F
Dallas Cowboys
A passer of the future in Ward, and a F, for the Cowboys.
by JJONESSUX ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 45 picks
· 36 steals
· 4 reaches
When a board-topper like Xavier Restrepo slides to the Round 6 slot, you do not overthink it, and the Cowboys did not. About as rough as the board gets, and a F to prove it.
The Higgins pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
Cam Ward gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get a ballhawk on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 12th overall pick they get the arm they will build around at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 15th pick they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback, though they paid up to get him. The biggest hole, addressed.
They will replay Nick Emmanwori at No. 34 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A top-tier edge rusher at a bargain, Princely Umanmielen in the 43rd overall pick, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Walter Nolen at pick No. 44 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tre Harris in slot 45 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
You do not let an edge rusher like Abdul Carter reach Round 2, Pick 18 and blink. They did not. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Circle this one: Jack Sawyer at pick 65 is a fall that decides a draft. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the 67th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Somehow Ashton Jeanty was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 5, and they pounced on premier running back value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jahdae Barron in the 75th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They barely believed it either: Harold Fannin Jr. still on the board at pick 76. It fills a real need, too.
Jack Bech at slot 88 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jayden Higgins well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board fumbled Dylan Fairchild all the way to the Round 4 slot, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Alfred Collins in pick No. 144 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jake Majors at the 150th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Garrett Nussmeier in pick 160 is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They robbed the room for Jihaad Campbell here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They went early on Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the Round 5 slot, and the value did not follow. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Zy Alexander at Round 5, Pick 31 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nice patience on Logan Brown, who had no business lasting to slot 170. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
T.J. Sanders at No. 171 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Nicholas Singleton in pick No. 178 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Omarr Norman-Lott at pick No. 179 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Mason Taylor in the 187th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Josaiah Stewart in pick 188 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Eli Stowers at No. 191 is the proof. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Xavier Restrepo in the 194th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They robbed the room for Gunnar Helm here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Logan Jones at slot 205 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Theo Wease Jr. in the Round 6 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let a running back like Jordan James reach Round 6, Pick 34 and blink. They did not. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A top-tier edge rusher at a bargain, Bradyn Swinson in pick 215, plain and simple. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They will replay Malachi Moore at the Round 7 slot for years; that is how good the value is. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
J.Michael Sturdivant at slot 226 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board fumbled Ashton Gillotte all the way to pick No. 244, and they scooped it up. It fills a real need, too.
Jordan Burch at the 247th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Lathan Ransom at the 248th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They barely believed it either: Kurtis Rourke still on the board at No. 249. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Steal is underselling it; Devin Neal at No. 251 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Somehow Bryce Foster was still sitting there in the 254th pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 255 is the definition of value, full stop. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.