An Alternative Grading of the Dallas Cowboys First Round Picks

In the days since the 2026 NFL Draft ended, we’ve seen some of the highest consensus praise for a Cowboys draft class ever. I guess it’s hard to avoid that when you draft a superstar like Caleb Downs all the way at 11.

Still, the Downs pick aside, Dallas is getting credit for their defensive-heavy, high-potential class. They did a fantastic job of hammering their needs.

In what has become a post-draft tradition, all the “draft grades” are coming in with consistent A’s.

It’s for this reason that when The Athletic’s Austin Mock put out his grades for each team, the Cowboys’ “C” grade caught eyes and some criticism from the Dallas faithful.

While many say grades can’t be completed until a few years down the road, here's how teams fared in the 2026 NFL Draft.https://t.co/iVFD70xB7N pic.twitter.com/Bb8XTjZZHm

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 30, 2026

For all the celebration praise we’ve been doing over this Cowboys class, why not try to see where this grade is coming from instead? How about taking a look at it from a more negative point of view? I’ll warn you: some of the critiques you’ll see are more real than we’d like to admit.

B Grade for Caleb Downs, DB, Ohio State at 1.11

As I said, the Downs pick has been a near-universe A/A+, but there are fair criticisms you can make that could drop that off if you choose to prioritize those comments.

The first thing you can say is the whole reason he got to 11 in the first place: positional value.

Downs, despite the expected prowess he’ll have as a nickel corner, is a safety at heart, and those guys are just not highly valued in the NFL. We just did this last year, too, where the talent of Alabama guard Tyler Booker was apparent, but “he’s a guard!”

I don’t think Dallas regrets Booker, and I don’t think they will for Downs either, but it is something to consider.

You can also throw the size concerns in there; Downs just isn’t the biggest guy, especially compared to somebody like Kyle Hamilton.

Is a B a reach? Yes. Are there people who care that much about positional value (and the build thing sprinkled in)? Absolutely.

D Grade for Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF at 1.23

Here’s where you can really cook up a poor grade for the Cowboys draft class.

Malachi Lawrence, Dallas’s pick at 23 after a trade-back with Philadelphia, wasn’t nearly the immediate favorite that Downs was. Personally, I was all for the pick, but there are valid concerns out there.

I’m not sure this is a first round athlete (Malachi Lawrence) pic.twitter.com/nxYnYJzNR5

— Theo Ash (@TheoAshNFL) April 22, 2026

The main critique may not even be the pick itself, but the trade with a division rival so they could land a really talented wide receiver in Makai Lemon.

Beyond that, Lawrence is still a raw product who played against some pretty weak competition at UCF.

The flashes are undeniable on tape, but for a Cowboys D that needs immediate help, he may not be the guy to provide that in year one, even if great results come later down the road.