The board owed the Cowboys one, and it paid up: Josaiah Stewart, the No. 53 name on the board, sitting there at the 247th pick like a gift left on the doorstep.

That linebacker hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.

Value over need was the throughline, for better and worse.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but linebacker.