Cowboys Reveal Disappointing News On Top Draft Pick

FRISCO - Shavon Revel Jr. is being billed as a 2025 NFL Draft "steal.''

And as the 24-year-old cornerback from East Carolina University - who on Friday here at The Star in Frisco became the Dallas Cowboys' third-round pick - is promising he will be fully healthy soon enough.

Revel is thought by some to be a first-round talent who fell to the third round due to an ACL injury that he suffered last season.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, believe they have inside info in that Dr. Dan Cooper is the expert chosen to perform his surgery ... so "good to go for training camp'' has been the vibe.

“You’ve got to move past that,” said Revel recently of dealing with the injury. “It took me two or three days to get over it, but I wasn’t going to let it drag me down. I hadn’t let anything drag me down my whole life and wasn’t going to start then.”

It all sounds quite positive; the pick caused owner Jerry Jones to dance a jig in the war room here at The Star.

But we need to tap the brakes just a bit.

In the team’s press conference following Day 2 of the draft, COO Stephen Jones noted that Revel will likely start the season off on PUP.

That can mean PUP to start camp, in theory.

Or it could mean PUP in September.

Revel is a rookie so this is an investment in a long game.

But Dallas already has Trevon Diggs recovering from knee surgery, and likely sidelined until the midway point of the season. So hopefully the Cowboys have found a cornerback who is on schedule to be rehabbing faster than that.

Last season, Revel played in just three games before tearing his ACL in practice. He totaled just four tackles and two interceptions in 2024.

Revel, who falls to No. 76 overall after concerns about the injury, sizes up well for his position at 6-3, 202 pounds. With his wide frame, he's known for his physicality and aggressiveness in the passing lanes and in press.

Some scouts think there is great room for improvement here in terms of technique.

The Cowboys are familiar with the East Carolina product, having met him as one of the organization's 30 visits at The Star this offseason.

So they know the kid. And they are dancing about him.

Now they get to work closely with him to make sure that rehab goes just right.