Cowboys Day 3 grades: Deuce Vaughn selection makes up for brutal trade

The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books and the Dallas Cowboys wound up with five picks on day three. Here, we look back at those selections and assign a grade for each incoming rookie.

Thankfully, they were saved with a late-round steal, which made up for an ill-advised trade for a player who likely wouldn't have been drafted.

Cowboys Round 4

The first pick Dallas made on Saturday was a bit of a surprise one. With needs on the offensive line still glaring, they went with Viliami Fehoko from San Jose State who plays a position of strength.

Fehoko is a well-built defensive end at 6-foot-4 and 276 pounds and put up some insane numbers for San Jose State. He finished with 191 tackles, 23 sacks, and was credited with 47 tackles for a loss.

But he now joins a roster that has DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorrance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, and Chauncey Goltson who all play defensive end. Throw in the fact that Micah Parsons also plays on the edge and it seems as though Fehoko won't be on the field at all anytime soon.

With fourth-round picks, that's not always uncommon but there were greater needs elsewhere — especially without a starting left guard on the team. Fehoko is also the second older rookie Dallas drafted — he turns 24 in December and second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker will be 25 in September.

The player is better than the fit and the lack of concern about age is mind-boggling.

Cowboys Round 5-6

After neglecting the position all weekend, Dallas finally added a potential left guard with Asim Richards from North Carolina. Of course, he's no lock to play the position since he was an offensive tackle for the Tar Heels and will need to make the shift in the NFL.

Considered a 4th or 5th-round pick by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Richards wasn't a bad selection in terms of value at this spot. And if he can eventually develop into a starting guard, it will be well worth the pick.

The problem is, they waited too long to add to arguably their biggest need and that's going to lead to much harsher judgement on the 6-foot-4, 309-pounder.

It seemed that Dallas might have nearly waited even longer to pick an offensive lineman. They were back on the clock at No. 178 as they traded to the first pick in Round 6 — just nine selections after adding Asim Richards.

In order to make this selection, they gave up a fifth-round pick in 2024 and then brought in Eric Scott from Southern Miss. Typically, trading a future pick on Day 3 isn't terrible but when it's done to grab a player who many believed would be undrafted, it becomes a problem.

Scott was added simply due to his length. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn loves long defensive backs and Scott is listed at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. He did have his share of good plays for Southern Miss but he's another older rookie who went the JuCo route and has yet to play agianst elite competition.

Dallas was clearly worried about not landing him but it would have been worth the risk especially when you look at what they did with late-round picks this year — adding Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks through trades.

Perhaps he proves us all wrong, but this felt like a reach and the worst part is, it will cost them in 2024 as well.

Cowboys Round 6-7

Arguably the best pick Dallas made since Thursday night came on Saturday evening when they added Deuce Vaughn from Kansas State.

Vaughn, who is all of 5-foot-5 and 179 pounds was overlooked by teams due to hus stature. That wasn't the case for Dallas, although they had some inside information on Vaughn. His father, Chris Vaughn, currently works as a scout for the Cowboys.

He was emotional when his son was selected and fans should follow suit. Vaughn is going to be an exciting player to watch.

Despite his size, he was a workhorse for K-State, racking up 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground and adding 1,280 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver.

Vaughn will work in a committee with Tony Pollard and the Cowboys offense could see many more home runs out of the backfield because of that.

With their final pick, the Cowboys added Jalen Brooks from South Carolina. They needed a wideout but decided to wait until the very end.

Brooks has the size at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds but ran an incredibly slow 4.69 in the 40-yard dash. Another fifth-year senior, he had limited production and feels like a long-shot to make the roster.