Back in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys decided to grab defensive back Shavon Revel Jr. out of East Carolina in the third round.
This, despite clearly being in need of a running back at the time. And this with several solid running backs sitting there to be taken and no fourth-round pick available.
The argument was that Revel had been projected to be a first-round pick.
He’d fallen into the third round because he blew out his knee in the third week of the season at East Carolina last fall.
Keep in mind that 11 NFL teams passed on him three times. Twenty NFL teams passed on him twice.
Yet Dallas decided he was a must-have player over several solid running backs they could have used.
The pick left the Cowboys picking Jaydon Blue in the fifth round and Phil Mafah in the seventh round. They will now hope that one of these rookies will step up.
Because neither Javonte Williams nor Miles Sanders are going to.
So how is the third-round flyer paying off so far?
Revel Looks Hampered
The Cowboys made the move because the surgeon who repaired Revel’s knee said the procedure went well and he is the team’s doctor.
Sometimes you need an unbiased opinion before making a big decision.
Check out this video from camp last week of Revel in action:
Rookie third-round CB Shavon Revel Jr. going through some individual work on the opposite field during the team period #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/61sFdO2zqw
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) July 27, 2025
By comparison, here’s Trevon Diggs:
Trevon Diggs doing some corner work with Brian Schottenheimer looking on pic.twitter.com/gljYZ9mWCn
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 27, 2025
Diggs was injured several weeks after Revel. Yet he clearly looks to be moving much better than the rookie in camp so far.
Revel is limping in the video above.
There’s no way to tell from it if he tweaked the knee on this play, is it still bothering him, or is he looking gimpy because he still doesn’t trust it.
But when compared to how Diggs looks, less further removed from his injury late last year, it just isn’t a good look for Revel.
Nor is it a good look for the front office that rolled the dice once again on an injured player and came up snake eyes.
Injury Bug Is Biting Hard
The Cowboys are getting banged up early in camp as it is.
Both projected starting tackles went down with injuries earlier this week. Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele both limped off the field.
Back-up guard Rob Jones broke a bone in his neck and will likely miss all of September and most of October.
We’re not even halfway through camp yet, either.
Didn’t I read that Revel had BOTH knees worked on?
Th
this clown pretending to be a writer for the cowboys, is an embarrassment. After reading several of his articles , he knows nothing about the cowboys. He constantly bad mouths out players. What a loser, he should join the feacles staff fetching coffee
This clown is the only one who will write the truth here and not some pollyanna dream world homer crap.
Newsflash:
The Dallas Cowboys have won 4 whole playoff games. Or is it 5 now? Since 1996. Although it is challenging, it is quite possible to continue to be a fan while pointing out weak points of the organization.
Hope is not a strategy.
Keep up the GREAT work Mr. Paolinelli.
No, this guy don’t write about weak spots on the team, everything he says is putting down the team!! The team is not that bad!! Actually, the team is looking pretty good!! But when I read this guy’s garbage, I think he’s a fan of one of the cowboys rivals!! There’s no real fan gonna talk this much crap about their team!! And it don’t matter how many playoff games we’ve won since 96, that don’t mean you have to start talking crap about them!! If your a fan your gonna have hope every year, because that’s what being a fan is about!! Your supposed to root for your team no matter what!! Your not supposed to be like this writer and talk crap about them and talk about how bad they’re gonna be this year and every year after!! No real fan does that!! Like I said, a real fan is gonna support their team no matter what!! And they’re always gonna hope for the best every year!! And again, that’s just what being a real fan is about!!
I agree…. I’ve been saying the same thing for a while now!! This guy has no idea what he’s talking about!! It sounds like he’s a fan of one of the cowboys rivals to me!!
Two totally different injuries and procedures. Revel had a severe ACL that required the surgeon to do an autograft where he cut a piece of the intact knee’s patella tendon to graft onto the injured ACL. Diggs had a bone graft recently to his knee, not another ACL repair.
So is this an article about Dallas or another stats content creator not being able to let go that the cowboys had a different plan for paying certain positions. What they never do is go back and see how many mock drafts they louded but did not make the roster. These guys said Trey Lance was the next great arm. Yhey should stick to creating nick namesxfor each other. Right Bru, sure Shefty. Really who else in high school did that, and well date.
Who?????
This reads like a critique lacking factual evidence to support your claims; it relies mainly on conjecture and bias. You are entitled to your opinion about the pick, but comparing Revel and Diggs is misleading. Although both players dealt with knee injuries, their circumstances differed; comparing them is a false equivalency. The Cowboys and several reports have indicated that Revel has no specific timetable for his return. Framing this as if he is experiencing setbacks or is behind schedule, especially compared to Diggs—whose timeline is still up in the air too—is simply poor writing. If you have an editor, they should have pointed this out.
Suppose you’re not familiar with the draft process. In that case, it’s essential to acknowledge that taking a chance on a first-round talent in the third round, and having a clean medical report from one of the best doctors in the nation, is called value.
Also, if your assertion that Diggs is recovering better than Revel is accurate, we shouldn’t view this gamble as risky. Revel should have ample time to rehab and return to full health. Once he is healthy, the secondary should be crazy talented. Overall, your article is flawed.
This guy just isn’t a good writer!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him write anything that was even close to being accurate!! He just likes to write articles talking crap about the Cowboys!! Which is crazy considering he’s writing on a Cowboys site!! But I wouldn’t put anything into what he says, he’s never right about anything anyways!! But I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to point out his stupidity in every one of his comment sections…. I have a hard time not saying anything myself!!