Evaluating an NFL draft class the morning after the picks are announced is a fool’s errand. Legendary coaches like Tom Landry and Bill Parcells always preached the same rule: you must give a draft class three full seasons before you truly know what you have.
Now that we are in 2026, that critical three-year window has officially closed for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2023 draft class. With the benefit of hindsight and three seasons of on-field evidence, it is time to execute an official Cowboys 2023 draft class re-grade. To put it bluntly, the results are catastrophic. Only two players from this entire haul remain on the current roster, forcing the front office to spend premium resources fixing past mistakes.
Here is the definitive, pick-by-pick evaluation of the 2023 Cowboys draft.
The Early Rounds: Premium Capital, Minimal Return
First Round: Mazi Smith (Defensive Tackle)
- Grade: F–
There is simply no way around it: Mazi Smith was an unmitigated bust. The front office completely whiffed on the evaluation here, and the pick set the interior defense back significantly. Dallas eventually cut bait, throwing Smith into a trade package for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams...(more)