F
Dallas Cowboys
The Jones Jr. reach set the tone, and the Cowboys never recovered: F.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 48 picks
· 9 steals
· 26 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Cowboys spent the Round 7 slot on Marvin Jones Jr., a name most had 86 spots down the list. The board sounded every alarm, and the F is the fallout.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They will answer for taking safety early while quarterback went begging. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
The Stukes pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
Bottom line, it will take a lot of luck to make this look better later.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 27 they get a three-down second-level presence. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In No. 28 they get a lockdown presence outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They jumped the gun on Lee Hunter, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A need, and now a little less of one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Christen Miller a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Josiah Trotter in the Round 3 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Dontay Corleone at Round 3, Pick 8 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Domonique Orange come to them and pounced at the Round 3 slot. The roster fit checks out.
Jaishawn Barham at pick 90 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Keionte Scott in the 92nd overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Malik Muhammad in pick No. 94 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Bud Clark in the 108th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jack Endries in Round 4, Pick 11 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It fills a real need, too.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose safety. Zakee Wheatley in No. 112 leaves quarterback for later.
You do not let a cornerback like Devin Moore reach slot 113 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Bishop Fitzgerald adds a safety and leaves quarterback untouched.
Kaleb Proctor at Round 4, Pick 17 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A want over a need in slot 121: Mikail Kamara adds an edge rusher while quarterback keeps waiting.
A conviction pick on J.C. Davis at the 127th pick that the board grades a round light. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid up for Dametrious Crownover at pick No. 133 when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A real head-scratcher, Beau Stephens in the 134th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board fumbled Treydan Stukes all the way to pick 135, and they scooped it up. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Malik Benson at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board had cheaper options than Skyler Gill-Howard at the Round 5 slot, and it noticed. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached a country mile for Nadame Tucker at pick 144, and the board is aghast. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Bryce Boettcher well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Kaleb Elarms-Orr at slot 149, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kevin Coleman Jr. in the 152nd pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Keagen Trost. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Matt Gulbin in the 158th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No edge and no loss on Louis Moore in Round 5, Pick 19; it is a wash and a sensible one. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They left a pile of value on the table to take VJ Payne this early at the 162nd pick. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Jadon Canady in Round 5, Pick 25 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
DJ Campbell at No. 168 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Dae'Quan Wright in the 173rd overall pick, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A clean, defensible pick in pick 175 with a little surplus value in Albert Regis. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Zane Durant at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Bobby Jamison-Travis at pick No. 180, and the board did not agree. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Circle this one: Josh Cameron at slot 206 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Eric McAlister in pick 211. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Zavion Thomas in the 218th overall pick, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Adam Randall in the Round 7 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Noah Whittington slid further than he should have, and pick No. 234 is lovely value for the running back. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Terion Stewart in the 235th pick is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They took Eli Heidenreich at par in No. 238, which is nothing to complain about. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Bauer Sharp in slot 239, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
A tidy little value on Andre Fuller in Round 7, Pick 25, a step better than break-even. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Josh Moten at pick No. 244 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value said wait; Marvin Jones Jr. in the 250th pick says they were not listening. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.