COWBOYS MOCK DRAFT GRADE C-

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4526 DC1 C-

URL 4526-dc1-cowboys-2644

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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C-

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys bled value on every deal, hence the C-.

by Boke · 2026 NFL Draft · 12 picks · 5 steals · 5 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades F
Future D

The rest of the league had time to spare on Patrick Payton; the Cowboys did not wait, grabbing him 71 spots ahead at pick 177.

Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Stowers. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The Cowboys indulged a want in Golday while a need in quarterback and running back stayed open.

That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.

Hit on Mansoor Delane and the swing picks, and this ages a lot better than it grades today.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.11 · Pick 11 · Mansoor Delane · CB · rank 8
In the Round 1 slot they get a potential shutdown corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R1.30 · Pick 30 · Anthony Hill Jr. · LB · rank 38
In slot 30 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, reach and all. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.2 · Pick 34 · Zion Young · DE-EDGE · rank 42
They paid a round early for Zion Young in Round 2, Pick 2, more than the board wanted. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.6 · Pick 70 · Chase Bisontis · OG · rank 70
They paid sticker price for Chase Bisontis in No. 70, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R3.23 · Pick 87 · Lee Hunter · DT · rank 48
They barely believed it either: Lee Hunter still on the board at pick No. 87. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R3.28 · Pick 92 · Jake Golday · OLB · rank 59
A surprising call. With quarterback and running back still to address, they spent the 92nd overall pick on Jake Golday, an edge rusher they were not short of.
R4.12 · Pick 112 · Eli Stowers · TE · rank 53
Steal is underselling it; Eli Stowers at the 112th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.23 · Pick 123 · Ja'Kobi Lane · WR · rank 98
Ja'Kobi Lane in the Round 4 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R5.12 · Pick 152 · VJ Payne · S · rank 196
They left a pile of value on the table to take VJ Payne this early at pick 152. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R5.37 · Pick 177 · Patrick Payton · DE-EDGE · rank 248
A real head-scratcher, Patrick Payton in No. 177 is miles ahead of his ranking. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
R5.40 · Pick 180 · Ephesians Prysock · CB · rank 190
A premium they did not need to pay, Ephesians Prysock a notch or two before his time. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R7.2 · Pick 218 · Aaron Anderson · WR · rank 177
The board fumbled Aaron Anderson all the way to pick No. 218, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
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