Thirty-one other rooms let Jay Higgins slide, and the Cowboys were the ones holding the card at the 247th overall pick. Highway robbery. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
Shedeur Sanders is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Bottom line, with Shedeur Sanders leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· Shedeur Sanders
· QB
· rank 4
In slot 20 they get the arm they will build around, outstanding value to boot. A real need, handled.
R2.12
· Pick 44
· Luther Burden III
· WR
· rank 19
Luther Burden III in pick 44 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R2.26
· Pick 58
· Omarion Hampton
· RB
· rank 18
Omarion Hampton at the 58th overall pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R3.12
· Pick 76
· Jalon Walker
· LB
· rank 22
The board fumbled Jalon Walker all the way to pick No. 76, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R3.21
· Pick 85
· Colston Loveland
· TE
· rank 46
You do not let a tight end like Colston Loveland reach pick 85 and blink. They did not. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.25
· Pick 89
· Alfred Collins
· DT
· rank 61
Circle this one: Alfred Collins at the 89th pick is a fall that decides a draft. The roster fit checks out.
R5.11
· Pick 148
· Cam Skattebo
· RB
· rank 109
They robbed the room for Cam Skattebo here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R5.31
· Pick 168
· Sonny Styles
· S
· rank 121
Sonny Styles in No. 168 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R5.33
· Pick 170
· Hayden Conner
· OG
· rank 140
Hayden Conner at Round 5, Pick 33 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.36
· Pick 173
· Danny Stutsman
· LB
· rank 84
Somehow Danny Stutsman was still sitting there in the Round 5 slot, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R6.11
· Pick 186
· Trey Zuhn III
· OT
· rank 185
No drama and no debate, Trey Zuhn III went about where he belonged in Round 6, Pick 11. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R6.14
· Pick 189
· Shemar Turner
· DL
· rank 162
Shemar Turner at pick No. 189 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
R6.34
· Pick 209
· Tonka Hemingway
· DT
· rank 217
Tonka Hemingway in the 209th pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R7.31
· Pick 247
· Jay Higgins
· LB
· rank 118
They barely believed it either: Jay Higgins still on the board at the 247th overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.