I’m not the biggest fan of giving out draft grades right after the draft since it will take several years to really know how good the draft was and no one ever seems to give out grades for drafts three years ago, but if I was forced to I’d have to give the Cowboys a solid B, perhaps a B+.

It was definitely an A for the first day. The Cowboys were ready to choose Anthony Spencer with their 22nd pick, but they chose to do a little wheeling and dealing. They ended up getting Spencer with the 26th selection which translates to getting Cleveland’s number one pick for the discount rate of their 3rd round and 5th round picks. You don’t get much better than that.

After Spencer, they took James Martin in the third round after moving out of the second with another draft-day trade. The Cowboys definitely needed to bolster their offensive line after suffering through lackluster line play the last two years, but Martin does have some issues associated with him. Many scouts believe he is simply too slow in his play to ever become a left tackle. He does have some experience at guard, though, and that versatility can become an asset if it transfers to the pros. Any time you can get a player that can play two positions on the line you have more wiggle room when picking out the active roster.

The second day is a bit harder to judge. They took a flyer with their first pick in the fourth round choosing to gamble on Isaiah Stanback who played both quarterback and wide receiver for Washington. He was also a track star and was even drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 45th round even though he did not play baseball in college. He will likely be moved back to wide receiver for the Cowboys and has the athletic ability to become a solid receiver if he can reach his potential.

With their second pick in the fourth round the Cowboys chose Doug Free, another offensive tackle who can also play guard. Free is more agile than Martin, but doesn’t have as much strength. He is also bright, earning academic honors, and is a high-character player.

The Cowboys did not have a fifth round pick, and in the sixth round they shocked the football world by choosing a kicker. Well, perhaps not the football world as a whole, but definitely us Cowboy fans who have grown used to Dallas finding free agent kickers. Nick Folk lacked accuracy in college, but he has a boom leg and could be used as a kickoff specialist. And, with the emergence of players like Hester the NFL might be moving more towards having kick off specialists to neutralize return specialists.

Their second pick in the sixth round gives some indication on how the offense might be different under the new regime. The Cowboys chose Deon Anderson, a fullback. Under Parcells, the Cowboys were moving away from the fullback position and even pondered not having one on the roster last year, but this draft pick indicates they might utilize the position more in their new offense. Anderson is a solid blocker with decent run and catch skills for the position. He was also a standout on special teams.

In the seventh round the Cowboys chose two cornerbacks, Courtney Brown and Alan Ball. Brown is a speedster who ran a 4.32 in the 40 on his campus track and has good size. Coming from Cal Poly, he is bound to have a bit of a shock transitioning into the NFL. Ball is not as fast or as strong as Brown, but he was a starter at Illinois and the experience playing at a bigger school should give him an edge in the learning curve.

On the whole, I wasn’t too surprised that the Cowboys did not pick up a free safety seeing as how they acquired Ken Hamlin in free agency and are still quite high on Pat Watkins. But, I was surprised that they did not pick up a defensive tackle. They only have three on the active roster and will want to look for some big bodies from those players not drafted to, at least, provide some competition at the position.

In the long run it will be the extra first round pick they got from the Browns that will be the true measure of the draft. Having two picks, and one of them likely a top 10 or top 15 pick, will give them the ability to pick up two playmakers next year or move into the top five and pick up a standout player. It also gives Cowboys fans a reason to root for Quinn in the preseason with hopes that he wins the starting job and then root against the Brown during the regular season.