Tanier's individual player grades below. Didn't like the Taco pick, liked Awuzie and Lewis, loved Woods ("draft crush alert!") and Brown ("steal of the 7th round").
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706180-nfl-draft-2017-round-1-grades-for-every-pick
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706317-nfl-draft-2017-round-2-3-grades-for-every-nfl-pick
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706570-2017-nfl-draft-grades-full-day-3-report-card
No. 28 Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton, Edge, Michigan
Strengths: Length, torque, athletic potential and upside.
Weaknesses: Run defense, array of moves, consistency off the line.
Scouts and coaches look at Taco Charlton and see a tall, long-armed, athletic pass-rusher who can be sculpted like marble into the ultimate defensive weapon as soon as he: A) Develops a deeper, more refined set of pass-rushing moves; B) figures out how to position himself and use leverage to his advantage in the running game; and C) develops more all-around consistency and a better approach against elite blockers.
I look at Charlton and see the kind of pet-project edge-rusher teams frequently whiff on, a guy whose sack production came when Michigan schemed to free him up against overmatched blockers and a solid athlete who will always get plowed under on running plays or chicken-fight with the left tackle if his first move gets stymied.
Coaches and scouts know more than I do, of course. But I have been watching them draft Barkevious Mingo, Jarvis Jones, Vernon Gholston, Aaron Maybin and Dion Jordan types for a long time, and Charlton makes me really, really nervous.
Anyway, Charlton fills two Cowboys needs: 1) edge-rusher, and 2) player Jerry Jones saw on a Saturday afternoon, liked, and remembered the name of.
Grade: C+
No. 60 Dallas Cowboys: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
Strengths: Instincts, size, athleticism, range and tackling.
Weaknesses: Deep-coverage skills.
The Cowboys ranked 29th in the NFL in preventing short passes,
according to Football Outsiders. They were a bend-but-not-break defense that took advantage of playing with the lead and never being on the field too long.
Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon gave the Buffaloes a pair of king-sized starting cornerbacks. Witherspoon is the 6’3” athletic outlier who tackled like he was afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings. Awuzie is shorter (6’0”) but far more physical. He’s also much more effective when reading patterns in front of him and breaking on the ball. So he can help break up his share of those short passes.
In fact, Awuzie looks like a future All-Pro until he loses his receiver in the open field on a double move. He fits best as a zone-coverage defender. Awuzie also has special teams experience and blocked 10 kicks in high school, giving him added value if the Cowboys start him out as a nickel or dime defender.
Grade: A-
No. 92 Dallas Cowboys: Jourdan Lewis, Cornerback, Michigan
Strengths: Quickness, experience, return skills, ball skills.
Weaknesses: Size, clutch-and-grab habits.
Lewis is a classic Cover 2-style cornerback: smooth, quick-footed, smart and competitive. He has the hands and suddenness to turn a pass in front of him into an interception and is a darting, determined return man.
If Lewis were an inch taller and eight pounds heavier and didn’t reach to hug every receiver who threatened to beat him during his transition, he’d be a first-round pick. As-is, he’s a capable starter who is more likely to have a productive career than some of the size/speed marvels in this year’s class.
The Chidobe Awuzie-Lewis 1-2 punch significantly upgrades the Cowboys cornerback corps, giving them two first-round talents who can match up with different kinds of receivers.
Grade: A
No. 133 Dallas Cowboys: Ryan Switzer, Wide Receiver, North Carolina
Strengths: Quickness, short-area elusiveness, hands.
Weaknesses: Size.
No need to belabor the point here: short, shifty, nifty slot receiver; quick off the line; fearless in traffic; too small to be anything but a role player.
I got to see a lot of Switzer at the Senior Bowl and during combine workouts, and he's a powerfully built little ballplayer who snatches the ball out of the air. Compare him to your favorite Patriots slot receiver or to incumbent Cole Beasley. It's OK. It's not problematic. That's what he's like.
Grade: C-plus.
No. 191 Dallas Cowboys: Xavier Woods, Safety, Louisiana Tech
Strengths: Range, instincts, hustle.
Weaknesses: Size, some swing-and-whiff tackling.
Draft crush alert! Woods is an undersized, high-octane, mid-major playmaker who is always around the football. He can attack the backfield or play in space and usually takes great angles to the football, though he will sometimes overrun the play or go for the kill shot. He will also read the quarterback and undercut a route given the opportunity. Woods cannot cover Gronk types, but I love him as a nickel package safety against nifty slot receivers and as a special teams demon.
Grade: Excellent.
No. 216 Dallas Cowboys: Marquez White, Cornerback, Florida State
Strengths: Size, jam.
Weaknesses: Transition, footwork, run support.
White is a long-armed 6-footer who can control smaller receivers at the line of scrimmage. Things get messy after that, however, as White has bad feet and hips in transition and doesn't show up often in run support. White looked like a budding first-rounder in 2015 but didn't develop last season. It's a gamble-on-the-tape measure selection, with the risk minimized by the fact that the Cowboys have made major expenditures at cornerback in this draft.
Grade: Good.
No. 228 Dallas Cowboys: Joey Ivie, Defensive Tackle, Florida
High-effort run-plugger. Missed chunks of his college career with injuries and family crises. A good selection to provide max-effort, bottom-of-the-depth chart competition.
Grade: Good.
No. 239 Dallas Cowboys: Noah Brown, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Strengths: Size, blocking, upside.
Weaknesses: Injury history, speed/quickness.
Brown is the next Jermaine Kearse. He will be one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, adding just enough run-after-catch ability and possession value to keep him involved in an offense. Like Kearse, Brown is more likely to be the guy blocking for some other receiver's tunnel-screen touchdown than the guy catching it. But Brown missed 2015 with a broken leg and was often used as an all-purpose player at Ohio State, so he may have untapped potential as a more traditional weapon.
This is the steal of the seventh round.
Grade: Excellent.
No. 246 Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Carrell, Defensive End, Colorado
High-energy run stopper. Not regarded as a top athlete. Carrell probably maxes out as a wave defender. Grade: Good.
