A-
Dallas Cowboys
A war room that did its homework. Cowboys: A-.
by ManCowMan ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The Cowboys put a flag in the ground for Patrick Payton, 80 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. Very little went wrong, and the A- is earned.
The Stukes steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. The Azeez Al-Shaair pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In the end it comes back to Sonny Styles, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 20 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In slot 28 they get an island corner at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Treydan Stukes in the 92nd pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A slide stopped in Round 4, Pick 6, with Bryce Lance worth more than the price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Bud Clark at the Round 4 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Dametrious Crownover at pick No. 152 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Patrick Payton in the 177th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A minor itch, scratched.
They paid a round early for Jeff Caldwell in the Round 5 slot, more than the board wanted. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Bobby Jamison-Travis in No. 218, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.