Cowboys 2021 NFL Draft grades: Dallas missed the mark too often

Round 6, Pick 227: Israel Mukuamu, DB, South Carolina

With their second pick in the sixth round, the Dallas Cowboys picked up a very intriguing prospect in South Carolina’s Israel Mukuamu. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205-pounds, Mukuamu played cornerback for the Gamecocks but also dropped back into a deep safety role.

With Dallas already taking two cornerbacks in this draft — and having Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown on the roster ‚— there’s a real chance that Mukuamu makes the move to safety full-time.

He has a nose for the ball (seven picks in three seasons) and could end up being a steal. Sure, I make a lot of jokes about Dallas drafting safeties in the sixth and developing them, but this time, that might be exactly what they do.

Grade: A

Round 7, Pick 238: Matt Farniok, IOL, Nebraska

Dallas had their final pick at No. 238 and they used that one to fill a need by taking Matt Farniok from Nebraska. A former team captain with the Cornhuskers, Farniok comes from a family of football players and played all over the line for Nebraska.

At the NFL level, he should be a reserve guard and center. Right now, Dallas has a need there with Tyler Biadasz set to take over for Joe Looney as the starting center which leaves his old spot up for grabs. There’s no guarantee Farniok will win that role but adding competition is never a bad idea.

Grade: B-

So let’s recap and see the overall grade for Dallas in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Dallas Cowboys Overall 2021 NFL Draft Grade: C+

There’s clearly a plan in Big D, which is to get rid of their recent errors. Jaylon Smith and LVE might be gone soon and they reloaded the secondary.

Unfortunately, they reached far too often when doing so and their work on Day 2 was especially troubling. They had three picks in Round 3 and none seem to be sure-fire contributors anytime soon.

Maybe Jerry should have been drafting from the yacht again.