B+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by D.HAWK ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Cowboys fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The Lawrence reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Hill Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The Cowboys indulged a want in Lawrence while a need in wide receiver, offensive lineman and other spots stayed open.
The wide receiver spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 31 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare. Need was not the driver here.
They bypassed pressing needs at wide receiver, offensive lineman and other spots to take Malachi Lawrence, an edge rusher that was not the priority.
Anthony Hill Jr. in slot 63 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Keionte Scott at the 78th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Zakee Wheatley in No. 92 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Harold Perkins Jr. at pick No. 112 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Charles Demmings in Round 5, Pick 12 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Fair-plus on Jimmy Rolder, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.