D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys robbed the room for Taaffe. Final grade: D+.
by GRM ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
Somebody took the Cowboys to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. The math is unkind, and the D+ follows.
The Cowboys indulged a want in Curry while a need in quarterback, running back and other spots stayed open. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. Reaching for Curry left real value on the table behind him.
On value alone, Taaffe makes the weekend a net positive.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
Good price on Mansoor Delane in pick No. 12, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
In Round 1, Pick 26 they get the heartbeat of the defense at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 27th overall pick they get a problem off the edge, reach and all. More want than need.
The board fumbled Michael Taaffe all the way to slot 92, and they scooped it up. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went edge rusher with Caden Curry while clear needs at quarterback, running back and other spots sat open.
Beau Stephens at pick 152 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Caleb Douglas at pick 165 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Keagen Trost. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Zane Durant at the 180th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Bryson Eason in pick No. 218, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.