D
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys bet the future on Ward. The board says D.
by Boke ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 7 steals
· 10 reaches
The Cowboys spent real capital to be 128 picks early on KJ Jefferson, and the board is going to hold them to it. Hard to defend, and the D reflects that.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Simon. They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. They have staked the next five years on Cam Ward, which is the only story that really matters here.
They will answer for taking safety early while cornerback and tight end went begging. For all the activity, cornerback went untouched, which is hard to explain.
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
In Round 1, Pick 3 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A real need, handled.
In slot 17 they get a weapon on the perimeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Donovan Jackson. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board had cheaper options than Tyleik Williams at pick 44, and it noticed. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Xavier Watts in pick No. 49 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A big swing on Jayden Higgins at the 57th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jack Nelson in the 65th pick, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached into another round for Jordan Burch, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They bypassed pressing needs at cornerback and tight end to take Sonny Styles, a safety that was not the priority.
TreVeyon Henderson at Round 4, Pick 8 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Emery Jones Jr. in the Round 4 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Demetrius Knight Jr. was still sitting there in No. 117, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Smael Mondon Jr. in pick 148 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
KJ Jefferson at the 168th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Taking Cam Skattebo in pick No. 170 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
Nazir Stackhouse in the Round 5 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid a round early for Ja'Corey Brooks in pick 186, more than the board wanted. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Kobe King in the 191st overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Raheim Sanders at slot 209 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The roster fit checks out.
Cody Simon at Round 7, Pick 32 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.