B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys won the night they stopped Howard from sliding. Grade: B.
by HR ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
When a board-topper like Will Howard slides to slot 170, you do not overthink it, and the Cowboys did not.
Reaching for Pegues left real value on the table behind him. On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most. 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 12th pick they get a No. 1 receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
A tidy bit of business in slot 44, where Omarion Hampton graded well above the range. A need, and now a little less of one.
Carson Schwesinger at the 76th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A big swing on JJ Pegues at pick 150, well ahead of any board in the building. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Will Howard at Round 5, Pick 31 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Oronde Gadsden II at No. 172, and it noticed. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Mello Dotson in pick No. 174 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaylen Reed at the Round 6 slot is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Miles Frazier. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Quinn Carroll this early at the 249th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.