B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys let Wheatley fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by KGlover0321 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Zakee Wheatley, the No. 85 name on the board, sitting there at the Round 5 slot like a gift left on the doorstep. It does the job without flash, and the B reflects it.
They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. They reloaded the coverage unit in bulk.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 12 they get a ballhawk on the back end, and a steal at that.
In pick No. 20 they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Josiah Trotter in the 92nd pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They let Malik Muhammad come to them and pounced at the Round 4 slot. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
You do not let a safety like Zakee Wheatley reach pick 152 and blink. They did not. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Good price on Aamil Wagner in Round 5, Pick 37, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Nice patience on Caleb Douglas, who had no business lasting to the 180th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Kaelon Black in No. 218, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.