B-
Dallas Cowboys
More right than wrong for the Cowboys, and a B- to prove it.
by grip ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Luke Altmyer at pick 218 is 25 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up. The Orange pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.
Good work on the whole, with running back the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 18 they get a three-down second-level presence, and a steal at that. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick No. 20 they get a downhill hitter at safety, reach and all. More want than need.
They talked themselves into Malachi Lawrence at the 49th pick, and the board did not agree. A minor itch, scratched.
They let Domonique Orange come to them and pounced at the 92nd overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
A tidy bit of business in slot 112, where Treydan Stukes graded well above the range. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had J.C. Davis higher than the Round 5 slot, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Reggie Virgil in No. 177. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Zane Durant in pick 180 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
Luke Altmyer in the Round 7 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.