A
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys won the night they stopped Leonard from sliding. Grade: A.
by lingo ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 6 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Riley Leonard, the No. 101 name on the board, sitting there at pick No. 150 like a gift left on the doorstep. Little to argue with here, and the A says so.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. That offensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
Quinshon Judkins at Round 3, Pick 12 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Riley Leonard at No. 150 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jake Briningstool in pick No. 170. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Quincy Riley in the Round 5 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at pick 174 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cobee Bryant is a better player than the 190th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A linebacker of that caliber at the 211th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jonas Sanker at slot 249 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It adds depth where they could use a little.