Trading Micah Parsons gutted the Dallas Cowboys’ defense, but the deeper problem has been simmering for years. Dallas has simply not hit often enough in the draft on that side of the ball, and the recent misses keep piling up.
Mazi Smith. Sam Williams.
Kelvin Joseph. Nahshon Wright.
DeMarvion Overshown. All taken in the top three rounds.
None has become the kind of dependable defensive piece this team needed. And the Cowboys’ two best defensive draft picks since 2021 - Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa - are both gone.
Add in the fact that Dallas did not re-sign Jourdan Lewis or DeMarcus Lawrence, and the picture gets even uglier.
That backdrop makes the Shavon Revel Jr. conversation hard to avoid. There is a real case that the Cowboys should have taken Nohl Williams in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft instead.
Dallas used the No. 76 pick on Revel. Nine selections later, Kansas City grabbed Williams, and the Chiefs have already gotten far more out of that choice. Williams has taken a major leap in Year 2 and looks like he could be headed toward the Pro Bowl if this keeps up.
Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict wrote this about Williams’ rise:
"The Chiefs originally loved Nohl Williams' nose for the ball and aggressive nature coming out of the draft. (Steve) Spagnuolo trusts his corners to send messages early and often at the line and even when blitzing, but Williams was a bit too much at times in his rookie season. The Chiefs sat him a bit more than expected ,and he soaked up the system behind Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, even as the potential was obvious.
That's why the franchise didn't flinch when losing a top-5 corner tandem in a single spring. Williams has been sensational through the first third of a new season. His ability to disrupt timing, adjust routes, and make instinctual plays on the ball opposite Mansoor Delane's arrival has kept K.C. from even missing their former starters."
That’s the kind of leap Dallas wanted from Revel. Instead, Williams has gone from rookie understudy to a No. 1 corner on one of the NFL’s best teams. Kansas City is 5-0, and Spagnuolo’s defense has been a major reason why.
There was plenty of outside skepticism when the Chiefs moved on from Trent McDuffie and let Jaylen Watson leave. Williams has helped make that decision look wise, and Conner noted that general manager Brett Veach is shaping up as an early Executive of the Year candidate.
The numbers back up the breakout. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams ranks 12th among cornerbacks with a 74.1 coverage grade, fifth with a 52.6 passer rating allowed, fourth with six pass breakups, third with a 40 percent completion rate allowed, and eighth with 18.3 coverage snaps per target. He has allowed 10 receptions, 103 receiving yards and a passer rating of 52.6.
Sheesh.
Williams has already played 72 percent of the snaps he logged as a rookie. The sample last year was small, but he still flashed real ability, allowing just 19 completions on 35 targets with no touchdowns and four pass breakups.
Even if nobody expected him to become this much, this fast, the signs were there early. Williams looks like a player who is going to lose the “underrated” tag before long.
Revel, meanwhile, still hasn’t quite arrived.
His rookie year was essentially wiped out by a knee injury. A setback in training camp pushed his return back to the middle of the season, and when he finally got on the field, he didn’t look fully ready for NFL action or fully comfortable physically.
That should have made Year 2 the proving ground. Instead, the bar only got higher after Revel stood out in training camp and created some real buzz about challenging Cobie Durant for the CB2 job.
Once the games started, though, the flaws showed. Revel has the size and physical tools to work as a press-man corner, but he is still too grabby in coverage and too often gets beaten at the top of routes.
The contrast with Williams is sharp. Williams is being targeted every 18 coverage snaps.
Revel was targeted three times on seven coverage snaps against the Packers. One corner is being avoided; the other is being attacked.
The season-long production tells the same story. Revel has only 83 coverage snaps, far fewer than a full-time corner like Williams, who is around 200. Even so, Revel has allowed 126 receiving yards, which is more than Williams’ 103, and he has given up the same number of catches, 10.
Ameer Speed, signed after a June tryout, played more snaps than Revel against Green Bay and, frankly, earned them.
This does not mean Revel is a lost cause. He is still in his second season.
But at this point, Dallas has every reason to regret taking him over Williams. And when Cobie Durant comes back from his hamstring injury, Revel probably should not be on the field.
That’s the bigger issue hanging over this defense: the Cowboys keep failing to find and build enough homegrown help on that side of the ball.
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