The Dallas Cowboys came into the 2025 NFL Draft in a not so ideal situation when it came to their cornerback room. With Trevon Diggs recovering from a knee issue, the loss of Jourdan Lewis, Josh Butler rehabbing a torn ACL, and Caelen Carson coming off a tough rookie campaign, Dallas had to add another cornerback to help out DaRon Bland, who is looking to return to form himself.
They chose to stick to their board and let the draft fall to them, and it paid off tremendously. With the 76th pick pick in the third round, the Cowboys took Shavon Revel Jr. out of East Carolina. He’s coming off an injury-plagued year, but Revel was still one of the highest ranked players in the draft.
Matt Miller of ESPN released his rankings of the top 100 picks on Wednesday, and Revel landed at No. 26, just one spot ahead of Tyler Booker, who Dallas took with the 12th overall pick in the first round.
My final overall ranking: No. 57
Revel’s elite size and playmaking ability had him looking like a first-rounder before he tore an ACL in September. The Cowboys didn’t need a corner in this draft, which shows how much they valued Revel. They got him nearly 20 picks lower than I had him ranked. This could be one of the biggest steals in this draft if he gets healthy and develops into a future starter.
Revel could have been the top cornerback (except sometime CB Travis Hunter) taken off the board in the draft if it weren’t for his injury. It is largely because he was such a good performer in 2023 for East Carolina. He put up 54 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, 13 pass breakups, one sack, and a fumble recovery (scored a touchdown). Despite only playing in three games last season, Revel logged two interceptions, and he ran one back for a score.
Revel is expected to be ready by training camp. This will give him the perfect opportunity to get out on the field and test his limitations while he gets back to playing shape. The Cowboys will need Revel to get up to speed and fast because even if Diggs comes back healthy and preforms well, he’s expected to begin training camp on the PUP list, and there’s concern that he won’t be ready for Week 1. Dallas will be in a situation where they’ll need Revel to be ready to start immediately if that’s the case. So, his rehab and how he responds to it is very important.
