If confidence were a draft strategy, the Cowboys would have aced it. KJ Jefferson at the Round 6 slot is 110 spots clear of where he belonged. Too much went sideways, and the D+ is the honest tally.
However the rest shakes out, Stutsman at that price is a win they earned. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. Shedeur Sanders gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits.
With cornerback and tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on safety is the choice that costs them. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and cornerback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.1
· Pick 1
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 4
In slot 1 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
R1.12
· Pick 12
· Tetairoa McMillan
· WR
· rank 5
A tidy little value on Tetairoa McMillan in pick No. 12, a step better than break-even. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R2.3
· Pick 35
· Donovan Jackson
· OT
· rank 84
This one needs a full-page explanation: Donovan Jackson in No. 35, miles early. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 16
Nick Emmanwori in the Round 2 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor itch, scratched.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· JT Tuimoloau
· DE-EDGE
· rank 56
JT Tuimoloau in Round 2, Pick 25 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Ajani Cornelius
· OT
· rank 103
A real head-scratcher, Ajani Cornelius in pick 76 is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R3.37
· Pick 101
· Vernon Broughton
· DL
· rank 143
Vernon Broughton at the 101st pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R4.8
· Pick 109
· Tez Johnson
· WR
· rank 93
They let Tez Johnson come to them and pounced at pick No. 109. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.11
· Pick 112
· TreVeyon Henderson
· RB
· rank 60
A top-tier running back at a bargain, TreVeyon Henderson in the 112th overall pick, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.17
· Pick 118
· Sonny Styles
· S
· rank 121
A want over a need in Round 4, Pick 17: Sonny Styles adds a safety while cornerback and tight end keeps waiting.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 85
You do not let a linebacker like Danny Stutsman reach pick 148 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Ja'Corey Brooks
· WR
· rank 199
Ja'Corey Brooks at slot 168 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· DJ Campbell
· OG
· rank 209
DJ Campbell in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 110
Cam Skattebo at No. 173 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It fills a real need, too.
R6.11
· Pick 186
· KJ Jefferson
· QB
· rank 296
They talked themselves into KJ Jefferson at slot 186, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Jack Kiser
· LB
· rank 188
Circle this one: Jack Kiser at the 209th pick is a fall that decides a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.32
· Pick 248
· Damien Martinez
· RB
· rank 224
Damien Martinez at pick No. 248 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
