B
Dallas Cowboys
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Cowboys a B.
by D.HAWK ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The Cowboys looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Max Llewellyn at pick No. 111 regardless, 39 picks early. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Cowboys indulged a want in Llewellyn while a need in quarterback, running back and other spots stayed open.
They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it. Fitzgerald at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 20 they get a ballhawk on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In slot 27 they get a quarterback's worst nightmare, even if it was a touch early. Need was not the driver here.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jacob Rodriguez. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Keionte Scott at the 62nd overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nothing to complain about; Zakee Wheatley went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
Harold Perkins Jr. at the 97th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Max Llewellyn at edge rusher with quarterback, running back and other spots open.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending slot 133 on Bishop Fitzgerald with quarterback, running back and other spots unsolved.
A slide stopped in the 177th overall pick, with Aamil Wagner worth more than the price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the 180th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jeremiah Wright at pick No. 218 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Zavion Thomas at Round 7, Pick 18 is the proof. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.