Cowboys Catching Up with NFL's Best?

The Dallas Cowboys rose to the occasion during the NFL Draft and executed one of the best overall performances in recent memory.

Each of Dallas' nine players drafted can be justified, but more than anything, the organization's approach was what made the Draft so successful.

Dallas addressed key roster voids at running back, offensive line, cornerback, and defensive line while staying true to their board rankings and prioritizing high-character prospects.

These are all facts. No matter what some sites say about Dallas' inefficiencies in the past, the team objectively out-performed most of the NFL this past weekend.

Pro Football Focus issued out grades for each team's draft haul, and the Cowboys were one of three teams to earn an A+.

In fact, they may stand alone as having the best Draft of any team.

They join the Carolina Panthers who were headlined by receiver Tetairoa McMillan drafted No. 8 overall - the prospect many expected the Cowboys to consider at 12 if he made it there.

Another aced draft comes from the Arizona Cardinals who scored two value picks in defensive tackle Walter Nolen and cornerback Will Johnson.

Dallas was able to select Tyler Booker (pick No. 12), Donovan Ezeiruaku (No. 44) and Shavon Revel Jr. (No. 76) with their first three picks. Each of them were graded much higher than they were picked, turning into premier value steals for the Cowboys.

Throughout Day 3, Dallas continued targeting the best player available at valuable positions, most notably doubling-down on running backs with the speedy Jaydon Blue and ground-and-pound force Phil Mafah.

There is still a lot to figure out on the rest of the roster, but we already project this draft class to feature four starters ... which would be a huge confidence boost for any head coach, let alone Brian Schottenheimer in Year 1.

But ...

Is just this showing enough? Are the Cowboys already good enough to win 10+ games again? We think no ... or at least not quite yet.

Of course, the first goal is to make up ground in the NFC East.

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions and return most of last year's production, while also drafting fairly well.

The Washington Commanders are no slouch like they used to be. Rookie phenom Jayden Daniels brought them to the conference championship game in just one season, so they expect to be regular contenders.

And while the New York Giants still need to do more to even reach Dallas, they improved greatly by drafting Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart in this year's first round.

Dallas will be in the fight if they are fully healthy, but they shouldn't be done this offseason - no matter how much they caught up with the rest of the league after the Draft.

Are they one piece away? Yes ... at least. They must find a suitable running mate to take pressure off of CeeDee Lamb at receiver.

There are also rotations that need to be determined at training camp for the running backs, defensive linemen, and receivers. The team will rely on timely recoveries to injured stars like Trevon Diggs and DeMarvion Overshown, too.

Other than that? This team should be equipped to churn out a double-digit win season like it's ordinary business - because it was, just a few years ago.

Dallas couldn't ask for a better showing as they try to rebound from a 7-10 season under Schotty in 2025.

Thanks in part to this excellent draft class, teams across the league will begin to worry about the Dallas Cowboys again.