Cowboys' 2026 NFL Draft Class Shows Dallas Leaned Heavily Into 1 Characteristic

Almost every player in the Dallas Cowboys' 2026 NFL Draft class has the same characteristic: impressive athleticism.

UCF Knights defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence is selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There is one very clear characteristic that the vast majority of the Dallas Cowboys' 2026 NFL Draft class shares: athleticism.

And we're not talking above average athleticism, either. Instead, we're talking above, at the very least, above-average athleticism.

According to Kent Lee Platte, who created the Relative Athletic Score (RAS), the Cowboys had five draft picks who posted an impressive 8.5 RAS or better. The highest possible score is 10.

Edge rushers Malachi Lawrence (9.95) and Jaishawn Barham (8.83) had the highest scores. Barham's score goes up to a whopping 9.52 if you switch him to linebacker.

Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham tackles New Mexico quarterback Jack Layne | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There was no score for safety Caleb Downs because of a lack of measurements. Fourth-round pick, defensive lineman LT Overton, brought up the rear of the Cowboys' draft class with his 2.47 as an edge rusher and 7.15 as a defensive tackle.

Here's where each of the Cowboys draftees ranked among players at their respective positions dating all the way back to 1987:

Your 2026 #Cowboys draft class and their #RAS! pic.twitter.com/I7ZFpFy0ax

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

• Malachi Lawrence: 13th out of 2,255 DEs
• Jaishawn Barham: 265th out of 2,255 DEs/167th out of 3,481 LBs
• Devin Moore: 454th out of 3,072 CBs
• Drew Shelton: 247th out of 1,642 OTs
• LT Overton: 1,699th out of 2,255 DEs/651st out of 2,279 DTs
• Anthony Smith: 336th out of 4,190 WRs

What is Relative Athletic Score?

East Carolina Pirates wide receiver Anthony Smith. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

The intention of RAS, according to the official website, is to "provide a metric that can easily and intuitively gauge a player’s athletic abilities relative to the position they play and provide tools to contrast and compare based on known measurables," Kent Lee Platte writes. "RAS compares a player’s testing to all players at their position from 1987 to the player’s draft year, so it locks in after the draft."

RAS takes into account a player's body measurables, like height and weight, as well as workouts results, like 40-yard dash and vertical and broad jumps.

RAS breaks it down even more specifically than just the final score by giving a composite size grade (height, weight, bench press), speed grade (40-yard dash, 20-yard split, 10-yard split), and explosion grade (vertical and broad jumps). From there, each player is given a ranking based on past results of other players, dating all the way back to 1987.

Is it the end-all, be-all to determine how athletic a player is going to be? No, but it is one of the most well-respected methods to at least getting a better idea of where a player is athletically.

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