Dallas Cowboys Draft Grades
How did the Cowboys do in the 2021 NFL Draft? We give the Dallas Cowboys draft grades for every pick they made.
Round 1: No. 12, LB Micah Parsons
I love Micah Parsons the player. He’s probably the best defensive player in this draft, so it’s very nice that the Cowboys were able to grab him at 12. It’s not news that the Cowboys need an upgrade on the defensive side of the ball. Vague off-field “concerns” have been spoken of. To be clear, these concerns amount to sexual assault of fellow students. You can write them off as hazing, but there are other non rapey ways to haze people. Anyways, it’s a great pick but I don’t think Dallas is a good landing spot for a possibly troubled young man. Grade A-
Round 2: No. 44, CB Kelvin Joseph
A lot of scouts refer to Joseph as a big athletic cornerback. Well, he’s 5’11” which is big enough, but not standout big. He ran a 4.28 second 40 yard dash, I assume that’s what catches everyone’s eye. He also had a good broad jump, so the athleticism seems to be there. However, Cowboys fans are going to be very disappointed if they’re expecting him to start early. Joseph needs to be trained up in the worst way. Right now Joseph is an athlete who’s playing cornerback, and the Cowboys need to turn him into a cornerback who’s an athlete. A little too raw for my liking in the second round for a team that needs defensive starters immediately. Of course, he also comes with the dreaded off field concerns, but the positive is they don’t seem as bad as Parson’s. Grade: C
No. 75 – Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA
Osa Odighizuwa put in three good years of football at UCLA. He’s a football player, and you always like to have football players on the team. Osa has long arms, big hands and powerful legs. He’s undersized, he weighed in at 282 lbs. at his pro day. I don’t really care about his weight, because he’s an incredibly talented all around defensive tackle. Good against the run, good against the pass in the Pac-12 means he can play. Grade: A-
No. 84, DE Chauncey Golston
Now here’s someone we like. We answer the important question: is Chauncey Golston (‘s play) sexy? Golston is a versatile, three down defensive end. He’s strong against the run and the pass and can lineup in multiple spots. Golston’s positive physical traits are his explosiveness and his arm length. He played at a high level at Iowa, and while he could certainly be a better athlete, he’s got some athleticism and strong film. He’s also the first Cowboys pick fans don’t have to worry about off the field this year. Grade: A-
No. 99, CB Nahshon Wright
I want to be super positive about this guy because he’s a local, but this was not a good pick. Wright is super tall, 6’4”, has long arms, a good broad jump and a good 40 for someone his size at 4.46. The big problem is his short shuttle and 3 cone drills were both atrocious, among the worst for cornerbacks. You have to be able to follow receivers making cuts, and I’m not sure Wright can do that. He played two years of decent football at Oregon State, but that program has been bad for so long decent football is probably good football. I would have been shocked if Wright wasn’t available in the 5th round. The 5th is still early for Wright, but when you love a guy it’s fine to take him one or two rounds early, just not four rounds early. Grade: D
Round 4: No. 115, LB Jabril Cox
How in the world did Jabril Cox last this long? He’s absolutely in contention to be the steal of the draft. Cox put together three strong years on the LSU defense. I get that he’s more of a coverage linebacker, but this is way too late for him to be going. Cox will contribute to the Cowboys during his rookie year, and to get that in the fourth round is excellent. Grade: A+
No. 138, OT Josh Ball
Big, strong, long arms, decent athleticism and two good years of play. Ball was one of the prospects I had an eye on during the NFL Draft. He needs to add weight, but I’m intrigued by his football potential. Now the bad news, Ball allegedly beat and stalked a girlfriend at Florida State, the school he started at. Ball was found guilty by a school judicial panel. He sounds like a real Greg Hardy. Grade: A for football, F for life because F this guy
Round 5: No. 179, WR Simi Fehoko
Simi is 6’3”, 222 lbs. and runs a 4.42 second 40. His size and speed combo are definitely rare. An athlete that good going this late means he’s raw as all get out. He has four starts and 62 catches in his career. Fehoko also had the dropsies when the ball was thrown his way. Finally, his route tree is extremely limited. An intriguing prospect, he needs a lot of polish. Maybe the Cowboys can turn him into a wide receiver. Grade: B+
Round 6: No. 192, DT Quinton Bohanna
Bohanna is big, even for a defensive tackle. He’s got long arms to engage offensive lineman early. Bohanna is strong and surprisingly quick. He put together three very good years of football at Kentucky. I think he could develop into a good nose tackle, it’s a good pick here. Grade: A-
No. 227, CB Israel Mukuamu
Did the Cowboys take turns making picks, because this is another absolute steal for them. What a mixed bag for America’s Team in the 2021 NFL Draft. Mukuamu is a big, long corner, though I’ve seen suggestions he may play safety. He’s got a good vertical, but I can’t find any numbers on his speed, acceleration, change of direction, etc. Mukuamu had two good seasons, but struggled for his limited time this season. Still, I thought he’d go two rounds earlier, so it’s nice to get that kind of value late. Also, it sure seems like the Cowboys value tall cornerbacks. Grade: A
Round 7: No. 238, OG Matt Farniok
Farniok can play guard, tackle or center, and I like versatility in offensive lineman, especially late round offensive lineman. I fell in love with Sadarius Hutcherson, and he went undrafted, so I think he would have been a better pick here. But hey, Farniok has a decent shot to make the Cowboys roster because he’s very valuable depth along the offensive line. That makes him a pretty good 7th round pick. Grade: B
Overall Grade: B-
