Dallas Cowboys 2022 Draft Grades: Fan anger/coach jubilee/time will tell
By Reid Hanson
With the 167 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select
DaRon Bland, CB
Fresno State
6-foot 197lbs.
DaRon Bland gave many Cowboys fans their Nahshon Wright moment of the draft. Bland was not a combine invite but was a Dallas visitor and someone insiders were very familiar with. His 4.46 40 speed and decent length make him a traits player.
I have been mocking DaRon Bland to the Cowboys for a reason. Plenty of late buzz on the Fresno State DB and Dallas wanted to make sure they got him.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 30, 2022
Long, fast, and tough. Fits Dan Quinn.
Likely to be a special teams player early, Bland is physical and aware in coverage. Like many players Dallas drafted, Bland was someone the Cowboys honed in on a while ago.
DaRon Bland was drafted with pick 167 of round 5 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 8.18 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 365 out of 2001 CB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/8hRPaTPoG7 #RAS #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/D6ieVdJklx
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022
Grade: C
Related Story. How much of a need is CB to the Cowboys?. light
With the 155 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select
Matt Waletzko, OT
North Dakota
6-foot-7, 312 lbs
Waletzko is a project player with tremendous upside. Drafted out of tiny North Dakota, this is purely a traits-type pick.
His 6-foot-7 frame, with 36.5inch arms and 86-inch wingspan gives him ridiculous length. He’s athletic and not rumbling like many prospects his size ted to be. Raw and untested, “Letz” will need work to be NFL ready, but he’s built for it.
#2 OT #RAS 2022
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 13, 2022
Matt Waletzko is a OT prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.95 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 1216 OT from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/btcwLzJlCN #RAS pic.twitter.com/C6AvQXfhcS
This is a high-risk and high-reward pick that fits the bill here in the fifth. It’s a high value position of need with acceptable risk/reward. The Dallas Cowboys could have gone a safer route, but taking a swing here may be worth it.
While media scouts have him as a 6th-7th rounder, word is team scouts are much higher on him as prospect (4th round range) so we’ll base his value on those reports.
Grade: B