How did national experts grade the Dallas Cowboys 2023 NFL Draft Class?
The Dallas Cowboys 2023 NFL Draft is in the book and the team took a balanced approach to the draft taking four offensive and defensive players and four defensive players.
The Cowboys focused on defense early with three of their first four picks coming on the defensive side of the ball.
National pundits were not overly impressed with the Cowboys draft.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Smith will be a tough guy to move inside and has the athleticism to win gaps more consistently. Schoonmaker will meet a need to replace Dalton Schultz as a receiving/blocking tight end, while Overshown is in the Jayron Kearse mold and should be a solid second-level defender.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting news
The Cowboys reached right away for need with 4-3 run-stuffing nose tackle Smith in the first round. Schoonmaker, Vaughn and Brooks didn’t give them the offensive skill punch they needed. Overshown is their type of linebacker to complement Micah Parsons, and he and Smith save the class for immediate impact, on top of Fehoko’s own big defensive upside.
Staff, PFF.com
Schoonmaker is an in-line tight end, so the fit is obvious here for the Cowboys, but it’s just that it’s a bit of a reach at 58th overall. He averaged 2.15 yards per route run in 2022 but caught just 28.6% of the contested targets he saw. There’s some projection here, but he does have the athletic profile where the reach could work out for the Cowboys.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
I loved first-round defensive tackle Luke Schoonmaker, who will be a force on their front, especially in the run game. Fehoko will prove to be a quality rotational player. Second-round tight end Deuce Vaughn was a nice pick. They picked three players on my Better-Than team in Smith, Fehoko (captain) and Schoonmaker. So I like this draft. Sixth-round running back Deuce Vaughn isn’t big, but he can play.
Tony Catalina, Blogging The Boys
Overall, the Cowboys had a solid draft with an opportunity to look really good in a couple years from now. They addressed some of their biggest needs while also adding intriguing talent to their roster. Mazi Smith should be able to help the Cowboys’ run defense immediately, while DeMarvion Overshown and Junior Fehoko should be able to provide depth to their respective positions. Deuce Vaughan is a wildcard and could be able to help the Cowboys’ explosiveness immediately.
Staff, Fox Sports
To borrow from baseball, the Cowboys opted to hit a single every time they stepped to the plate. You’re not going to find many jersey sellers in this draft class, and there’s not much in the way of eye-popping highlights. That’s what happens when a nose tackle is the first-round pick and there aren’t any other bonafide starters in the class.
Staff, WalterFootball.com
I liked some of Dallas’ picks made in Rounds 3-6, particularly DeMarvion Overshown. However, this was a very disappointing output by the Cowboys, who reached for players and handed a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher to their biggest rival.
Ryan Gosling, Pro Football Network
The Cowboys are renowned for their ability to build through the NFL Draft. The trust they’ve built over the years is partly why their grade is as high as it is. Although the class overall feels a bit uninspired, Dallas’ scouts, particularly on Day 3, have been able to find gems. But they’ll need Mazi Smith to be an impact player early to see significant results from this class.
Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated
The Cowboys went for need with the run-stopper Smith, but they probably would have gotten a more complete player in Bryan Bresee, who went three picks later to the Saints. Dallas reached for Smith and waited too long to fill the tight end void left by Dalton Schultz. Schoonmaker is a versatile player, but Michael Mayer would have made a bigger immediate impact. Dallas added defensive depth with players Overshown and Fehoko.
Danny Kelly, The Ringer
The Cowboys went heavy on non-premium positions over the first two days of the draft, grabbing a run-plugging nose tackle in Michigan’s Mazi Smith in the first round before adding tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the second, and off-ball linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in the third. If Smith is able to unlock his high-end athleticism and turn that into better pass-rush production, it would provide a massive boost to this class—but if he’s capped out as an early down rotational player, it’s hard to find a big-impact player in Dallas’s draft haul.
