COWBOYS MOCK DRAFT GRADE D

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41526 DC2 trade Dak D

URL 41526-dc2-trade-dak-cowboys-2938

Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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D

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys found their guy under center in Mendoza: D.

by Boke · 2026 NFL Draft · 15 picks · 2 steals · 8 reaches
Value C+
Need B
Trades F
Future B+

There is reaching, and then there is Caden Curry at the 67th overall pick. The Cowboys jumped the board by 65 and dared it to prove them wrong. Too much went sideways, and the D is the honest tally.

Fernando Mendoza gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. The Boerkircher value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.

The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.1 · Pick 1 · Fernando Mendoza · QB · rank 4
In No. 1 they get a passer to set the clock by. A real need, handled.
R1.6 · Pick 6 · Sonny Styles · LB · rank 11
In the Round 1 slot they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.4 · Pick 36 · Gennings Dunker · OG · rank 52
They went early on Gennings Dunker in Round 2, Pick 4, and the value did not follow. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.7 · Pick 39 · Emmanuel McNeil-Warren · S · rank 40
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in slot 39 is fair value, right on his grade. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Caden Curry · DE-EDGE · rank 132
Value said wait; Caden Curry in pick 67 says they were not listening. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.23 · Pick 87 · Malachi Fields · WR · rank 79
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Malachi Fields at pick No. 87 is the proof. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.26 · Pick 90 · Zakee Wheatley · S · rank 90
Zakee Wheatley in pick No. 90 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
R3.28 · Pick 92 · Darrell Jackson Jr. · DT · rank 106
They paid up for Darrell Jackson Jr. at pick 92 when waiting would have done the job. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.2 · Pick 102 · Tacario Davis · CB · rank 111
The board had cheaper options than Tacario Davis at slot 102, and it noticed. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R4.12 · Pick 112 · Nicholas Singleton · RB · rank 113
Nicholas Singleton at Round 4, Pick 12 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R4.32 · Pick 132 · Mason Reiger · LB-EDGE · rank 149
A premium they did not need to pay, Mason Reiger a notch or two before his time. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
R5.12 · Pick 152 · Kaleb Elarms-Orr · LB · rank 182
Kaleb Elarms-Orr at the 152nd pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R5.37 · Pick 177 · Nate Boerkircher · TE · rank 163
Nate Boerkircher in the Round 5 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R5.40 · Pick 180 · Jeff Caldwell · WR · rank 192
Jeff Caldwell in the 180th overall pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R7.2 · Pick 218 · Jeremiah Wright · OG · rank 227
They jumped the gun on Jeremiah Wright, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
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