Cowboys draft grade for Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence

It was quite the night for the Cowboys. After spending much of the day at the top of the news cycle over rumors that George Pickens was going to be traded, followed shortly by the wide receiver officially signing his franchise tag, Dallas got busy in the first round. They made two trades, moving up one spot to land Caleb Downs and later moving back to take Malachi Lawrence.

Both moves have been the subject of some early praise, and Jerry Jones rightfully celebrated with a well-earned Cowboy-rita afterwards. Let’s hand out some grades for the picks.

Round 1, Pick 11: Caleb Downs, S – Ohio State

Cowboys fans knew that much of the first round was going to be spent sweating bullets over Caleb Downs. As each pick came off the board, Downs fell further and further down the board – and closer to Dallas. When the Giants – long rumored to be in love with the Ohio State safety – took offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa at 10, hope was alive.

The Cowboys weren’t going to leave anything up to chance, though. They traded away picks 177 and 180 in the process, a small price to pay to ensure that Downs would be coming to Dallas.

Considered by many to have one of the highest ceilings in this draft class, Downs immediately slots in as the nickel in Christian Parker’s defense. Given how crucial that position is, Downs seems to be a major value-add. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked Downs as his fifth overall player, saying this:

Downs sees the field like it’s a chess board and plays with an exceptional combination of intelligence, urgency and toughness, allowing him to be disruptive from anywhere on the field. His intangibles and on-field versatility will make him an impactful NFL starter early in his career.

It’s not hard to get excited about this pick. Downs was essentially the best case scenario for the Cowboys, and they landed him without giving up a ransom to go up and get him. A combination of patience and aggression paid off in landing perhaps the biggest steal of the draft.

Grade: A+

Round 1, Pick 23: Malachi Lawrence, EDGE – UCF

After the excitement of the Downs pick, the Cowboys had time to assess their draft board as they waited to get on the clock at 20. Many fans were surely watching Miami’s Akheem Mesidor slide towards them, but Dallas ultimately struck a deal with the Eagles.

Philadelphia moved up to draft wide receiver Makai Lemon, who was actually on the phone with Mike McCarthy and the Steelers when the Eagles made their move to draft him. For their troubles, Dallas was awarded two fourth-round picks, 114 and 137 overall (with a seventh-rounder also exchanged). In essence, they turned two fifth-round picks into fourth-round picks when all was said and done.

Mesidor came off the board right before their next pick, going to the Chargers. But Dallas was still thrilled to bolster their edge rushing unit, taking UCF’s Malachi Lawrence. The twitchy athlete climbed up boards in the past month, with plenty of evaluators falling in love with his upside.

Brugler ranked Lawrence as the seventh best EDGE and a fringe first/early second round prospect. He highlighted his traits that should directly translate to a prominent role for Dallas:

Lawrence is a linear mover and lacks ideal bend, but he offers skill as a pass rusher, stack-shed toughness versus the run and the demeanor that will help him carve out a starting role at the next level. Despite being an older player, he still has upside.

There weren’t many sure things left on the board at 23 – the same was true at 20 – but Lawrence is a plus player at a very valuable position. Between him, Rashan Gary, and Donovan Ezeiruaku, the Cowboys have shored up their pass rush after a miserable 2025 season. Perhaps Lawrence was a bit of a reach, but when you add in the draft capital they got on top of it, this was a very good night for them.

Grade: A-