Cornerback coming off ACL tear could be Cowboys 'Round 2 special' after pre-draft visit

The Dallas Cowboys have been blessed with outstanding cornerback play in recent years, with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland each leading the league in interceptions within the past four seasons. But big question marks at the position remain heading into 2025.

Diggs, who has appeared in just 13 games over the past two seasons thanks to multiple knee injuries, is rehabbing from January graft surgery and no sure thing to be ready Week 1. Bland, meanwhile, was himself healthy for just seven games last year and is entering a contract year. Eight-year veteran mainstay Jourdan Lewis departed in free agency after 64 starts with the club. Once expected to be a formidable three-headed hydra at cornerback, that trio started exactly one game together. Even with second-year man Caelen Carson and newly-acquired former first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam now waiting in the wings for Dallas, starting-caliber corner help is definitely needed.

East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr. is emerging as one of the top options in this year's rookie class. One of Dallas's official "30" visitors, the soon-to-be 23-year-old has an inspiring story, going from two years of juco and an overnight warehouse job to a tryout at ECU, where he earned a scholarship on the spot, provided he could raise his grades. He did, and then he went on a breakout season for the Pirates in 2023, afterward shunning big-money transfer portal offers to stick with the school that gave him a shot at playing- and graduating- when no one else would. But then an ACL tear in a September practice cut short his 2024 campaign. Cowboys head physician Dr. Dan Cooper performed Revel's surgery in October and has informed all NFL clubs that the cornerback is on track to be fully cleared by the summer... which means he figures to be one of the first corners to come off the board later this month, even if there's an element of uncertainty that comes with him.

Revel was unable to participate in drills at the scouting combine or East Carolina's pro day, leaving teams to determine their interest based largely on old game film highlights and the potential he flashed before his injury. (A recent social media post showed him hitting 21 mph on a treadmill, so the optimism appears justified.) Revel comes with the kind of asterisk that has often come to mark players the Cowboys' second-round gambles, but he may not last that long. Other outlets are pegging Revel to go on the draft's first night, despite question marks about his knee.

Shavon Revel Jr. Measurables