B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys robbed the room for Howard. Final grade: B.
by dalfan039 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
Thirty-one other rooms let Will Howard slide, and the Cowboys were the ones holding the card at No. 149. Highway robbery.
The Carroll pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for. Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 12 they get a No. 1 receiver. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They will replay Walter Nolen at slot 44 for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Mason Taylor at the Round 3 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
Will Howard in the 149th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They went early on Cobee Bryant in the 171st overall pick, and the value did not follow. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Trevor Etienne was still sitting there in pick 174, and they pounced on premier running back value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Taking Jaylen Reed in No. 204 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jay Higgins at pick No. 211 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Quinn Carroll at No. 239 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They read the board right and Kitan Crawford was the payoff at slot 247. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.