Here’s what our experts thought of Dallas’ efforts in the draft:
The Cowboys drafted five defensive players and traded for LB Dee Winters in a full-on blitz to retool the unit for new coordinator Christian Parker. Most likely it will be remembered as the Caleb Downs draft if he becomes the Cowboys’ version of Derwin James or perhaps their latest Darren Woodson. There are 31 other teams that think they improved, too, but Dallas’ use of two ones to anchor the defense feels legit.
The Cowboys checked every box they needed to check. They drafted, in my opinion, the best player in the draft in Caleb Downs. That stroke of luck set the tone for the entire weekend. They even traded for Dee Winters and selected Jaishawn Barham, a personal favorite of Brian Schottenheimer’s, to potentially remedy their linebacker needs. The Cowboys are better today than they were before the draft.
When Jerry Jones said he might get five players out of the Micah Parsons deal, he didn’t mention that he’d need five just to replace the people at Parsons’ position. This is what happens when you change schemes. On the whole, though, it was a banner draft. Caleb Downs should be a staple in the secondary for years, and they filled some holes. They got a starter in the secondary (Downs); a rotational pass rusher who could start early (Malachi Lawrence) and versatile talent overall. If they’d gotten a starting MLB, this would have been their best draft in a decade or more. Still pretty good.
The first two days of the NFL draft saw strong selections by the Cowboys. They built up Day 3, particularly the fourth round, as a place where future starters are made. We have some questions about the trio of fourth-round picks being a starter, yet, it doesn’t mess up how good a draft the Cowboys had. Getting at least two starters in the first round was big, and finding diversity with some other picks will pan out over time.