
The first NFL Draft under Brian Schottenheimer is now in the books, and the general consensus is that the Dallas Cowboys had quite the time of it.
Positive grades are everywhere, and yes, the fact that no No. 2 receiver was selected takes the edge off of what was otherwise seen as a very good and positive draft class.
Dallas’ first three picks, Tyler Booker, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Shavon Revel Jr., who, if not for his ACL injury, was seen as a first-round talent, are the stars of the show, and all are expected to either start or be at the top of the rotation.
We haven’t even mentioned Jaydon Blue or Phil Mafah yet, who Schottenheimer thinks both could be starting.
All up, that makes it quite the haul for the Cowboys, or as CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin calls it, quietly triumphant.
“Talk about a quietly triumphant draft in Dallas,” Benjamin writes. “Booker may have been a reach by positional-value standards, but the Cowboys needed more beef on the interior. The long-limbed Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., meanwhile, could both be impact defensive starters as Day 2 additions.”
Booker is expected to slot into Zack Martin’s right guard position, while “Eze,” as we call him around here, could be top of the rotation at defensive end with Micah Parsons and Dante Fowler Jr. ahead of him, possibly even Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland too.
Revel Jr. looms as the wildcard here.
How healthy “The Condor” is remains to be seen, but depending on his recovery, he might start training camp on the PUP list. With Trevon Diggs not expected to start the season, maybe Shavon could be a sneaky Week 1 starter.
As for Blue and Mafah, Schotty sees starting potential in them and if we add that up, we see four starters coming out of this draft class, and you could maybe make the case for Ezeiruaku being a chance too.
Given how the roster was prior to the draft, to add four, potentially five starting-caliber players, that feels like the very definition of quietly triumphant.