Mel Kiper, Jr. calls Cowboys draft 'Solid, if unspectacular' in grading haul

[ASFN Admin]

The NFL draft has become a year-round endeavor for many in sports media, with more talent evaluators, number crunchers, film watchers, mock specialists, and inside analysts than ever before.

Yet for many, Mel Kiper, Jr. is still the godfather. An ESPN staple for over four decades now, the 64-year-old was once again all over the network's coverage of this year's selection meeting in Green Bay, offering his take on prospects and teams and the perfect marriages between the two.

Draftnik culture has exploded in recent years, and Kiper has fallen out of favor with a sizable contingent. He doesn't always get it right, and sometimes he gets it catastrophically wrong. This year, his over-the-top pounding of the table for Shedeur Sanders during his shocking fall certainly rubbed many viewers the wrong way. Agree with him or not, though, when Kiper delivers his post-draft grades, it's still worth paying attention to.

And while many of the big national outlets gave the Cowboys high marks- and even an A+ here and there- for their nine-player draft haul this year, Kiper was far less enthusiastic.

ESPN's guru gave Dallas a B. That may seem like a perfectly decent grade, based on what many of us remember from high school trigonometry class, but since Kiper didn't issue any team a grade lower than a straight C, the Cowboys' B seems utterly average. In fact, it was the lowest grade of any NFC East team.

Kiper wrote:

The Cowboys, coming off a disappointing and injury-plagued 7-10 season, could have gone in several directions at No. 12 overall. They could have targeted the defensive line, where they lost key depth with DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston departing in free agency. They could have picked a guard to replace future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, who retired in February. They could have taken a tackle to create competition for Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele.

Or Dallas could have done the flashy thing and taken a playmaker to help the offense. It doesn't have a standout No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, nor does it have a game-changing running back. I thought running back Omarion Hampton might be an option, along with wideouts Matthew Golden or Tetairoa McMillan (who went off the board at No. 8).

So what did the Cowboys do? Well, they went unflashy with guard Tyler Booker, who can step in for Martin. Look, I like Booker as a player -- he is my No. 1-ranked guard. I just don't love the value at No. 12, which I wrote about Thursday night. I would have rather them trade down to add more capital that could have helped a depleted roster. I don't think team owner Jerry Jones & Co. will care much about the value if Booker becomes a multi-time Pro Bowler, but it matters when I'm trying to grade a class from top to bottom.

Now, I did like what the Cowboys did on Day 2, adding edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., both of whom could have landed in the first round if everything broke right. They have the potential to be early starters for a Dallas defense undergoing a ton of turnover. Ezeiruaku could help fans forget about Lawrence, whose time with the team ended unceremoniously.

On Day 3, the Cowboys finally snagged a running back, but I had others rated over Jaydon Blue. Damien Martinez, Devin Neal and DJ Giddens were all higher in my rankings. Dallas also traded up for Blue, eating into its capital. It drafted another back -- Phil Mafah, adding to a crowded depth chart. I like the competition, though. Jay Toia is a big run-stopping nose tackle who can plug holes on defense.

Overall, this is a solid, if unspectacular, haul.

Kiper gave the Giants an A- for a draft class that included Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart, and Cam Skattebo. The Eagles also scored an A- with picks like Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba leading the way. And the Commanders earned a B+ for a modest five-player take that included Josh Conerly, Jr. and Trey Amos.

Then there were the Cowboys, in the same B boat with the Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Raiders, Jets, 49ers. and Buccaneers. Only 12 teams got a lower grade.

Kiper's objectivity about this year's draft grades is being questioned by many. He gave out exactly one A+, and it was to the Cleveland Browns, the team who finally selected Sanders after Kiper spent all of Thursday and Friday night losing his mind because no one had taken him sooner.

Now that it's all over for another year, one can make just about anything out of Kiper's grades. On the one hand, a B is a B; plenty of other draft experts scored the Cowboys in that same general vicinity. On the other hand, most of the other analysts have the Dallas haul graded much better than the middle of the pack.

Like Kiper himself, take him or leave him.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys earn lowest NFC East grade from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr.

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