Dallas Cowboys: Re-grading the 2018 draft class (round by round)

The Cowboys under Jason Garrett relied heavily on keeping games close and using running backs in a more traditional style to the current era of the NFL. This caused the Cowboys to look for depth behind Ezekiel Elliott with Bo Scarbrough in the seventh round out of Alabama.

Scarbrough was supposed to be the complement to Elliott. Scarbrough never developed enough for the Cowboys and became a journeyman in the NFL before winning the USFL championship with Birmingham in 2022.

The Dallas Cowboys ended up going with two running backs the next year and while they did try to give Scarbrough some attempts at becoming a depth piece it was just never to be. He played decently in spot duty at times for Dallas and other teams, but his injuries caught up with him and the value of running back as a whole allowed the league to let him head to the USFL.

If Scarbrough had panned out it probably would have helped this draft class overall.

Individual Grade: F

The 2018 Dallas Cowboys draft was less spectacular and more about depth. Yes, there were some contributors, but overall the class lacked a lot of punch overall. Vander Esch, Williams, and Armstrong highlight the class with Wilson shortly behind them. If the Cowboys had hit on this class a little more then it is possible that Jason Garrett could have stayed a little longer. Instead, this class was a microcosm of the Garrett era overall, solid but unspectacular and a little conservative.

With the class starting with a linebacker, moving to the offensive line, then wide receiver, there may have been a little hindsight in looking at where the team is now in regard to those positions and where they could potentially have been. Had the coaching staff been turned over before this season I am not sure this class looks like this. This was the season that caused the front office to get Amari Cooper and was probably the beginning of the end for Jason Garrett.

The Dallas Cowboys have started moving away from the value of certain positions recently and while they still have some work to do, this draft was not the worst nor was it the best in recent memory. With so few players still on the roster, it is probably a class we will look back on as time goes on as a miss overall. If Vander Esch had stayed healthy this class may have been above average, but taking everything into account, the final grade is…

Final Grade: C