Cowboys NFL Draft Review: When ‘Average’ Stinks

It’s best to wait three years to grade an overall Dallas Cowboys draft class. In First and 10 I break down the 2018 class and deem it ‘average’

Matthew Postins | Feb 7, 2021

FRISCO - First and 10, in which we look back three years to judge a Dallas Cowboy draft ... as "average'' ... which stinks.

1. Grading the 2018 Cowboys NFL Draft

It’s time to grade the Dallas Cowboys 2018 NFL Draft. Why? Any NFL personnel person will tell you that you can’t grade an NFL Draft the day after the draft (though we sure do try, don’t we?). Within the halls of each NFL franchise, three years is considered a good amount of runway to fully understand how a draft impacted the team.

Plus, many of the players the Cowboys drafted in 2018 will be free agents in 2021, and the Cowboys have to determine if they want to retain them.

To me, this class is ‘average,’ and I’ll get into why below. It’s not JUST about the first-round pick, you know? Plus, I take into account the entirety of the player’s time in Dallas, not just one season.

So let’s get to it. My grades for the 2018 Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft.

First round: LB Leighton Vander Esch: The Cowboys and their fans really liked this pick on draft night. Three years later, the 6-foot-4, 256-pound linebacker is entering the ‘bonus year’ of his contract. The Cowboys have to decide this year if they want to extend Vander Esch for a fifth year. When he’s on the field he’s been an asset. But his rookie year was his best year, with 140 total tackles in 16 games. Since then, he’s missed 13 of 32 regular-season games due to injury, including a neck injury in 2019 that required surgery. I think he falls short of being a home run, but he’s certainly not a bust, either. And, frankly, I’m torn about offering him a fifth year. Grade: B-minus.

Second round: OL Connor Williams: At the time Williams was solid value, a college tackle who could play guard, too. He was considered a near-certain starter as a rookie (it took about half the season, though) and a potential down-the-road replacement for Tyron Smith. At 6-foot-5, 298 pounds, he’s a bit undersized for the NFL, but keeping him inside minimizes that liability. It also means he’s not a future tackle, in my opinion. He’s been solid, relatively durable (he’s missed eight games in three seasons) and screams good player, but not great player. Grade: B-minus.

Third round: WR Michael Gallup: Gallup represented the best ‘value’ for the Cowboys in that draft three years ago, and he still represents the ‘best value’. He’s played in nearly every game in three seasons, caught 158 passes for 2,457 yards and 13 touchdowns. If we were to re-draft today, Gallup would certainly leap-frog Williams. Entering the final year of his contract, Gallup could cash in on the free-agent market if the Cowboys don’t extend him. Gallup represents the biggest question the Cowboys have to answer from this draft class in the upcoming season. Grade: A-minus

Fourth round: DE Dorance Armstrong Jr.: He’s been active for nearly every game of his three-year career, but he didn’t start getting regular playing time until the latter part of last season. He’s shown flashes of being a defensive end who can be a solid depth player. With just 2.5 career sacks, I think the Cowboys thought they were getting a player that would develop a bit faster. Grade: C

Fourth round: TE Dalton Schultz: So, I deemed Gallup a better value because he’s been a consistent performer for three seasons. You could argue that last season, Schultz closed the gap with a 63-catch season for 614 yards and four touchdowns. It all comes down to opportunity for him. When he gets it, he seems to produce. But with Blake Jarwin under a multi-year deal, and Schultz headed into his walk year, I don’t have a good enough crystal ball to determine how the Cowboys will use the pair next year or assess each’s future. But, relative to the first three years of his career, Schultz is now a slightly above-average value. Grade: C-plus

Fifth Round: QB Mike White: He didn’t even make the team. Grade: F

Sixth Round: LB Chris Covington: He made the team in 2018, stuck around for 2019 and played a grand total of eight games. He helped out on special teams, which keeps his grade from hitting the floor. Grade: D

Sixth Round: WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.: He didn’t do anything for the Cowboys in 2018, but give him some credit. He worked his butt off, stuck around and ended up playing a full slate of games in 2020, and even made an impact at times (remember that Seattle game?). It’s hard to remain a part of a franchise for three years when you are a sixth-round pick. I think he’s actually give the Cowboys a bit more value than they expected. Grade: C

Seventh Round: RB Bo Scarborough: When the Cowboys drafted him in the seventh round, I was intrigued. I mean, he had a solid career and Alabama is turning out NFL-ready running backs at an alarming rate. But, Scarborough failed to make the team out of camp, squeezed on to the practice squad for a month, and then Jacksonville signed him. He gets a slight bump for making the practice squad, which many seventh-round picks fail to do. Grade: D

Overall Grade: C. You need to hit on your first-round pick, and for a year, the Cowboys did with Vander Esch. But I think his neck issues are always going to be something to watch, and after last season’s debacle of a defensive scheme installation, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn must find a way to properly use Vander Esch. Williams has been solid, while Gallup and Schultz have been the best values in this class. If Vander Esch wasn’t injury prone, and Williams was more dominant on his own, I’d be higher on this draft.

But you know what the bottom line is here? Three years later is enough for it to be the "foundation'' of something; if it's a "good draft,'' you should have a "good team.''

Do the Dallas Cowboys have a good team? Because being "average'' pretty much stinks.

2. Super Bowl Quarterback Matchup Rankings Have Aikman, Staubach in Top 10

Earlier this week CBSSports.com worked up a list of the top quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history. Naturally, to hype up this weekend’s game, they ranked Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes at No. 1. But the site did rank Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach in the Top 10.

Our Anthony Wood has the update.

3. Cowboys Draft Tracker

It’s 2021 NFL Draft season. And CowboysSI.com has its Cowboys Mock Draft Tracker up and running. Throughout the ramp-up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we’ll be updating the tracker with mock drafts from around the Internet — ESPN, CBS, NFL.com, Fox Sports and all the others. You can find it all in one convenient place right here.

So click it, bookmark it and keep our Cowboys Draft Tracker with you wherever you go.

And some other Cowboys and NFL Draft related stories of note:

The ‘coming battle’ between cornerbacks Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain II for the Cowboys’ No. 10 overall pick.

Why Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater has become the Cowboys Mock Draft ‘default’ offensive selection, and whether that’s a good thing;

Our NFLDraftBible.com list of upcoming Pro Days (remember, there’s no scouting combing this year);

NFLDraftBible.com’s recent piece on Missouri LB Nick Bolton, who is from Frisco, Texas.

Our new partner, the NFL Draft Bible, now a part of Fan Nation and we’ll be bringing you great content from them leading up to the NFL Draft in April.

4. Troy the GM?

If Troy Aikman ever wanted to vacate the TV booth and head into another gig, one NFL name knows exactly what he should decide to do.

That name is … well … Aikman.

“I’m confident that if I decided that I wanted to pursue that, I could contact half a dozen people at different teams that I know and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to come work for your organization if there’s a spot for me,’” Aikman said. “‘You don’t have to pay me. I just want to come in and work and learn the craft and put myself in a position to where, if I decide that I want to be a GM and run a team all by myself, that I can do that.’ And I feel that, within a couple years, I’d be fully prepared and ready to do it.”

Our Mike Fisher has more here.

5. There is ‘Intent’ to Get a Dak Deal Done

From our Mike Fisher:

We have reported frequently in this space on the Jones family's desire here, and we know Prescott shares that desire. Prescott recently purchased a new home just minutes from the team headquarters at The Star in Frisco, and the Cowboys - coming off a 6-10 season in which Dak was lost for the year in Week 5 - recognize that he is the hub of their wheel, in the locker room, on the field and beyond.

Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer provided a little more context earlier this week, context that reinforces there is ‘intent’ to get a deal done.

Now, let’s see if Prescott, his agent Todd France, and the Joneses can get something done.

Also, Prescott is wading into the investing game, along with former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant.

6. Super Bowl Odds (for Next Year)

Earlier this week odds for next year’s Super Bowl were released, and they’ll surely change when the game is played on Sunday. But it was interesting what oddsmakers think about the Cowboys’ chances right now.

Plus, a great embed video from our Mike Fisher on why the Cowboys haven’t won a championship in a quarter-century. Worth the watch.

7. #53Brands

It’s the idea that in the Dallas Cowboys organization, everyone is a brand, not just the team. There is no ‘Patriot Way,’ at least when it comes to marketing yourself.

And former Cowboys defensive lineman Tony Casillas, who won Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys in the 1990s, basically confirmed as much to 105.3 The Fan earlier this week.

"Everything else,'' Casillas says in a visit with "K&C Masterpiece'' on 105.3 The Fan, "comes before winning.''

Our Mike Fisher has more, including some context about the Cowboys being a ‘team’ and a ‘business.’

Plus, current linebacker Jaylon Smith talked about the team’s woes earlier this week, and it was about not playing together as a team. That’s not a #53Brands problem, necessarily, but it feeds into that narrative.

8. Cowboys Icon Jason Witten Begins Coaching Career

We all knew former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was going to embark on a coaching career at some point. But I don’t think any of us thought it would be at Argyle Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas.

Of course, this is the same school at which Saints head coach Sean Payton served as an offensive assistant during his one-year exile from the NFL (mainly because his kids played there). It’s also a school that I used to cover when I worked as a high school sports writer for the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Not surprisingly, Witten’s kids go to the school, too. So, as head coach, he’ll have the privilege of coaching his sons soon.

9. Whitt’s End: How Long ‘Til Cowboys Next Super Bowl Memory?

From our Richie Whitt:

*Believe it or not, there was a time when Super Bowl Weekend had relevance to fans of the Dallas Cowboys. If you are 25 years old or younger, you haven’t a clue.

I was fortunate to attend three of the five Cowboys’ Super Bowl wins as a writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The other two I watched on TV and remember – both times – my parents letting me miss school the ensuing Monday because it was a “Cowboys holiday.”

Since it’s been so long, let’s dig the Cowboys’ Super Bowl wins out of the moth balls and rank ’em.