D+
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys answered their biggest question with Sanders. Grade: D+.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 9 steals
· 2 reaches
They will call it conviction in the building and a reach everywhere else: Tim Smith, 52 picks early at pick No. 247.
Landing Paul Jr. that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
So much rides on Shedeur Sanders that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 2 they get their quarterback of the future at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In slot 12 they get a bell-cow for the offense, outstanding value to boot.
T.J. Sanders at the 44th pick is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. It fills a real need, too.
Jihaad Campbell at the 67th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy little value on Jalen Royals in the Round 3 slot, a step better than break-even. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Charles Grant at No. 93 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Gunnar Helm at the 103rd pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A offensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 138 is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Daylen Everette in slot 148 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Willie Lampkin. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Somehow Cam Skattebo was still sitting there in Round 5, Pick 33, and they pounced on premier running back value. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Kyren Lacy at the Round 5 slot is a fall that decides a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Chris Paul Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Jamaree Caldwell in pick 236 is miles ahead of his ranking. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Tim Smith at Round 7, Pick 31 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.