B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys kept it disciplined and banked a B.
by ManCowMan ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
The Cowboys did not so much draft Patrick Payton as overpay for him, 77 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
The Taaffe steal is the beam this whole class leans on. A whole weekend of picks and offensive lineman is somehow still a want.
They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but offensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a green-dot type in the middle, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 20 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, outstanding value to boot. The biggest hole, addressed.
They paid up for Keionte Scott at No. 49 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Michael Taaffe at pick 92 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They took Tacario Davis at par in Round 4, Pick 12, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tim Keenan III in slot 152 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
Nate Boerkircher is a better player than the 177th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Patrick Payton in pick 180 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Eric McAlister slid further than he should have, and the 218th pick is lovely value for the wide receiver. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.