On Wednesday, ESPN’s NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. published his re-grades for the 2015 Draft, and the Cowboys were knocked down from the C-plus they got initially to a flat C.
The class was headlined by first round pick Byron Jones, the defensive back out of UConn who will likely settle at full-time free safety at some point, but had to play safety, outside corner and nickel corner in his rookie season because of injuries in the secondary. With Jones moving around like that, the growing pains were more obvious at times than they might have been otherwise.
In the second round, the Cowboys might have found a steal in Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory, but injuries kept him from doing much in his rookie campaign. Gregory looked poised to have a major impact in the preseason, but he suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener and never really returned to form. He finished with 11 tackles and no sacks.
Left guard La’el Collins finished the year as a starter, but he doesn’t count toward the grade because he was an undrafted free agent and not a draft pick.
