The Dallas Cowboys added to their secondary through the NFL draft, but one of their draft picks has suffered an injury setback after tearing his ACL last year.
The Cowboys selected Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round of the NFL Draft. Revel was regarded as one of the best corners in the class, but an ACL tear last season at East Carolina hurt his draft stock. Revel was working his way back from his injury, but Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed that the rookie has suffered a setback.
"He is really, really interesting," Breer said. "It doesn't always workout - I know it's the easy thing to do - to sometimes pluck the injured guy. And he had a little bit of a setback with his knee, but I think he'll be OK. He would have been fighting to be the first corner taken if he hadn't gotten hurt."
In 2023, Revel was named Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference. In 24 career games at ECU, he had 71 tackles to go with his three interceptions. He checked in at 6'4" at the NFL Combine. NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein had him as a projected first or second-round pick.
"Big, long and fast are the physical descriptors that stand out for the East Carolina corner," wrote Zierlein. "Revel is leggy when matching press release but he’s disruptive once he gets his hands on the wideout. He plays upright in man coverage, tends to allow small pockets of separation due to his high center of gravity and still needs improvement when it comes to finding and defending the deep ball, despite his ability to stay in phase with vertical routes. He has ideal length and good vision from zone, and he should continue to improve in that coverage with more experience. Revel suffered a torn ACL in September, but his measurables, explosiveness and upside give him a good chance to become an early starter."
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If Revel can play like the player he was projected to be before his injury, the Cowboys could have a star in their secondary. His injury setback could prevent him from getting on the field as soon as the team may have expected, but it will be up to him to show the Cowboys he can contribute when he is ready to play again.
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