The Cowboys went off the board in a big way for Elijah Roberts, 96 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. It grades a D, and the process earned it.
The Simon pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Everything downstream of Shedeur Sanders depends on Shedeur Sanders, and the building knows it.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Spending an early pick on safety with cornerback and tight end open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
The cornerback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, cornerback very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.12
· Pick 12
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 4
In No. 12 they get a franchise quarterback, outstanding value to boot.
R1.22
· Pick 22
· Luther Burden III
· WR
· rank 19
In pick No. 22 they get a home-run threat at receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Donovan Jackson
· OT
· rank 84
Donovan Jackson at the 44th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R2.20
· Pick 52
· Ajani Cornelius
· OT
· rank 103
This one needs a full-page explanation: Ajani Cornelius in Round 2, Pick 20, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Alfred Collins
· DT
· rank 61
Alfred Collins in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Elijah Roberts
· DE-EDGE
· rank 172
Elijah Roberts in the 76th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.19
· Pick 83
· Omarr Norman-Lott
· DT
· rank 76
Omarr Norman-Lott at the Round 3 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.22
· Pick 86
· Xavier Watts
· S
· rank 48
A safety of that caliber at slot 86 is the definition of value, full stop. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R4.8
· Pick 109
· TreVeyon Henderson
· RB
· rank 60
TreVeyon Henderson at pick No. 109 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.11
· Pick 112
· Elic Ayomanor
· WR
· rank 95
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Elic Ayomanor at pick 112. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.20
· Pick 121
· Sonny Styles
· S
· rank 121
A curious use of No. 121. Cornerback and tight end needed the pick; a safety in Sonny Styles did not.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Antwane Wells Jr.
· WR
· rank 178
Antwane Wells Jr. at the 148th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Tosh Baker
· OT
· rank 239
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Tosh Baker. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Theo Wease Jr.
· WR
· rank 197
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Theo Wease Jr. well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 110
The board fumbled Cam Skattebo all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
R6.11
· Pick 186
· Kobe King
· LB
· rank 124
Steal is underselling it; Kobe King at slot 186 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.33
· Pick 208
· Raheim Sanders
· RB
· rank 144
They will replay Raheim Sanders at No. 208 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Cody Simon
· LB
· rank 122
Circle this one: Cody Simon at pick 209 is a fall that decides a draft. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R6.38
· Pick 213
· Tyler Batty
· DE-EDGE
· rank 306
Tyler Batty at pick No. 213 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
R7.32
· Pick 248
· Jay Toia
· DL
· rank 317
Jay Toia in the 248th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
