B
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys let Thornton Jr. fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by mickg ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
Call it larceny. Dont'e Thornton Jr. sat on the board until the 247th overall pick, and the Cowboys did not need to be asked twice. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
That tight end hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 7 of 8 of the wish list covered.
They came away with juice, if not much beef up front.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th overall pick they get a featured back, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
Jihaad Campbell in pick 44 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Value with a capital V on Jalen Royals in slot 76, a genuine coup. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Anthony Belton reach Round 5, Pick 11 and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kyle McCord in the Round 5 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
LeQuint Allen at the 171st pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pat Bryant in pick No. 174 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nice patience on JJ Pegues, who had no business lasting to No. 188. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Steal is underselling it; Dorian Strong at pick 211 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taking Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the 247th pick is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.