F
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys drew a line under the quarterback search with Ward: F.
by JJONESSUX ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 44 picks
· 36 steals
· 1 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Jordan James tumbling to the Cowboys in slot 253 is a gift they did not have to think twice about. The board sounded every alarm, and the F is the fallout.
The cost of the Higgins reach is exactly the players who went right after him. So much rides on Cam Ward that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 4 they get a potential shutdown corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 12th overall pick they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A real need, handled.
In pick No. 21 they get a long-term starter on the line. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 29 they get a plug-and-play piece up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Nick Emmanwori in the Round 2 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Steal is underselling it; Princely Umanmielen at slot 40 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
The board fumbled Walter Nolen all the way to the 43rd overall pick, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jahdae Barron at pick 45 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They barely believed it either: Kenneth Grant still on the board at the 50th pick. The roster fit checks out.
They robbed the room for Tre Harris here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Jack Sawyer in the 61st pick is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Harold Fannin Jr. at No. 63 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
You do not let a running back like Ashton Jeanty reach the Round 3 slot and blink. They did not. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Somehow Tyler Warren was still sitting there in pick No. 72, and they pounced on premier tight end value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tate Ratledge at the 73rd overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Malaki Starks in pick 74 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
By-the-book stuff, Jack Bech at slot 98 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Derrick Harmon in Round 3, Pick 35 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A top-tier quarterback at a bargain, Garrett Nussmeier in Round 4, Pick 1, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Circle this one: TreVeyon Henderson at pick No. 105 is a fall that decides a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Jake Majors slid further than he should have, and pick 107 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jayden Higgins. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Jihaad Campbell at slot 145 for years; that is how good the value is. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nicholas Singleton in the 146th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A need, and now a little less of one.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Dylan Fairchild in No. 148, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
DeMonte Capehart in slot 162 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Chris Paul Jr. at pick 167 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had Logan Brown higher than Round 5, Pick 30, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Ashton Gillotte in the 169th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Circle this one: Xavier Restrepo at the 171st overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Dont'e Thornton Jr. went about where he belonged in No. 186. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let an interior defensive lineman like T.J. Sanders reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. It fills a real need, too.
Josaiah Stewart at pick No. 235 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They will replay Alfred Collins at No. 242 for years; that is how good the value is. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Bradyn Swinson all the way to slot 245, and they scooped it up. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Zy Alexander at the 247th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Theo Wease Jr. at the Round 7 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They robbed the room for Logan Jones here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at Round 7, Pick 38 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Jordan James still on the board at the 253rd overall pick. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Smael Mondon Jr. was still sitting there in pick No. 254, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Cody Simon in No. 255 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Taking Jordan Burch in slot 256 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.