The rest of the league will want that one back. Danny Stutsman tumbling to the Cowboys in pick 148 is a gift they did not have to think twice about. Hard to defend, and the D reflects that.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. They will need Cornelius to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. A whole weekend of picks and cornerback is somehow still a want.
On the needs board they went 6 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, cornerback very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.12
· Pick 12
· Tetairoa McMillan
· WR
· rank 5
In slot 12 they get a true top target. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.1
· Pick 33
· Omarion Hampton
· RB
· rank 18
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Omarion Hampton at the Round 2 slot is the proof. A need, and now a little less of one.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Emeka Egbuka
· WR
· rank 27
A quiet steal in Round 2, Pick 4: Emeka Egbuka for less than the market said. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Nick Emmanwori
· S
· rank 16
Circle this one: Nick Emmanwori at pick No. 44 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R3.1
· Pick 65
· Tyler Warren
· TE
· rank 43
Steal is underselling it; Tyler Warren at the 65th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The roster fit checks out.
R3.6
· Pick 70
· Tyleik Williams
· DT
· rank 53
They let Tyleik Williams come to them and pounced at No. 70. It fills a real need, too.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Ajani Cornelius
· OT
· rank 104
This one needs a full-page explanation: Ajani Cornelius in the 76th overall pick, miles early. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R4.3
· Pick 104
· TreVeyon Henderson
· RB
· rank 60
A top-tier running back at a bargain, TreVeyon Henderson in pick 104, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.4
· Pick 105
· Deone Walker
· DT
· rank 69
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at the 105th pick is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R4.33
· Pick 134
· Savion Williams
· WR
· rank 109
They barely believed it either: Savion Williams still on the board at Round 4, Pick 33. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 85
You do not let a linebacker like Danny Stutsman reach No. 148 and blink. They did not. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Dont'e Thornton Jr.
· WR
· rank 173
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at slot 168 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.