The Dallas Cowboys made two picks within three spots to start day three of the draft. They made their first pick for the offense with Drew Shelton at 112th overall, and then getting right back to the defensive rebuild with Florida cornerback Devin Moore at pick 114.
Cornerback was seen as a potential first-round need for the Cowboys coming into this draft, but the Cowboys let the board come to them with all three of their picks prior, finally addressing cornerback with the player that led the Florida
Gators in interceptions in 2025.
This senior season was Moore’s only healthy year as a college player, but he stuck with Florida through injury seasons in 2022 (missed eight games with a shoulder), 2023 (five games to back/concussion), and another shoulder injury that cost him six games in 2024. The Cowboys have put a premium on prospects so far in this draft that played for one school and did not run for the transfer portal when facing adversity, the only exception being Caleb Downs going from Nick Saban’s Alabama to Ryan Day/Matt Patricia at Ohio State. Moore fits this bill as an outside zone cornerback with great height and length.
Day three of the draft is about taking a chance on traits that can’t be taught, and Moore’s 98th percentile height at 6’3” is one such trait. The Cowboys defense is looking to keep the ball in front of them at a much better clip this season, and having height and recognition ability in the secondary is a key to this. The Cowboys have achieved this with Downs and Moore. The fourth round is also a point in the draft where players having special teams upside can go a very long way in being selected, and Moore appeared on the punt coverage team in all four seasons at Florida. Moore was recruited as a safety out of high school.
The injury concerns from Moore are a bit of an outlier when it comes to what Dallas told the football world they would be looking for in this draft. Getting a full healthy season from second-year draft pick Shavon Revel Jr. as well as DaRon Bland and free agent addition Cobie Durant will be critical to not expose Moore too early in his development.
New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker is best known for his player development ability at two positions specifically. These are nickel defender and cover cornerback, which in some defenses can be the same player. In this case, the Cowboys swung big with their first pick on a do-it-all nickel, and waited until 114th overall to circle back to cornerback and get a player that should be eager to learn under Parker. Both Downs and Moore are very strong against the run as well, a priority for the Cowboys with all of their defensive picks so far when considering what Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham bring to the front seven.
The Dallas defense is a lot more athletic, instinctual, and tougher thanks to the work they’ve done in the draft so far, with Moore fitting in well with this mission.
