B
Dallas Cowboys
Grand theft in slot 169: the Cowboys steal Mondon Jr. and grade out a B.
by arn gar ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Smael Mondon Jr. sat on the board until No. 169, and the Cowboys did not need to be asked twice.
The Sorrell pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They will regret leaving cornerback for another day if the season turns on it. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
The skill positions did well by the weekend.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th pick they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
James Pearce Jr. in slot 42 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Tyleik Williams at pick 73 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Somehow Deone Walker was still sitting there in Round 5, Pick 11, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The roster fit checks out.
Taking Smael Mondon Jr. in the Round 5 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Barryn Sorrell this early at No. 170. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Kyren Lacy in pick No. 171 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Circle this one: Devin Neal at the 186th overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Ollie Gordon II in No. 209, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.