Cowboys' Lawrence: Sleeper Star or Draft Reach?

0:00On April 24, Dallas Cowboys snagged Edresher Malachi Lawrence at pick number 23 overall in the first round. Nick Sabin, the former Alabama coach, hyped him up as one of his top sleeper prospects right after the selection. But just moments before, Sabin got caught on a hot mic sounding skeptical about the timing or the pick itself. Media Big Boards painted Lawrence as a reach, not even a top 50 guy on most projections. Analyst Kevin Cole called it the biggest overreach of the round, based on consensus rankings. Still, heading into draft night, whispers from insiders had impegged as a legit first round talent. NFL circles clearly valued him higher than the talking heads. Cowboys VP. Wilma Clay said, four other teams hit them up post-pick, saying they landed their guy. That shows the league saw real potential where media saw risk. Cowboys smartly traded down from their spot, grabbing two fourth round picks while still naving Lawrence.

1:00They could have slid even further, but held firm, worried he'd go elsewhere. Now they're all in on this sleeper turning into a star. Value like that could pay off big if Lawrence balls out, flipping the script on those early doubts.