NFL power rankings: 32-team breakdown after the 2018 NFL Draft

19 of 33

ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: Leighton Vander Esch of Boise State poses after being picked #19 overall by the Dallas Cowboys during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

. Last Rank: 14. . Dallas Cowboys. 15. team. 123

Best Pick: WR Michael Gallup, Colorado State

The Dallas Cowboys drop a spot in our NFL power rankings for a pretty obvious reason. Despite having a glaring need at wide receiver, after letting go of Dez Bryant, the Cowboys instead elected to go with an inside linebacker in Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch at No. 19 overall.

Granted, Vander Esch has tremendous potential and was a late riser leading up towards draft day.

Yet linebacker wasn’t a huge need for Dallas, especially considering fellow inside backer Sean Lee is still playing at a high level.

And with news of tight end Jason Witten’s retirement, going after Vander Esch seems like a misstep.

Dallas hopes to have made up for this by grabbing Colorado State wideout Michael Gallup, who had a knack for catching everything thrown his way. He’s a big-time playmaker out of a small school, so let’s see how that translates. If it works, well, then the Cowboys lucked out. Yet there were some safer options available earlier when Dallas first picked.

One has to like the second-round addition of Texas offensive tackle Connor Williams to an already-solid Cowboys offensive line. That was a position of strength when Dallas’ offense was dominant two seasons ago.

Could it be again?