FRISCO, Texas -- ESPN Insider Mel Kiper Jr. offered up his re-grade of the 2016 draft Thursday, and not surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys fared quite well.

Kiper gave the Cowboys a C last spring. As much as he thought Ezekiel Elliott would be a star, Kiper is just not of fan of taking running backs high, which is a fair thought. As much as he liked linebacker Jaylon Smith, he wasn't a fan of taking a player essentially needing a redshirt season.

He was a fan of defensive tackle Maliek Collins and defensive end Charles Tapper, but here's what he wrote of quarterback Dak Prescott: He "is a solid guy to have on the bench, but I question the starting upside, and I had Brandon Allen ranked higher."

Clearly that didn't work out so well, and that's not a shot at Kiper. Nobody thought Prescott would perform so well so early. He also didn't think the Cowboys did enough at cornerback, but sixth rounder Anthony Brown proved to be a lot better than anybody thought.

Knowing what he knew -- and we all knew -- then, a C is a justifiable grade.

Knowing what he knows -- and we all know -- now, Kiper gave the Cowboys an A-minus in the re-grade.

The only thing keeping it from an A-plus is Smith. As expected he didn't play as a rookie but he is expected to be on the field this year. If he comes close to what he was at Notre Dame, then the Cowboys could have an all-time draft.

One quibble with Kiper's comment about the Cowboys' draft is this: He said the Cowboys got "useful contributions" form Collins and Brown. Collins was second on the team in sacks with five and Brown was a starter at times because of injuries to Orlando Scandrick and Morris Claiborne.

So what have been Kiper's then-and-now grades of the Cowboys the last three years since Will McClay has taken ahold of the draft room?

In 2015, he gave the Cowboy a C-plus. In the re-grade he gave them a C. Byron Jones carried his grade but the Cowboys got nothing from Randy Gregory (they still haven't) or Chaz Green. Green could be the starting right tackle this year and the Cowboys found a starter in Damien Wilson, plus a solid No. 2 tight end in Geoff Swaim.

In 2014, Kiper gave the Cowboys a B immediately after the draft. After a 12-4 season, he gave them a B-plus.

Kiper wasn't so much of a fan of taking a guard with the 16th pick, but Zack Martin has proven to be one of the best -- if not the best -- guards in the NFL in his first three seasons. Questions remain on second rounder DeMarcus Lawrence, who didn't have a sack as a rookie and had eight in his second year only to fall back to just one last season. He is coming off his second back surgery in as many offseasons. The only other pick left on the team from that year is Anthony Hitchens, a fourth-rounder, a steady performer who could lose his job this season if Smith is healthy.

In 2014 and '16 the Cowboys surprised many with their seasons, finishing 12-4 and 13-3 respectively. In 2015, they fell flat with a 4-12 finish.

There's no surprise the draft re-grades are reflective in the success of the season. If the Cowboys perform well again in 2017, look for the draft grade in late April to be lower than Kiper's re-grade.