The report card has come, and this while this one may not hang on the refrigerator long-term or get slipped into the box of keepsakes in the attic, it likely won't get the Cowboys in any trouble.Scanning some of the major outlets the day after the NFL draft wrapped up, the Cowboys earned good to very good grades from nearly everyone. There was unanimous praise for safety Caleb Downs, especially with Dallas landing him outside the top 10. And most analysts saw enough upside in edge rusher Malachi Lawrence to forgive the Cowboys for grabbing him a little earlier than pre-draft rankings may have suggested.The rest of the Cowboys' 2026 draft class got mixed reviews, with Jaishawn Barham, Drew Shelton, Devin Moore, LT Overton, and Anthony Smith all being seen as depth pieces with varying degrees of potential as contributors, depending on who was doing the evaluating.And don't forget that the club traded for 49ers linebacker Dee Winters in the middle of the weekend.
That will mean an improvement to the middle level of the Dallas defense and should count as extra credit toward the Cowboys' overall draft score.The result? Final grades that are all tightly bunched in the A-and-B range. Nobody thought Dallas aced the draft with a perfect mark, but no one gave them anything lower than a B-, either.
For most of us, that kind of report card would still have earned us a trip to Red Lobster to celebrate.SI.com: ALinkThe 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: ALinkThe 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: He’s a tenacious, highly physical defender with experience playing off the ball (where he’ll reportedly start for the Cowboys) and off the edge as a situational rusher. Add in a draft-day trade for 49ers linebacker Dee Winters (for this year’s fifth-round pick), and the Cowboys defense could look a whole lot different—and much improved—in 2026 and beyond.The Sporting News: ALinkThe Cowboys had plans to load up on defense with no real offensive concerns except getting some tackle help which they did. Jerry Jones delivered a lot more pop for the pass defense that needed it with new coordinator Christian Parker.
They did a good job trying to emulate the Seahawks' deep pass rush by committee.NBC Sports: A-LinkThis was the year of positional value not mattering. It was a weak class at premium positions with elite prospects at non-premium spots. That was the widespread mantra of draftniks in this class and many used it as a reason to push certain players up their boards.
With all of that drumbeat heading into the draft, it baffles me that Caleb Downs was available at 11th overall. Downs is an instinctive pass defender who can also step in to stop the run. He does a lot of everything at an elite level.
Downs was a steal for Dallas.With their second-first round pick, Dallas took a bigger swing (read: more risk) on Malachi Lawrence. He’s a speed demon with good production, but his size (6’4/253) could make him a liability against the run, which was not his strong suit in college.As expected, the Cowboys didn’t let their foot off the gas when it came to drafting defensive talents. Jaishawn Barham has a unique profile.
He split his time between off-ball and EDGE duties in college. He posted his best numbers at Michigan in 2025, tallying 10 TFLs and four sacks. I’m not entirely sure what his role will look like in the NFL, but I’m intrigued.Associated Press: A-LinkMoving up one spot to get the best safety in the draft — Caleb Downs — at No. 11 was an excellent move for the defense.
Moving back three spots to No. 23 might have cost them a better option but ended up Malachi Lawrence, who wasn’t a consensus first-round pick. Edge Jaishawn Barham (92), CB Devin Moore (114) and edge LT Overton (137) give