D+
Dallas Cowboys
Grand theft in slot 170: the Cowboys steal Winston Jr. and grade out a D+.
by Boke ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 7 steals
· 7 reaches
The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Cowboys reached some 54 spots for Graham Mertz, and value like that does not grow back. The process wobbled, and the D+ is where it lands.
The Winston Jr. steal is the beam this whole class leans on. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through cornerback. The Tre'von Moehrig pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 6 they get a blindside protector, even if it was a touch early. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the Round 1 slot they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
A reach on Jalen Milroe in the 37th pick; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nick Emmanwori in Round 2, Pick 12 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Donovan Jackson in the 68th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jordan Burch in the 73rd overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Omarr Norman-Lott at par in slot 74, which is nothing to complain about. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A straight-up fair deal on Jayden Higgins at No. 76, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They barely believed it either: Danny Stutsman still on the board at the Round 4 slot. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cam Skattebo at pick No. 109 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Elic Ayomanor at pick 112 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nazir Stackhouse. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Smael Mondon Jr. at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Circle this one: Kevin Winston Jr. at the 170th pick is a fall that decides a draft. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Raheim Sanders in the 173rd overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
DJ Campbell at pick No. 186 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They will replay Ja'Quinden Jackson at No. 209 for years; that is how good the value is. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached into another round for Graham Mertz, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.