The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Cowboys reached some 92 spots for Chip Trayanum, and value like that does not grow back. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D is the result.
They have staked the next five years on Shedeur Sanders, which is the only story that really matters here. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close.
The cornerback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. It is not that Emmanwori is a bad player; it is that the Cowboys had louder needs to answer first.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Etienne.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, cornerback very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.10
· Pick 10
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 14
A straight-up fair deal on Shedeur Sanders at the 10th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R1.26
· Pick 26
· Emery Jones Jr.
· OT
· rank 34
In the Round 1 slot they get a long-term starter on the line, even if it was a touch early. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.7
· Pick 39
· JT Tuimoloau
· DE-EDGE
· rank 25
They let JT Tuimoloau come to them and pounced at the 39th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 61
No edge and no loss on Danny Stutsman in pick No. 58; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R2.30
· Pick 62
· Donovan Jackson
· OG
· rank 75
Donovan Jackson in Round 2, Pick 30 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.7
· Pick 71
· Elic Ayomanor
· WR
· rank 68
Elic Ayomanor in slot 71 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R3.26
· Pick 90
· Trevor Etienne
· RB
· rank 73
Trevor Etienne at the 90th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.27
· Pick 91
· J. Michael Sturdivant
· WR
· rank 92
They paid sticker price for J. Michael Sturdivant in slot 91, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.10
· Pick 106
· Malachi Moore
· S
· rank 115
They paid a round early for Malachi Moore in No. 106, more than the board wanted. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R4.26
· Pick 122
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 123
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick No. 122 on Nick Emmanwori with cornerback, tight end and other spots unsolved.
R5.26
· Pick 154
· Lathan Ransom
· S
· rank 162
The board had cheaper options than Lathan Ransom at the Round 5 slot, and it noticed. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
R6.26
· Pick 186
· Chip Trayanum
· RB
· rank 278
A real head-scratcher, Chip Trayanum in Round 6, Pick 26 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
