B
Dallas Cowboys
Grand theft in Round 7, Pick 31: the Cowboys steal Mafah and grade out a B.
by krganz ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
Somebody in the Round 7 slot was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Cowboys sat still while Phil Mafah, the No. 177 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
Leaving cornerback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Vinson has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
Nearly every premium pick went to that side of the ball.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get a bendy edge with upside. Need was not the driver here.
Nice patience on Omarion Hampton, who had no business lasting to Round 2, Pick 12. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A slide stopped in No. 76, with Deone Walker worth more than the price. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Sebastian Castro here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Steal is underselling it; Smael Mondon Jr. at pick No. 170 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tyler Shough in the 172nd pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jay Higgins at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They did well to land Dont'e Thornton Jr. in slot 190, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach on Carson Vinson in the 211th overall pick; the board had better options right there. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Phil Mafah in pick No. 249 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.