Mel Kiper grades the Dallas Cowboys 2022 NFL Draft class

Following the 2022 NFL Draft’s completion, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper broke down the Dallas Cowboys’ overall draft and gave them a letter grade. Kiper was not impressed with the Cowboys’ draft efforts beyond their first selection — tackle Tyler Smith from Tulsa with the 24th overall pick of the draft. Kiper’s final grade for Dallas was a “C-plus” after a set of draft picks that the analyst feels are “unknown potential” guys.

Mel Kiper on Cowboys’ draft performance

In some ways, Dallas’ draft was defined by the wild first-round that occurred before they even got up to the podium. Heading into the draft, Kiper and others believed the biggest area they needed to draft for was their offensive and defensive lines as well as the receiver position. Dallas losing talent like Amari Cooper and Randy Gregory this offseason made their draft plan a little more focused.

However, before Dallas could pick this year, six receivers were already taken off the board and Dallas was left with no real options at skill positions. They used their first-round pick at No. 24 to select the physical talent of tackle Tyler Smith — a 6’5″, 324-pound player with questions on his technique as a lineman. Kiper agreed with the decision, but admits the risk that Dallas could have selected a first-round player that won’t see playing time if he can’t develop.

“Smith needs a lot of work on his technique, but you can see on tape why he went in Round 1,” said Kiper. “Could he start at left guard in Year 1 and move to either tackle spots in future years? That might be the best bet to get him on the field.”

From there, according to Kiper, the draft decisions were full of questionable players and nobody that makes sense for Dallas’ needs.

“The Sam Williams (56) pick left me scratching my head. All he does is rush the passer. He isn’t good against the run. I would have taken him on Day 3,” began Kiper. “Jalen Tolbert (89) fills a need at wide receiver, but the more I think about it, the more I see some redundancy in what Michael Gallup already brings this offense. Jake Ferguson (129) is just a backup tight end based on what I saw on tape. He went too high. Linebacker Damone Clark (176) might turn into a good player, but he recently had spinal fusion surgery, so it’s really tough to use a fifth-round pick on an unknown injury.”

Ultimately, the lack of big moves from Dallas and owner Jerry Jones left Kiper wanting more. One thing that was clear from their draft selections was a focus on run-stopping concerns in the later rounds. Dallas had four draft picks in the fifth round and used two of them to select run-stoppers in Damone Clark and John Ridgeway. Dallas’ season ended in a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers when the playoffs started, as the 49ers ran the ball all over a Dallas defense that was impressive during the regular season.