F
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys cashed the board's mistake on James: F.
by JJONESSUX ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 57 picks
· 43 steals
· 8 reaches
Somebody in No. 228 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Cowboys sat still while Jordan James, the No. 52 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
Every board in the league had Dellinger lower, and that gap is the story. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 18 they get a double-digit-sack hope, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
In slot 19 they get a disruptor off the edge, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 22 they get a ballhawk on the outside, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 23rd overall pick they get a plug-and-play piece up front, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 25 they get a ballhawk on the back end, and a steal at that.
In the 30th pick they get a wrecking ball inside at fair value. A real need, handled.
A quiet steal in Round 2, Pick 3: Jack Sawyer for less than the market said. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Tre Harris at pick No. 37 is the proof. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in Round 2, Pick 12, where Isaiah Bond graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Tyler Warren at the 50th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Cam Ward at the Round 2 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid sticker price for Ashton Gillotte in No. 59, and that is fine. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They robbed the room for Tyler Booker here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Ashton Jeanty in the 76th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Circle this one: Malaki Starks at pick 80 is a fall that decides a draft. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
You do not let a cornerback like Trey Amos reach slot 88 and blink. They did not. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Somehow Andrew Mukuba was still sitting there in the Round 3 slot, and they pounced on premier safety value. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Jalon Walker at the 101st overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Jihaad Campbell still on the board at Round 4, Pick 2. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at pick No. 107 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Tate Ratledge in the 109th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Xavier Restrepo in pick 112 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board fumbled Jayden Higgins all the way to No. 113, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Will Howard. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
TreVeyon Henderson in pick 122 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It fills a real need, too.
They will replay Jordan Burch at No. 127 for years; that is how good the value is. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A real head-scratcher, David Walker in slot 131 is miles ahead of his ranking. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Aireontae Ersery in the 134th pick, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Malachi Moore at pick No. 135 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Darien Porter at Round 4, Pick 35 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jake Majors at the 139th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, T.J. Sanders in pick No. 140, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Steal is underselling it; Jack Bech at slot 145 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A tight end of that caliber at Round 5, Pick 11 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
Josaiah Stewart in pick 150 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They will replay Alfred Collins at No. 153 for years; that is how good the value is. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No edge and no loss on Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the Round 5 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They barely believed it either: Dylan Fairchild still on the board at the 168th overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Seth McLaughlin. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jack Nelson at the Round 5 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Garrett Dellinger at the 173rd pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Circle this one: Rylie Mills at slot 175 is a fall that decides a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Danny Stutsman at No. 183 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Anthony Belton this early at Round 6, Pick 11. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J.C. Davis in pick No. 189, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They talked themselves into Xavier Truss at pick 195, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Micah Morris, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tyreak Sapp well ahead of where he belonged. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Cam Skattebo in slot 202 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A need, and now a little less of one.
Taking Devin Neal in pick No. 209 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They robbed the room for Mason Taylor here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A need, and now a little less of one.
Zy Alexander in the 212th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board fumbled Theo Wease Jr. all the way to the 225th pick, and they scooped it up. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a running back like Jordan James reach pick 228 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Fair-plus on Ben Yurosek, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Somehow CJ West was still sitting there in No. 248, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.