DALLAS — The final day of the NFL Draft brought a few more surprises for the Dallas Cowboys, and featured a selection that will be one of the best stories to come out of the NFL’s biggest offseason event.
Heading into the day, the Cowboys had four picks, one in each round, but they came out with five players after adding an extra sixth-round selection by trading away a fifth-rounder next year.
Here’s how the day turned out for the Cowboys:
Round 4 (Pick No. 129): DE Viliami Fehoko Jr., San Jose State
The Cowboys had already gone with two defensive picks in the first three rounds, but that didn’t stop them from selecting the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. Fehoko had nine sacks last season and 19 tackles for a loss, finishing his career with 47 tackles for loss, second most in school history.
Weighing in at 276 pounds, the early expectations are that Fehoko will eventually move inside for the Cowboys to help stop the run. Fehoko was one of the best run defenders in college football, which makes sense with him being the cousin of Tampa Bay Buccaneers premiere run stopper Vita Vea.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense had trouble stopping the run in his first two years and Fehoko could be seen as a part of the solution. A high motor player, Fehoko gives maximum effort on every play and hunts for the ball carrier.
Round 5 (Pick No. 169): OG Asim Richards, University of North Carolina
It took them five rounds, but the Cowboys finally drafted someone for their evolving offensive line to help protect quarterback Dak Prescott. Richards started 38 games at North Carolina, 37 of which came at tackle but after getting reps on the inside in front of NFL personnel at the Senior Bowl, he’s expected to move to guard.
According to scouts, the third-team all-conference performer is a long, lean lineman who has great feet, and powerful hands. In a positive twist, Richards’ pass blocking is ahead of his run blocking, which helps a weakness for Dallas.
Richards was a multi-year starter for a Division I school at the most demanding position along the line at left tackle, but Dallas offensive line coach Mike Solari confirmed that Richards can use the experience to offer flexibility and play guard. The Cowboys needed more help on the inside of the OL and they hope to get that from Richards.
Round 6 (Pick No. 178): CB Eric Scott Jr., Southern Miss
Dallas grabbing an extra pick at the top of Round 6 was a surprise and the selection matched the intrigue. The team surrendered a 2024 fifth-round pick for Scott, who had two interceptions last season, both of which he returned for touchdowns. Scott had five picks in his three years at Southern Mississippi and had the third longest wingspan of any CB in the draft at over 80-inches. That’s a trait the Cowboys continuously look for in their corners.
Scott is raw, but he plays with physicality and has a strong work ethic, which endeared himself to the team. Expect Scott to get extensive work on special teams early on.
Round 6 (Pick No. 212): RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
Bringing Vaughn home ended up being one of the best stories to come out of the draft in quite some time. Vaughn is the son of Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn, who got to call his son and inform him that he’d been drafted by Dallas. It was an emotional few minutes in the Cowboys’ draft room and a moment that will be treasured by the organization.
As good of a story as it is, this wasn’t a charity selection by the team. Vaughn is an outstanding player and was one of the most productive running backs in all of college football last season.
The reason Vaughn had to wait to hear his name until the 6th round is because the diminutive RB stands at just 5’-5” inches and weighs 175 pounds, a frame that isn’t as projectable as some runners at the pro level. But the 2022 Unanimous All-American used those proportions to his advantage throughout his time at Manhattan, Kansas as he led all of college football with 1,936 total yards in 2022 while scoring 12 touchdowns.
The season prior, Vaughn scored 22 times and he amassed 43 touchdowns and 4,884 total yards during his collegiate career. In his three seasons as Kansas State, Vaughn averaged 5.5 yards per carry and his tape is filled with ridiculous highlights.
If Vaughn were a few inches taller and weighed a few more pounds, we'd be talking about a top five RB in this class. Vaughn should come in and contribute right away, leading a backup-by-committee to starting RB Tony Pollard.
This was an excellent pick for the Cowboys, their best of the draft, and not just because of the great story it provided. Vaughn is a playmaker for a team in need of them.
Round 7 (Pick No. 244): WR Jalen Brooks, South Carolina University
Brooks has the size that the Cowboys love in their receivers, standing at 6’-1”, and weighing 202 pounds, but there wasn’t much production at South Carolina playing in the SEC after Brooks had twice transferred from smaller schools.
Catching just 58 balls for 785 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons, Brooks’ output was outweighed by a projectable trait that the organization covets, wingspan. Brooks checked in with a reach of 80 ¼ and had one of the best broad jumps in the class, in the 93rd percentile. Those are two big reasons that got Brooks drafted in Dallas, along with his willingness to jump right in and play on special teams.
Day 3 Grade: C+
On the last day of the draft, the Cowboys made a splash by drafting Deuce Vaughn, and that accounted for the feel-good story of the day. The team selected good athletes throughout that are projectable, and Dallas surely believes the Day 3 prospects can be coached up with their best football ahead of them. That is reflected by a couple of picks (Fehoko, Richards) already likely due for position changes.
Ultimately, however, it looks like an underwhelming group on Day 3 when balanced by value and team need composition. The team surprisingly went defense-heavy overall so there wasn’t much help for Prescott and an offense that could use an influx of talent. Vaughn helps, but there was no WR taken until the final pick and the final day of the draft left questions about who starts at left guard.
The Cowboys have earned some trust with their drafting over the last 10+ years, and they’ve had good success at molding their 4th-7th round picks into Sunday performers, but it feels like there were better avenues available for Dallas on Day 3 of the 2023 draft.
Who is the Cowboys Day 3 pick that you’re most interested in following? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.