Nobody else had Eyabi Okie-Anoma anywhere near the Round 7 slot. The Cowboys did, by 44 spots, and that gap is the whole story. Little went right, and the F does not pretend otherwise.
Everything downstream of J.J. McCarthy depends on J.J. McCarthy, and the building knows it. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Leaving running back unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Rosemy-Jacksaint pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
There is no soft landing here: they fought the board and left running back open, and the grade is the bill.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.19
· Pick 19
· J.J. McCarthy
· QB
· rank 29
In No. 19 they get the face of the franchise, reach and all. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.17
· Pick 49
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 66
Kiran Amegadjie at pick 49 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.19
· Pick 83
· Christian Mahogany
· OG
· rank 98
They jumped the gun on Christian Mahogany, taking him earlier than his grade liked. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.12
· Pick 112
· Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
· CB
· rank 112
Jarvis Brownlee Jr. in the 112th pick is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R4.15
· Pick 115
· James Williams
· S
· rank 124
They paid up for James Williams at the 115th overall pick when waiting would have done the job. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R5.3
· Pick 139
· Anthony Gould
· WR
· rank 142
Anthony Gould at slot 139 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.16
· Pick 152
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 166
They went early on Marist Liufau in the 152nd pick, and the value did not follow. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.25
· Pick 161
· Grayson Murphy
· DL-EDGE
· rank 176
Grayson Murphy in pick 161 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R5.38
· Pick 174
· Jordan Jefferson
· DT
· rank 183
Jordan Jefferson at slot 174 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.21
· Pick 196
· Ro Torrence
· CB
· rank 177
Ro Torrence at the Round 6 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R6.33
· Pick 208
· Trente Jones
· OT
· rank 194
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Trente Jones at pick No. 208. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.41
· Pick 216
· Myles Murphy
· DL
· rank 225
A conviction pick on Myles Murphy at the 216th overall pick that the board grades a round light. The roster fit checks out.
R7.2
· Pick 222
· Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
· WR
· rank 195
Taking Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in No. 222 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.3
· Pick 223
· Brevyn Spann-Ford
· TE
· rank 249
Brevyn Spann-Ford in Round 7, Pick 3 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R7.13
· Pick 233
· Myles Harden
· CB
· rank 209
They will replay Myles Harden at slot 233 for years; that is how good the value is. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R7.21
· Pick 241
· Eyabi Okie-Anoma
· DL-EDGE
· rank 285
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Eyabi Okie-Anoma well ahead of where he belonged. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
R7.24
· Pick 244
· Austin Reed
· QB
· rank 274
This one needs a full-page explanation: Austin Reed in the Round 7 slot, miles early. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
