C
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys lost the trade table, and the C tells the story.
by Daunte61 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 10 steals
· 4 reaches
The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Kevin Winston Jr., the No. 104 name on the board, sitting there at the Round 4 slot like a gift left on the doorstep. It washes out to a C, no better and no worse.
They are betting Shough proves the room right and everyone else wrong. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
They will regret leaving cornerback for another day if the season turns on it. The Cowboys indulged a want in Winston Jr. while a need in cornerback and interior defensive lineman stayed open.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 26th pick they get a bell-cow for the offense. A real need, handled.
Tyler Warren in the Round 2 slot is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A running back of that caliber at Round 3, Pick 12 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jayden Higgins at pick 90. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Tez Johnson still on the board at the 112th overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A slide stopped in No. 114, with Cam Skattebo worth more than the price. The roster fit checks out.
They reached a country mile for Tyler Shough at pick No. 118, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a safety like Malachi Moore reach the Round 4 slot and blink. They did not. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went safety with Kevin Winston Jr. while clear needs at cornerback and interior defensive lineman sat open.
Somehow Ajani Cornelius was still sitting there in the 139th pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Cody Simon in No. 170 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at Round 5, Pick 33 is a conviction pick that outran the value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Oronde Gadsden II at pick 174 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jaishawn Barham this early at pick No. 211. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Shilo Sanders in the 249th overall pick, miles early. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.