You build a draft on nights like this. Danny Stutsman had no business being available in Round 5, Pick 31, and the Cowboys did the only sane thing and turned in the card. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B+.
They will need Hemingway to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
The dealing nudged the ledger their way without much fuss.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· Ashton Jeanty
· RB
· rank 2
In the 20th overall pick they get a lead back with juice, and a steal at that.
R2.14
· Pick 46
· Tyleik Williams
· DT
· rank 54
Tyleik Williams at the 46th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R2.19
· Pick 51
· Trey Amos
· CB
· rank 58
No edge and no loss on Trey Amos in pick No. 51; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Savion Williams
· WR
· rank 111
They reached a country mile for Savion Williams at the Round 3 slot, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.14
· Pick 115
· Jack Nelson
· OT
· rank 117
Jack Nelson in pick 115 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.15
· Pick 116
· Deontae Lawson
· LB
· rank 81
Deontae Lawson in No. 116 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Kevin Winston Jr.
· S
· rank 92
Circle this one: Kevin Winston Jr. at Round 5, Pick 11 is a fall that decides a draft. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R5.13
· Pick 150
· Tahj Brooks
· RB
· rank 115
The board fumbled Tahj Brooks all the way to slot 150, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 86
They robbed the room for Danny Stutsman here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Tonka Hemingway
· DT
· rank 229
Tonka Hemingway at pick No. 170 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Billy Bowman Jr.
· S
· rank 112
Steal is underselling it; Billy Bowman Jr. at the Round 5 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.