A-
Dallas Cowboys
Larceny in the Round 5 slot lands the Cowboys a A-, Cornelius and all.
by Garland ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
The Cowboys spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Ajani Cornelius, the No. 114 name on the board, in Round 5, Pick 31. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. They punted on quarterback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Arden Key gives the group a proven body among the projects. The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
Bottom line, with Will Johnson leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 14 they get an island corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Value with a capital V on Omarion Hampton in the 44th pick, a genuine coup. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Alfred Collins in Round 3, Pick 12 is close to grand larceny; an interior defensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Savion Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Smael Mondon Jr. at No. 150 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick 170 is the definition of value, full stop. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jeffrey Bassa in slot 172 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Earnest Greene III, who had no business lasting to the Round 5 slot. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ja'Quinden Jackson in pick 190 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the 211th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
No drama and no debate, Brandon Adams went about where he belonged in Round 7, Pick 31. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.