B-
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys let Wright fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by ChefPack34 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Cowboys spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Dae'Quan Wright, the No. 189 name on the board, in Round 7, Pick 2.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped offensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. If Payne pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. They gave back a little on the phones for the right to move.
They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with offensive lineman the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
They took Cashius Howell at par in No. 17, which is nothing to complain about. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
In slot 20 they get a lockdown presence outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Mike Washington Jr. at Round 3, Pick 28 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Bryce Lance at the 112th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Keyshaun Elliott in pick No. 118; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tyler Onyedim in pick 152 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They paid a round early for Zane Durant in the Round 5 slot, more than the board wanted. It fills a real need, too.
VJ Payne at the 180th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A tight end of that caliber at Round 7, Pick 2 is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.