F
Dallas Cowboys
Conviction outran the board for the Cowboys, and it cost them: F.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 53 picks
· 11 steals
· 28 reaches
The Cowboys torched the value chart for Stephen Dix Jr., taking him 181 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. With quarterback and running back unsolved, spending premium capital on safety is the choice that costs them.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. They banked enough surplus on Miller to cover a lot of smaller sins.
About as rough as a weekend gets on paper, with quarterback still staring back at them.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 21 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. The biggest hole, addressed.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Arvell Reese at the 24th overall pick is the proof. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In slot 27 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick 29 they get an island corner at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a difference-maker at receiver at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
They read the board right and Dillon Thieneman was the payoff at the 49th pick. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing D'Angelo Ponds in the 59th pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 3 slot, where Jacob Rodriguez graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Christen Miller all the way to slot 90, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Dontay Corleone in the 91st overall pick, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Darrell Jackson Jr. at No. 92 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Malik Muhammad. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Kaleb Proctor at pick No. 112, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Jack Endries at Round 4, Pick 16, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose safety. Bud Clark in No. 121 leaves quarterback and running back for later.
They liked J.C. Davis enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 4, Pick 27. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Dametrious Crownover in the 129th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went safety with Bishop Fitzgerald while clear needs at quarterback and running back sat open.
A wild overpay on Beau Stephens in the 132nd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on DeMonte Capehart in the Round 4 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Chris McClellan at slot 135 squarely in line with his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A conviction pick on Skyler Gill-Howard at pick No. 136 that the board grades a round light. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid a round early for Tim Keenan III in the 138th overall pick, more than the board wanted. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Keagen Trost. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Matt Gulbin at Round 5, Pick 1 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for DJ Campbell at slot 155, and the board is aghast. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
CJ Daniels in pick 161 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kevin Coleman Jr. in No. 162 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Josh Cameron at the Round 5 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Dae'Quan Wright at par in pick No. 172, which is nothing to complain about. The roster fit checks out.
They paid sticker price for Kaleb Elarms-Orr in slot 177, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Bobby Jamison-Travis at pick 180 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Louis Moore at the Round 6 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jimmy Rolder in pick No. 195, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Aiden Fisher in the 200th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Eric McAlister slid further than he should have, and No. 211 is lovely value for the wide receiver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Cameron Ball this early at Round 7, Pick 2. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Jordan Hall in the 224th overall pick says they were not listening. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jamari Lyons well ahead of where he belonged. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A real head-scratcher, Marvin Jones Jr. in Round 7, Pick 16 is miles ahead of his ranking. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Zavion Thomas at pick 239. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for Josh Moten, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 241 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Shamar Easter at the Round 7 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A big swing on Stephen Dix Jr. at slot 245, well ahead of any board in the building. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Namdi Obiazor in the 246th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Karson Sharar at the 249th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Mitchell Melton at pick 250 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Demon Clowney in No. 252 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They reached a country mile for Clayton Smith at the Round 7 slot, and the board is aghast. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They talked themselves into J. Michael Sturdivant at the 254th pick, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Barion Brown at pick No. 256 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Khalil Dinkins well ahead of where he belonged. It fills a real need, too.