Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Cowboys spent Round 3, Pick 31 on Max Llewellyn, a name most had 54 spots down the list. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
The Coleman Jr. value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They will answer for taking safety early while offensive lineman, quarterback and other spots went begging.
A whole weekend of picks and offensive lineman is somehow still a want.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.20
· Pick 20
· CJ Allen
· LB
· rank 31
In Round 1, Pick 20 they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece, even if it was a touch early. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R1.31
· Pick 31
· Dillon Thieneman
· S
· rank 34
In pick No. 31 they get a rangy last line of defense. Need was not the driver here.
R2.17
· Pick 49
· A.J. Haulcy
· S
· rank 49
They zigged when the board said zag, taking A.J. Haulcy at safety with offensive lineman, quarterback and other spots open.
R3.10
· Pick 74
· Eli Stowers
· TE
· rank 52
They robbed the room for Eli Stowers here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.28
· Pick 92
· Malik Muhammad
· CB
· rank 95
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Malik Muhammad. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.31
· Pick 95
· Max Llewellyn
· DE-EDGE
· rank 149
A wild overpay on Max Llewellyn in the 95th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R4.9
· Pick 109
· Devin Moore
· CB
· rank 86
Devin Moore in the 109th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R4.12
· Pick 112
· Taurean York
· LB
· rank 109
Taurean York at pick No. 112 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R5.12
· Pick 152
· CJ Daniels
· WR
· rank 138
They read the board right and CJ Daniels was the payoff at pick 152. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.29
· Pick 169
· Red Murdock
· LB
· rank 184
They liked Red Murdock enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 169. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R5.37
· Pick 177
· Domani Jackson
· CB
· rank 170
They did well to land Domani Jackson in No. 177, just ahead of his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R5.40
· Pick 180
· Kevin Coleman Jr.
· WR
· rank 156
A wide receiver of that caliber at Round 5, Pick 40 is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R7.2
· Pick 218
· Thaddeus Dixon
· CB
· rank 209
Thaddeus Dixon in the Round 7 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.