F
Dallas Cowboys
A weekend the Cowboys spent fighting the board, and losing. F.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 82 picks
· 18 steals
· 40 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Cowboys started one anyway for Clayton Smith, 173 picks ahead of schedule. Little went right, and the F does not pretend otherwise.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. However the rest shakes out, Slaughter at that price is a win they earned.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes. They chose more darts over a bigger single swing.
In short, a weekend the front office will want to forget in a hurry.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 12 they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 18 they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher. A real need, handled.
In slot 19 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the Round 1 slot they get a three-down second-level presence. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 22nd overall pick they get a difference-maker at receiver, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick 26 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Omar Cooper Jr. in Round 1, Pick 28 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
In pick No. 30 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Anthony Hill Jr. at the 33rd overall pick, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nothing to complain about; Dillon Thieneman went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A conviction pick on Josiah Trotter at pick 47 that the board grades a round light. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 2 slot, where Brandon Cisse graded well above the range. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Fair-plus on Christen Miller, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Domonique Orange at slot 62 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They will replay D'Angelo Ponds at the Round 3 slot for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Michael Taaffe at pick 70 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Jacob Rodriguez in No. 75 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Austin Barber at the 76th pick, and the board did not agree. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They let Mike Washington Jr. come to them and pounced at pick No. 86. The roster fit checks out.
The board fumbled Eli Stowers all the way to Round 3, Pick 23, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Gracen Halton in slot 88, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Kaleb Proctor. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid sticker price for Bryce Lance in the Round 3 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Devin Moore in No. 92 is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Tyreak Sapp this early at the 96th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Circle this one: Jake Slaughter at pick No. 99 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A big swing on J.C. Davis at pick 100, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Malik Muhammad in slot 103. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Bud Clark at the 107th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A slide stopped in Round 4, Pick 12, with Treydan Stukes worth more than the price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jalen Farmer at Round 4, Pick 13 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nice patience on Keylan Rutledge, who had no business lasting to the 124th overall pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Dametrious Crownover at slot 127 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Beau Stephens at pick 130 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for Keagen Trost at pick No. 133, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on DeMonte Capehart. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No drama and no debate, Chris McClellan went about where he belonged in No. 139. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A wild overpay on Cole Payton in the Round 5 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Diego Pavia at slot 148 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reach on Nate Boerkircher in pick 151; the board had better options right there. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Dae'Quan Wright in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Matt Gulbin in the 161st overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They robbed the room for Malik Benson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the 169th pick is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Zane Durant at No. 176 squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Bobby Jamison-Travis at Round 5, Pick 37 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Good price on Kaleb Elarms-Orr in Round 5, Pick 39, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Kevin Coleman Jr. was still sitting there in No. 180, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dallen Bentley in slot 181 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jadon Canady well ahead of where he belonged. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They did well to land Josh Cameron in pick No. 191, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
DJ Campbell at the 192nd pick is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Riley Nowakowski in the Round 6 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eric McAlister at the 196th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Patrick Payton at Round 6, Pick 17 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Value said wait; Cameron Ball in pick No. 200 says they were not listening. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached into another round for Jordan Hall, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It fills a real need, too.
They paid up for Jimmy Rolder at the 205th pick when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Aiden Fisher this early at the Round 6 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jaren Kanak a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Kobe Baynes at No. 212 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Zavion Thomas in pick 215; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kaelon Black at pick 218 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Value said wait; Joey Aguilar in the Round 7 slot says they were not listening. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Haynes King in slot 227 is miles ahead of his ranking. It fills a real need, too.
Value with a capital V on Chase Roberts in the 228th pick, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached into another round for J. Michael Sturdivant, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid a round early for Trey Zuhn III in the 234th overall pick, more than the board wanted. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached a country mile for Tyler Onyedim at Round 7, Pick 19, and the board is aghast. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Marvin Jones Jr. at No. 237 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They talked themselves into Kamran James at No. 238, and the board did not agree. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Clayton Smith in pick 239, miles early. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A big swing on Mitchell Melton at slot 240, well ahead of any board in the building. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Barion Brown at the Round 7 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Nwankpa slid further than he should have, and the 243rd overall pick is lovely value for the safety. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Josh Moten. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Isaac Smith at pick No. 245 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Karson Sharar at Round 7, Pick 30 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Noah Whittington at the 251st overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A wild overpay on Jamari Lyons in pick 252, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They barely believed it either: Terion Stewart still on the board at pick No. 256. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Namdi Obiazor at Round 7, Pick 41 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.