NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Josh Allen chosen as the seventh overall pick by the Buffalo Bills poses for photos during the first round at the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Statium on April 26, 2018 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: Leighton Vander Esch of Boise State poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked #19 overall by the Dallas Cowboys during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Grade: A-

Best pick: Leighton Vander Esch (LB, Boise State)

Questionable pick: Chris Covington (LB, Indiana)

Sleeper pick: Cedrick Wilson (WR, Boise State)

With many Cowboys fans clamoring for a wide receiver selection early on, the team instead opted for Boise State standout Leighton Vander Esch. Some reports indicated that the Cowboys were so enamored with Vander Esch that they saw him in the mold of Brian Urlacher, and he should make a huge impact for the club from Week 1 of his NFL career. Despite only having one year of production, Vander Esch is the type of player who could anchor the middle of the Cowboys defense for years to come.

The Cowboys picked up their wide receivers later than some expected with the selection of Colorado State’s Michael Gallup in the third round, but another intriguing option is sixth-rounder Cedrick Wilson. Wilson has good size and outstanding speed to take the top off of opposing defenses. He improved in each of his seasons with the Broncos and in addition to his receiving ability, can also contribute on special teams in the return game. In my estimation, picking up talent like Gallup and Wilson in the later rounds was a much better strategy for Dallas than reaching for a player like Calvin Ridley in the first round.

With the reported retirement of Jason Witten looming, the addition of Stanford’s Dalton Schultz is a good, projectable body at tight end, though don’t expect him to get to Witten’s Hall of Fame-caliber production any time soon. Overall, this was a strong draft for Dallas.

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