B+
Dallas Cowboys
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Cowboys a B+.
by Nitebar ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The Cowboys treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick 180 on Patrick Payton a full 76 spots early.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 20 they get a three-down second-level presence, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
The board had cheaper options than Josiah Trotter at Round 2, Pick 15, and it noticed. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Michael Taaffe at slot 78 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the safety. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Daylen Everette in pick 92 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for Isaiah World, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They liked Jack Endries enough to skip the value, taking him in the 113th pick. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No drama and no debate, Zxavian Harris went about where he belonged in the 152nd pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Caleb Douglas at the Round 5 slot is the proof. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Patrick Payton at No. 180 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Jaydn Ott at slot 218 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.