The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Kiran Amegadjie, the No. 52 name on the board, sitting there at Round 3, Pick 32 like a gift left on the doorstep.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. They are betting Harrell proves the room right and everyone else wrong. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
So much rides on Brock Bowers that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Brock Bowers
· TE
· rank 6
In No. 25 they get a moveable chess piece at tight end, outstanding value to boot. A real need, handled.
R2.24
· Pick 56
· Amarius Mims
· OT
· rank 22
A offensive lineman of that caliber at Round 2, Pick 24 is the definition of value, full stop. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.4
· Pick 68
· Kamari Lassiter
· CB
· rank 27
Kamari Lassiter in pick 68 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R3.7
· Pick 71
· Xavier Worthy
· WR
· rank 42
They barely believed it either: Xavier Worthy still on the board at pick No. 71. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R3.32
· Pick 95
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 52
The board fumbled Kiran Amegadjie all the way to the Round 3 slot, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R4.24
· Pick 124
· Michael Pratt
· QB
· rank 102
Michael Pratt in the 124th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.25
· Pick 125
· Roman Wilson
· WR
· rank 82
Circle this one: Roman Wilson at the 125th pick is a fall that decides a draft. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R5.38
· Pick 174
· Jaylen Harrell
· DE-EDGE
· rank 201
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jaylen Harrell well ahead of where he belonged. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R6.35
· Pick 210
· Josh Proctor
· S
· rank 187
Steal is underselling it; Josh Proctor at pick No. 210 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R6.37
· Pick 212
· Aki Ogunbiyi
· OG
· rank 192
Taking Aki Ogunbiyi in slot 212 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.38
· Pick 213
· Michael Barrett
· LB
· rank 183
They will replay Michael Barrett at No. 213 for years; that is how good the value is. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Miyan Williams
· RB
· rank 204
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Miyan Williams in the Round 7 slot, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.