 87th pick leaves quarterback and running back for later.
A straight-up fair deal on Zakee Wheatley at No. 90, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A real head-scratcher, Austin Barber in the Round 3 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Tacario Davis went about where he belonged in Round 4, Pick 12. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Zxavian Harris in Round 5, Pick 12 is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They went early on Dae'Quan Wright in the 177th pick, and the value did not follow. The roster fit checks out.
Patrick Payton at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They barely believed it either: Jeff Caldwell still on the board at pick 218. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.