Dallas Cowboys: Complete 2015 NFL Draft Wrap-Up and Analysis

The goal of the NFL draft is to select players who can ultimately improve your football; the Dallas Cowboys did just that over the three days of the draft. 

The Cowboys have been known as one of the true wild cards of draft weekend, as they have had a tendency to trade up and down throughout draft weekend. The Cowboys did exactly the opposite this time around, as they made just one trade to get back into the late-seventh round, which the Cowboys used to select Texas tight end Geoff Swaim. 

The Cowboys were able to stay at their picks and get great value throughout the draft, especially in the first two rounds. 

The Cowboys were legitimate Super Bowl contenders entering draft weekend, and they are coming out of the draft with a little bit of a better chance to attain their ultimate goal, the Super Bowl. 

With that said, let's take a look at the best and worst picks, what the experts are saying, what the Cowboys still need to address and a final grade for the Cowboys' draft. 

The Selections

The Cowboys started the draft off with a bang as they selected Byron Jones with their first-round pick. Jones is one of the most athletically gifted players in football, which he seamlessly intertwines with some serious skill on the football field. Jones is a fantastic cornerback who can play press or off coverage with almost equal veracity. 

Jones could step in and become the No. 2 cornerback for the Cowboys, or he can switch to free safety and start there. Whichever scenario ends up coming to fruition, the Cowboys greatly improved their secondary with the Jones selection. 

The Cowboys carried that momentum into the second round, where they grabbed the most talented defensive end in the draft, Randy Gregory. At his core, Gregory is a fantastic pass-rusher who can get to the quarterback in a variety of ways. He can win with speed and flexibility on the edge, he can counter inside or he can convert speed to power. He is a truly special talent, and the Cowboys were lucky to grab him. 

Gregory will likely play some base snaps at right defensive end, but his primary role will likely be as a nickel pass-rusher as he bulks up to hold up in the run game. 

In the third round, the Cowboys were able to fill a need with a versatile offensive lineman, Chaz Green. He has some durability concerns, but when Green is healthy, he displays the ability to be a great swing tackle for the Cowboys immediately. 

The most underrated selection the Cowboys made was picking Damien Wilson in the fourth round. Wilson will step in and be a reserve linebacker and make a huge impact on special teams. Wilson has the ability to step in and do his job well if Sean Lee or Rolando McClain gets hurt at any point this year. 

On the third day of the draft, the Cowboys primarily looked for athletic players with a lot of upside. Ryan Russell in an athletic defensive end who flashes big-time talent. However, he needs to become much more consistent. Mark Nzeocha is an intriguing linebacker who has the athleticism to make a huge impact on special teams right away. 

Laurence Gibson is a big and athletic tackle who has the movement skills that are worth developing. Geoff Swaim could be an in-line Y-tight end for the Cowboys, who is mainly used as a blocker until he learns to how to run routes. 

Best Pick: Randy Gregory

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Either one of the Cowboys' top two picks is worthy of being labeled as the Cowboys' best pick. Nonetheless, the fact that Randy Gregory was picked in the second round, despite being a first-round talent, gives him the slight edge. 

Gregory is truly the most talented defensive end in the draft class, as he has the frame, length, technique and talent to become a truly elite player in the NFL. 

However, there is a tad of risk with this pick, even though it is mitigated a bit since he was selected in the second round. Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he reportedly was late and missed a meeting with the Saints in the predraft process, per The Advocate's Nick Underhill (via Fox Sports' Peter Schrager).

The Cowboys do appear to be ready and prepared to help Gregory overcome his off-field issues:

"

"He's very talented. We have to help him w/ some off the field stuff. We're excited for the challenge" - Jason Garrett on @RandyGregory_4

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 2, 2015"

Nevertheless, when Gregory steps onto the football field, he is an elite talent. He has the burst to threaten an offensive tackle's edge, the bend to turn the corner and the burst to finish on the quarterback. Furthermore, Gregory has displayed ever-improving hand usage, as he has developed very good hand positioning and pass-rush moves throughout his career at Nebraska. 

Despite the fact that Gregory's hallmark is as a pass-rusher, he isn't a bad run defender at all. Despite weighing in at less than 235 pounds, Gregory held up on the edge against offensive tackles who outweighed him by 70 or so pounds in the run game. Gregory was able to do this because he knows how to utilize leverage and position his hands and body to hold up at the point of attack. 

Overall, Gregory will primarily line up as a situational pass-rusher. However, he will likely see some time in the Cowboys' base defense as well until he bulks up. Gregory will probably play 20-to-30 snaps a game and hopefully make an impact in those limited snaps.   

Grade: A+

Worst Pick: Geoff Swaim

Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

You know the Cowboys had a good draft when the picks in consideration for the so-called "worst pick" are both from Day 3 of the NFL draft. The first player up for consideration was the Cowboys' fifth-round pick Ryan Russell, and the other was the Cowboys' last pick of the draft, Geoff Swaim. 

Ultimately, the fact that Russell flashed big-time talent saved him from receiving this dubious selection. Furthermore, the fact that Dallas traded back into the draft to select Swaim only compounds the head-scratching nature of this pick. 

At the moment, the only way Swaim can contribute is as an in-line Y-tight end for Dallas as a player whose primary responsibility is to block. He doesn't run good routes, and his special-teams upside seems limited. 

To make the Cowboys, he will likely have to beat out James Hanna or Gavin Escobar, unless the Cowboys don't keep a fullback on the roster, which seems extremely unlikely at this point. 

Swaim has some athletic upside, but he appears to be a limited player whose ceiling is likely on the practice squad this year. 

Grade: C

What the Experts Are Saying

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Mel Kiper

ESPN's Mel Kiper had a pessimistic view of the Cowboys draft, as they received a C+:

"

It's now two straight years we've seen the Cowboys drive the suspense factor and end up NOT picking a player at the position everyone is talking about. Last year it was passing on a QB and Johnny Manziel. This year, it was passing on a running back after the departure of Demarco Murray. They again targeted a player in Round 1 they think can help make them better in a need area right away. Last year it was Zack Martin on the O-line, this year it was Byron Jones in the secondary. The versatile, athletic freak from Connecticut could play all over for them. He helps. Randy Gregory is the big story. A gifted pass-rusher with top-5 ability, Dallas is rolling the dice at No. 60 and believing that Rod Marinelli can help a kid who has off-field issues that threaten to derail his career. If it works out, that's an impact player. Chaz Green was a pretty massive reach on my board, but I did like Damien Wilson in Round 4. If health issues again hurt them in the linebacking corps, Wilson is great insurance. As to the big question mark, which was not selecting a running back, my sense is the Cowboys know there are many backs who will run effectively behind their offensive line, and you can add one on the cheap pretty easily. The depth chart there just really isn't that bad. Jones is the safe bet, Gregory the potential home run. From there, we'll see.

"

Kiper seems to take issue most with the Cowboys' selection of Chaz Green in the third round. While he is right to be a tad skeptical, Green did show a ton of traits that make him worthy of the No. 91 selection. 

Kiper overlooks the fact that Green is a perfect scheme fit for Dallas, as his lateral mobility lends itself well to the Cowboys' zone-blocking scheme. If Green can get a little stronger and polish up his hands, he can become a starting-caliber offensive tackle for the Cowboys in the very near future. 

Todd McShay

ESPN's Todd McShay was really impressed with the Cowboys first two selections, but he opted to select Gregory as the Cowboys' best draft pick:

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The Cowboys needed to get better at corner and Byron Jones has all the physical tools to be a really good one in the NFL. He has very good size and explosiveness, and will give defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli a lot to work with. But I'm going with Gregory here. Obviously, he is a major risk, even late in the second round, because of his off-field issues. But his upside is huge. He is the best edge rusher in this draft with his combination of length, explosiveness and ability to convert speed to power. If the Cowboys can surround him with a good support system, he could really upgrade their pass rush and the defense overall.

"

McShay accurately states the risk that Gregory represents, but he also states that Gregory's upside was just too much for Dallas to pass up in the second round. McShay's statement that Gregory is the best edge-rusher in the draft class is very astute, as Gregory's ceiling is higher than any other edge-rusher in this class. 

What's Left to Address?

Dave Martin/Associated Press

The biggest need the Cowboys have yet to address is at the running back position. Currently, they have Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams signed to the roster, and all four players have significant question marks as to whether they would be able to carry the load for the Cowboys. 

McFadden has significant durability concerns, and there are still questions as to how he'll fit in Dallas' heavy zone running game. 

Dunbar is a fine change-of-pace running back, but he lacks the size and power to really carry the load for the Cowboys. 

Joseph Randle showed spurts of greatness last year behind DeMarco Murray but hasn't done anything to prove that he can handle the full load. 

Ryan Williams may be the most talented of the bunch, but he has significant durability concerns as well, and there are questions as to how reliable he can be in pass protection. 

Because the draft is over, the Cowboys are extremely limited as to how they acquire a player who is talented enough to come in and carry the load for the Cowboys. 

Ultimately, the Cowboys will likely use a running-back-by-committee approach, as they will try to use all four to their strengths and feed the hot hand in that particular game. 

Final Grade

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When the two most important picks are as exceptional as the Cowboys' were in the 2015 NFL draft, it is nearly impossible to not give them a great grade.

Furthermore, the Cowboys didn't reach for a need, and they allowed their board to come to them. They selected a great deal of high-upside prospects who display enough traits to be worth developing. All of their picks, outside of the Wilson and Green selections, have exceptional athleticism for their positions. 

If the Cowboys were able to grab an impact running back, such as trading up in the third round to get Duke Johnson, this grade would easily be an A+. 

However, the fact that they didn't address that need and that they had a couple of slight reaches on Day 3 knocks them down a tad. 

Overall, it is impossible to complain about this draft, as they came away with numerous players who can make an immediate impact and two players who figure to be game-changing types of talents. 

Grade: A-