There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Cowboys started one anyway for Barryn Sorrell, 155 picks ahead of schedule. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D is the result.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Getting Wilson where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.12
· Pick 12
· Ashton Jeanty
· RB
· rank 2
In the 12th pick they get a centerpiece for the ground game, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
R1.14
· Pick 14
· Walter Nolen
· DT
· rank 17
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.1
· Pick 33
· Tyler Warren
· TE
· rank 14
Circle this one: Tyler Warren at pick 33 is a fall that decides a draft. It fills a real need, too.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Isaiah Bond
· WR
· rank 54
A premium they did not need to pay, Isaiah Bond a notch or two before his time. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R2.13
· Pick 45
· Jalen Milroe
· QB
· rank 101
They reached a country mile for Jalen Milroe at slot 45, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Jihaad Campbell
· LB
· rank 40
You do not let a linebacker like Jihaad Campbell reach the 67th overall pick and blink. They did not. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.10
· Pick 74
· Kaleb Johnson
· RB
· rank 41
Steal is underselling it; Kaleb Johnson at the Round 3 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Xavier Watts
· S
· rank 46
Taking Xavier Watts in Round 3, Pick 12 is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R3.25
· Pick 89
· Savion Williams
· WR
· rank 98
A reach for Savion Williams in slot 89; a little patience would have been rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.9
· Pick 110
· Elijah Arroyo
· TE
· rank 78
They will replay Elijah Arroyo at pick 110 for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.26
· Pick 127
· Joshua Farmer
· DT
· rank 121
A tidy little value on Joshua Farmer in pick No. 127, a step better than break-even. The roster fit checks out.
R5.11
· Pick 150
· Cobee Bryant
· CB
· rank 186
This one needs a full-page explanation: Cobee Bryant in the 150th pick, miles early. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R5.31
· Pick 170
· Jared Wilson
· C
· rank 108
They barely believed it either: Jared Wilson still on the board at the 170th overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.33
· Pick 172
· Barryn Sorrell
· LB-EDGE
· rank 327
They left a pile of value on the table to take Barryn Sorrell this early at No. 172. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R5.35
· Pick 174
· LaJohntay Wester
· WR
· rank 233
A real head-scratcher, LaJohntay Wester in the 174th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.