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Owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys stands on the sidelines before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 17, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones just wrapped up the 2026 NFL Draft. It was a draft that left fans with mixed reviews.

In the first round, the Cowboys were able to bring in two new defensive players. They traded up from No. 12 to No. 11 in order to land Ohio State star safety Caleb Downs. Later in the opening round, they moved down from No. 20 to select UCF pass rusher Malachi Lawrence at pick No. 23.

Following those moves, Dallas made five other selections. Jones and company added Michigan pass rusher Jaishawn Barham in the third round, while also landing Penn State tackle Drew Shelton, Florida cornerback Devin Moore, and Alabama edge rusher LT Overton in the fourth round.

To round out the draft, Dallas selected East Carolina wide receiver Anthony Smith in the seventh round.

Skip Bayless was on top of the analysis throughout the draft. At one point, he threw a major shot at Jones, while also praising Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Receives Strong Jab From Skip Bayless

In a post on X, Bayless proclaimed that the Eagles were winning the draft and that Roseman was the reason why. He also put down Jones in the post.

“Unfortunately, Howie Roseman is winning the draft, again: Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers, and now trading picks for and signing Jonathan Greenard, a star pass rusher,” Bayless wrote. “They have Howie, we have Jerry.”

At the end of the day, the Cowboys had a quality draft. Bayless simply liked what Philadelphia did more. However, to throw a shot at Jones after an aggressive and quality draft was a bit strange.

Bringing in Downs was a massive win for Dallas. Entering the offseason, the Cowboys badly needed help in the defensive secondary. Downs will help fix those issues.

There are still questions that need to be answered about the rest of the draft, but Downs projects as a legitimate NFL superstar.

Has Dallas Done Enough to Be an NFC Contender?

After missing out on the playoffs last season, Jones has been very vocal about wanting Dallas back in Super Bowl contention.

Right now, it’s hard to say that the Cowboys have done enough to make that happen. There is likely still work that needs to be done for Dallas to be able to win a Super Bowl.

Despite that fact, Jones deserves praise for finding a way to bring in as much young talent as he did in the draft.

It’s going to be very interesting to see what the Cowboys end up doing during the 2026 NFL season. One thing is for sure, which is the fact that Bayless will not hold back any amount of criticism that he feels for the franchise or Jones.