By all accounts, the Dallas Cowboys nailed their 2026 draft, taking five defensive players and two offensive players as they look to make a leap on the defensive side of the ball.
Their pick of safety Caleb Downs with the No. 11 pick was widely praised, with the consensus that he was a top-three player who fell because of positional value. But safety was a position Dallas needed and that seems fixed now.
Then they loaded up on edge rushers − a team can never have too many of those − who were mostly well received by the graders. Here’s a roundup of how Dallas did.
Dallas Cowboys draft picks
Here is the list of the Cowboys’ picks for the NFL draft, which is April 23-25. The first round is on the 23rd, the second and third are on the 24th and rounds three through seven are on the 25th.
Dallas Cowboys draft grades
ESPN’s Mel Kiper: A
ESPN’s Mel Kiper put Dallas behind only Cleveland, while Philadelphia and Las Vegas also received As.
Kiper wrote: “Safety wasn’t a top three need, but (Caleb) Downs) 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 (Malachi) 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.”
NFL.com’s Chad Reuter: B+
He writes: “Dallas had the steal of the first round, trading two fifth-round picks to move up one spot for Downs; he should be a long-time defensive leader able to make plays in the deep half, flat and the box. The ‘Boys moved down from Green Bay’s first-round selection, acquired in the Micah Parsons trade, to pick Lawrence, who has potential because of his length and athleticism but carries risk as a late riser in the evaluation process.”
CBS Sports B+
Carter Bahns writes: “The talk of draft season was that the Cowboys would trade up if one of their favorite defensive prospects was there for the taking. They were also identified as a trade-down candidate with their No. 20 pick. Jerry Jones made both of those predictions come to life − all while securing a couple of terrific defensive prospects to fill his team’s glaring needs.
”Caleb Downs remaining on the board outside the top 10 was the catalyst for a transaction with the Dolphins. He has the potential to be a long-term leader of this defense.
“All kinds of help is on the way in the edge rusher unit. This group was a glaring weakness following the Micah Parsons trade and became the focal point of Dallas’ draft plans. Malachi Lawrence was available at No. 23 after the Cowboys made an intra-division swap with the Eagles, Jaishawn Barham came off the board the following day and LT Overton made it three consecutive days with an edge rusher pick.“
USA Today: B-
Nate Davis writes: They traded up in Round 1 (S Caleb Downs, 11th overall). They traded down in Round 1 (OLB Malachi Lawrence, 23rd overall). They spent three additional picks on a defense that gave up the most points in the league in 2025. They used their third-round pick as part of the trade for WR George Pickens last spring – a great move in the short run, but a tenuous situation that will apparently bleed over into 2027. As with most things Cowboys, it can be interpreted a number of ways. But good luck finding anyone who thinks Lawrence, essentially part of the package from Green Pay as part of the 2025 Parsons mega-deal, and others will ultimately be worth the ultimate cost.
SI.com: A
Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano write: “The Cowboys had a savvy Day 1 by trading up for Downs, a do-it-all playmaker, and later gaining two extra fourth-rounders from the Eagles to trade down and land Lawrence, who offers plenty of upside. Dallas was wise not to get caught up in replacing Micah Parsons with one of the top edge rushers in this draft. Instead, the Cowboys got a leader in the secondary with Downs—the secondary desperately needed help—and they now have depth on the edge with Lawrence, Barham and Overton, veteran Rashan Gary and last year’s second-round pick, Donovan Ezeiruaku.”
The Ringer: A
Danny Kelly writes: “The Cowboys have done exactly what they seemingly set out to do when they traded away superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, adding a horde of playmakers to what looks to be an ascending defensive core.
“Coming out of the first round with uber-versatile safety Caleb Downs and explosive pass-rusher Malachi Lawrence gives Dallas two day-one impact players. Downs could be the straw-that-stirs-the-drink type defensive back for the Cowboys for years, bringing instincts and skill to multiple spots in the back end.
“And Lawrence (who was attained with one of the picks acquired in the Parsons trade) takes some much needed heat off the edge, showing twitchy movement skills and top-tier closing burst. The addition of linebacker Jaishawn Barham could bring immediate return, too.”
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dallas Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft grades are mostly high
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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