B+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys won the night they stopped Golday from sliding. Grade: B+.
by Boke ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 6 reaches
The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Jake Golday, the No. 59 name on the board, sitting there at Round 3, Pick 28 like a gift left on the doorstep.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They will need Perkins Jr. to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. For all the activity, quarterback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Tank Dell gives the group a proven body among the projects.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 20 they get an island corner. The biggest hole, addressed.
In slot 28 they get the heartbeat of the defense, even if it was a touch early. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Caleb Tiernan in the Round 2 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They will replay Jake Golday at the 92nd overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Harold Perkins Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Zxavian Harris in the 152nd pick is fair value, right on his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for VJ Payne. A minor itch, scratched.
Eric McAlister at pick No. 180 is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Xavier Nwankpa at the 218th overall pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.