C
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys let Slaughter fall into their laps, and walked away with a C.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Cowboys watched Jake Slaughter slide 53 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. For now it grades a C, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. Randall has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Leaving linebacker unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
Jake Slaughter at pick No. 107 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Michael Trigg in the Round 4 slot, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
Value with a capital V on Tacario Davis in slot 111, a genuine coup. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nothing to complain about; Keylan Rutledge went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good price on Isaiah World in No. 147, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Zxavian Harris in Round 5, Pick 12 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Domani Jackson in pick 163 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They did well to land Marlin Klein in the 177th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A quiet steal in pick 197: Jeff Caldwell for less than the market said. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Charles Demmings in the 231st overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A slide stopped in pick No. 246, with Eli Heidenreich worth more than the price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nolan Rucci at the Round 7 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Adam Randall. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.