Day 3 of NFL Draft. Is Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones primed to save Shedeur Sanders?
Unless Jerry Jones does some wheeling and dealing, Saturday may start slowly for the Cowboys on Day 3 of the NFL Draft since they don't have a 4th round pick. But with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, of Dallas, surprisingly still available, what if Jones did have a 4th-round pick?
It wouldn't be hard to acquire one.
In the last two years, Jones traded his 4th round picks for QB Trey Lance and WR Jonathan Mingo. He could easily package next year's 4th with one of his two 5th-rounders and get near the top of the 4th round Saturday.
Considering the Cowboys owner's close relationship with Shedeur's father, former Cowboy Deion Sanders, you have to think that the presence of Sanders still on the board gave the Cowboys owner some pause overnight.
It's been exactly 30 years since Jones signed Deion Sanders to a 7-year, $35 million contract in 1995. By the way, that happens to be the same year the Cowboys won their last Super Bowl.
So, might Jones wake up Saturday morning with visions of Lombardi Trophies dancing in his head and decide to make a move for Shedeur?
"We thought and evaluated him extremely high in this draft," Jones said late Friday night. "He has got a winner in his bloodline. I know what character is there. And, boy, it is great character. It is an unbelievable competitive winning character for sports…. And, by the way, I'm a big believer in osmosis. A huge believer in osmosis."
If only Jones had a 4th-round pick. Just something to watch as the 4th round kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Dallas doubles down on defense
As for Friday night, the Cowboys stayed true to their draft board and doubled down on defense. They were elated that Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezieruaku was still available when they picked at #44 in the 2nd round.
The 6-2 ½, 248-pound Ezieruaku was the 1st edge rusher to be drafted on Friday after five were taken in the 1st round on Thursday night. He was highly productive in his senior season with 80 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks, earning 1st team All-American honors.
Ezieruaku was the Ted Hendricks Award winner, which is given to the top defensive end in the nation. He was a three-year starter, amassing 45.5 tackles for loss and 30 sacks in his career.
There's a lot to like about an edge rusher with 34-inch arms, who posted a superb 6.94 cone drill and a 4.19 shuttle time to go along with a 35 ½ inch vertical and 22 bench press reps of 225 pounds at the combine.
"I'm a dynamic pass rusher," Ezieruaku said. "I have a deep bag of pass rush tools that separates me. I rush with a plan."
Much like their 1st round pick, Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker, the Cowboys also love Ezieruaku because of who he is as a person. He's very bright, a team captain, and his coaches say he is a hard worker who gives his all.
In the 3rd round, the Cowboys couldn't pass up one of the more talented cornerbacks in this draft.
East Carolina's Shavon Revel might have been a late 1st round pick if not for an ACL injury suffered early last season. The Cowboys feel good about Revel's recovery from the injury because Dr. Dan Cooper, the team's physician, performed the surgery.
The timeline for Revel's return could allow him to be ready to play by the season opener in September.
Regardless, the Cowboys love the length of the 6-2, 194-pounder, who has 32 ½ inch arms and has been described by scouts as looking like a giant condor on the field.
Before his torn ACL in the 3rd game of the season last year, Revel already had two interceptions and one touchdown on 201 snaps. He started all 12 games in 2023.
A late bloomer, the 24-year-old North Carolina native only played in two games during his two-year stay at Louisburg College, a junior college in North Carolina. He transferred to East Carolina and caught the eye of scouts in 24 games (15 starts) before his knee injury.
The Cowboys like what they've done through two days, but there's a saying in the NFL that draft classes are made on Saturday. The team has plenty of late-round ammunition with seven of the last 108 picks, starting with #149 in the 5th round.
But the biggest intrigue of this day might be which side of the bed Jones wakes up on.
