There is conviction, and then there is this. The Cowboys took Trey Moore a full 137 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend.
The Mondon Jr. steal is the beam this whole class leans on. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will regret leaving quarterback for another day if the season turns on it.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· Kenneth Grant
· DT
· rank 26
In the Round 1 slot they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A real need, handled.
R2.19
· Pick 51
· Isaiah Bond
· WR
· rank 32
They robbed the room for Isaiah Bond here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R2.25
· Pick 57
· Dylan Sampson
· RB
· rank 43
A quiet steal in slot 57: Dylan Sampson for less than the market said. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Tyler Warren
· TE
· rank 44
Tyler Warren in the 76th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R4.17
· Pick 118
· Domani Jackson
· CB
· rank 130
Domani Jackson at No. 118 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R4.22
· Pick 123
· Trey Moore
· LB-EDGE
· rank 260
Trey Moore at pick No. 123 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R4.25
· Pick 126
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 114
The board had Cam Skattebo higher than the 126th pick, and the running back fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Anthony Belton
· OT
· rank 254
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Anthony Belton. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.18
· Pick 155
· Nicholas Singleton
· RB
· rank 100
Nicholas Singleton in Round 5, Pick 18 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Smael Mondon Jr.
· LB
· rank 106
They barely believed it either: Smael Mondon Jr. still on the board at No. 170. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.34
· Pick 171
· Miles Frazier
· OG
· rank 209
They reached a country mile for Miles Frazier at pick 171, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R6.12
· Pick 187
· DJ Campbell
· OG
· rank 211
They left a pile of value on the table to take DJ Campbell this early at the Round 6 slot. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Ricardo Hallman
· CB
· rank 210
Ricardo Hallman at slot 209 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.31
· Pick 247
· Jared Wilson
· C
· rank 212
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 247th overall pick is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.