The dust is still settling from 257 picks worth of drama, but the top draft guru Mel Kiper has already issued his draft grades for the entire league.
And the Cowboys came out toward the head of the class.
Entering the weekend with a host of needs, the Cowboys were active traders in the first round, patiently waited their turn on Day 2, and the made the most of a quartet of late-round picks to put together a draft class that is earning positive reviews from most analysts.
But Kiper’s grade always means just a little bit more. And he’s given Dallas a solid A, tied with three others clubs (Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Philadelphia) for the highest mark across the league.
That grade is an improvement over previous report cards from Kiper. Last year, he gave Dallas a B. In 2024, it was a B-. In 2023, another B. And in 2022, he gave the Cowboys the worst grade in the NFL.
But the godfather of draft analysis- like seemingly the rest of Cowboys Nation- is impressed with what he saw the team do over the weekend.
Here’s what Kiper had to say about how the Cowboys fared with their seven selections of 2026.
Mel Kiper’s grade: A
(Top needs identified: EDGE, LB, CB)
“You’ll notice the only top needs listed here are on defense. The 2025 unit was outrageously bad: 6.1 yards allowed per play (31st), 30.1 points allowed per game (32nd), minus-153 EPA (32nd), 58.4 opponent QBR (29th), 47.3% opponent third-down rate (32nd) … the list just keeps going. Big plays had an especially big role in the Cowboys’ defensive shortcomings, as they allowed a league-high 54 plays of 25 or more yards.
“So it’s no surprise that the Cowboys’ first three picks — and five of their seven total — came on that side of the ball. They made splashes in Round 1, trading up for Caleb Downs and trading down for Malachi Lawrence.
“Downs fell out of the top 10 despite ranking sixth in my rankings, and Dallas took the opportunity to trade up one spot to get him. Downs’ pre-snap instincts are elite, which allow him to play top-down and make plays on the ball in coverage (six career INTs). But he can sniff out run plays and wrap up as a tackler in open space, too. He’s just a tremendous football player, and he’s going to change everything in that secondary. Safety wasn’t a top three need, but he will join free agent addition Jalen Thompson to turn a safety room with 2025 questions into one with 2026 promise. It’s tough to get a steal at No. 11, but Dallas might have done it.
“Getting Lawrence later in Round 1 made things even better. Edge rusher was my No. 1 need for Dallas, and Lawrence had seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season. Jadeveon Clowney led the team with 8.5 sacks last season, but he’s still unsigned. Between trading for Rashan Gary and drafting Lawrence, third-rounder Jaishawn Barham and fourth-rounder LT Overton, the Cowboys are at least building that unit back up after dealing away Micah Parsons before last season. And I thought the Barham and Overton picks were good value.”
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Mel Kiper Jr. gives Cowboys surprising grade for 2026 draft haul
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
