With glaring needs at starting running back and starting wide receiver, the Dallas Cowboys did what they always do.
They fumbled the draft. For the third straight year.
One night after reaching for Tyler Booker with the 12th overall pick, Jerry Jones decided to double-down.
In the second round, he drafted another edge player.
That made two straight picks at positions the Cowboys had a surplus at. Meanwhile, there are two still-to-be-answered questions for 2025.
Who will be RB1?
Who will be WR2?
When Dallas went on the clock in the third round, surely they would attempt to address one of these two areas, right?
Right?
WRONG!
They decided to address their banged-up secondary instead. They did so by drafting a cornerback who only played in three games in 2024.
Because he missed the rest of the year after tearing an ACL.
Buckle up, folks, because I’m afraid that it’s going to be a very, very long year.
Donovan Ezeiruaku
With the 44th overall pick, the Cowboys apparently decided that having Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams at edge just wasn’t going to cut it.
Making the pick even more galling, he wasn’t even the best player at the position that was still on anyone’s board. Which is probably why Jones Inc. picked him.
Again, for the second straight round, Dallas reached for a player after declining to move back in a trade. They probably would still be able to get this player and pick up an extra pick or two.
It was the same blunder they made on Thursday night.
Like Booker, Ezeiruaku is a good player. That isn’t the complaint, unlike the Mazi Smith-Luke Schoonmaker double screw-up two years ago.
The issue here is that both players that they picked would have been there later in the round, but at least the extra draft picks would have helped fill out this roster.
But no. Mr. All-In and Cap Boy Blunder “like their guys” no matter what everyone else with any common sense says.
Shavon Revel Jr.
The Dallas Cowboys have three defensive players that missed games in 2024 due to knee injuries.
Edge player Sam Williams missed the entire year. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Trevon Diggs missed several games each.
Even DaRon Bland was banged up.
So getting help in the defensive secondary makes sense.
But Shavon Revel Jr. only played in three games for East Carolina last year before blowing out his knee too. He was a solid corner before the injury.
What will the Cowboys see when he gets back on the field?
He had better be the second coming of Deion Sanders, and not Jaylon Smith, is all I’m saying.
Because this pick should have been TCU receiver, Savion Williams.
Millions Left On The Table
Earlier this week, as the draft neared, it became clear that Shedeur Sanders had seriously damaged his reputation among the NFL’s executives.
Just how badly he, and let’s be fair in assigning blame here, and his father self-sabotaged his career surprises even me.
Once considered a Top-3 lock in this draft, Sanders’ free-fall has been almost an epic one. I’d have bought stock in Orville Redenbacher’s if I’d known.
If he’d been taken with the third overall pick, Sanders would be looking at a contract worth around $40 million.
At the earliest, he’ll now be a fourth-round pick and looking at making only $5 million.
That’s for the life of the contract, not per year. That’s a boatload of money he set on fire by refusing to do what almost every other college player has done for decades.
Show up, show your skills, and not throw the kind of attitude during interviews that set off alarm bells in team offices in the NFL.
But he couldn’t do that.
Here’s the nightmare fuel that should plague him tonight. What if he fails to hear his name called at all on Saturday?
He’d be signing as an undrafted free agent, unless he can figure out a way to go back to Colorado. I don’t think that’s possible, but those would be his only options if he isn’t drafted.
I wonder how that crow sandwich with the extra-large-sized side of hubris and a diet chutzpah soda is going down at the Sanders’ house right now.
Boy I can not disagree more. Worst thing you can do is draft for need. They got extreme value picks at premium positions with the DE and CB. Give me the potential pro-bowl caliber CB over the WR that doesnt know how to play WR and will have to be a gadget guy. I am impressed with this draft despite it leaving us with some needs still. Trades can and will still happen and there are plenty of legit rb’s still on the board.
And this is why Dallas hasn’t even won a divisional round game in 29 years and counting.
Jerry Jones thanks you for your continued willful suspension of disbelief.
So just to be clear you think Cowboys should have drafted a WR and RB no matter the value, no matter how they had them rated, just to say they drafted one? It does not matter to you that they got three players in the top 100 that are all widely viewed as top 30 players? Same griping last year and Dowdle outperformed almost all rookie rb’s that could have been drafted. Maybe wait until draft, trades, and free agency is over before you start with the crying? They still have needs but they drafted outstanding players. Drafting the best football players is almost always the best idea (I.E. Baltimore Ravens).
They should have gone WR/RB/DB in any order you like.
Adding to positions that are already overstocked does not address the positions that are nearly empty of talent.
We will have to disagree. Never draft for need. Never. Plenty of rb’s left. Let’s see if they make a move for a WR. You can argue with their roster building strategy in totality, but not this draft and the players they selected.
At the start of the 7th , still no WR, they went the whole draft last year not signing RB.
Totally agree, Derek. While it would’ve been nice to draft a WR I’m glad they drafted best player available. I really like the guys they got in every round. Best guard in the draft, a stone wall, followed by two great defenders that were considered great value in both cases. Drafts are ultimately judged 5-10 years from now but I like what I’ve seen so far.
Can’t stand narcissistic, condescending, self-proclaimed “Prime”. Apparently, some of that rubbed off on the kid. Both are eating a whole lot of humble pie.
Back to the picks. Kaleb Johnson was sitting there TWICE, and they blew right by him. Maybe they think Javonte and Miles are enough? With no fourth rounder, they will have to pull something out of their hat or somewhere else. Of course, WR position is still looking at them square in the face.
I liked the 1st rounder and thought, OK, they would get back on track going forward but I was wrong. Hope the CB is a good healer.
I do have concern that they have neglected the WR/RB position thus far and with no 4th tomorrow will be a long day. Especially, when I read a quote from SJ overnight that “we are comfortable going into the season with Sanders and Williams.” It really is hard to speculate on what those guys might do behind this line. I have durability concerns on both of those guys.
Jerry was quoted a day or two before the draft that there were “substantiative trades” in the works so I certainly hope that’s not just to draw headlines. I think we all expected to at least see one of the positions WR or RB to get called today and after the debacle from last year I just can’t believe they plan to do the same thing this year. I love their picks and they are value picks so you cannot fault them for following their board instead of drafting for need. But, please tell me something is in the works here!
And I have to say, Richard, as a reader, you really need to tone down your hateful rhetoric. Everything you write is bashing the organization. You can tell the truth without sounding like a closet Eagles fan. It’s not an enjoyable read, unless you are one of those Dallas fans that hates the team. You should probably consider finding another team to write for…or another line of work.
After 55 years, not changing teams.
After 29 years of Jerry’s BS? Yeah, I’m done playing nice. If you want to put on the blinders and say Jerry is Great, that’s on you.
But as they say where I hail from: “Don’t piss down my back and then tell me it’s raining.”
My big issue with Williams and Sanders is that they are rejects from other teams and neither have shown they can be the RB1 that Dallas desperately needs.
And I’m just not seeing anything in the trade market that will upgrade Dallas at all at RB or WR right now.
It’s pretty obvious who’s advice Shedeur is following. There in-lies his problem. The teams don’t want the headache that comes with Deion bring there, i.e. The Balls in the NBA.
I’m curious, what wins CHAMPIONSHIPS? 3 things
You dominate the ball at the line of scrimmage and you win championships. YOU say same mistakes. The recipe for their dominance in the 90s was their #1 offensive line and their #1 defense(everyone forgets that. TONE Setters. Have no idea who is going to run the ball and no idea who is going to catch the ball.
Remind me – The eagles. what won them the game THEIR DEFENSIVE LINE.
KC – remind me who their RB was 2 years ago and their #1 receiver? Thats right i don’t know either…..the problem with this dallas team for 10 years has been the interior DEFENSIVE LINE…you can’t stop the run you don’t win….the rest of this is just nonsense
And having playmakers on offense that can do something when they have the ball in their hands.
Aside from Lamb, Dallas does not have any.
Well they do have Turpin, but I understand what ur saying
Let me ask you this:
Let’s say Dallas ends this draft tonight with this haul as their 10 picks:
4 OL
4 DL
2 DB
All 10 are “value” picks.
Was it a successful draft?
Did they address the glaring needs at: RB1 – WR2 – LB?
You can’t start only a QB, 1 WR, 1 TE, 1 mediocre RB, and 7 OL and expect to score enough points to win many games.
Right now, Dallas has a mid-WR room and a poor RB room.
Well obviously you are being a little hyperbolic here. They have thus far not drafted multiple players at the same position, so your analogy is flawed. But to answer your question, yes, it could possibly considered a good draft, but not a good off season of building the roster in totality. You can separate the two things.
Every article you write is the same. There is no objective observation I am removing this site from my normal reads
I can only call it like I see it.
The issue is the Eze is an edge, like Parsons. He is not a defense end like Williams and Kneeland. At 248# , Eze is only an edge unless he can learn linebacker.
Some here are disagreeing and on the ‘best player’ idea. But, ‘not needed player’ is just as wrong as a concept . Taking the ‘best available’ you have no use for is wrong. At 12 , there were dozens of real starters at needed positions.