It only took one game for Dallas Cowboys rookie Shavon Revel Jr. to look like the first-round cornerback he was billed as in the pre-draft process.
The Cowboys got a dominating win on Monday Night Football over the Las Vegas Raiders, and even though he only played 19 total defensive snaps, you could see the top-tier skills that, at one point, made Shavon Revel Jr. the presumptive CB1 of his class.
Unfortunately for him, an injury in his final year at East Carolina deflated his NFL Draft stock, and his draft stock decline was the Dallas Cowboys’ gain. The Cowboys stole Revel with the 76th overall pick in this year’s third round, and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was singing his praises after the rookie’s regular-season debut.
Matt Eberflus sings Shavon Revel’s praises after Cowboys rookie makes sensational debut
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus on rookie CB Shavon Revel, who made his debut Monday night: “He’s great. He’s a big, tall, strong guy. I love his stop and start. He really can stop on those transition routes. He’s got really good length. He’s a no-house guests corner. He tackles. He’s a…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 20, 2025
The 2025 NFL Draft class is the gift that keeps on giving for the Cowboys this year, and the delayed gratification with Revel, in particular, was worth the wait. Watching him play against the Raiders, you can see his press-man skills on display, especially in a rep he had on the outside against Raiders tight end Michael Mayer.
Mayer is listed at 6-foot-4, 256 pounds, and the way Revel got his hands on him in press coverage was impressive enough, but he finished the play as the Raiders tried to isolate a tight end on a corner and give their guy a chance in one-on-one coverage.
The box score for Revel shows just one tackle, but the tape shows a player with long-term starter capabilities on the outside. You don’t want to overreact to just one game from a guy, but certainly what he showed against the Raiders validates everything that was said before the draft.
And everything Eberflus said to the media, as well.
The last thing Eberflus said about Revel is, “I’m excited about where he’s going.”
You can only guess that Revel is going to get more and more opportunities as the season goes along, and that’s exciting for a Cowboys team that’s trying desperately to climb back in it.
After the trade deadline, you could tell that Jerry Jones and the brain trust of the organization felt confident that this team could piece things together with the guys they added and the players coming back from injury. Although being 3-5-1 during the bye wasn’t ideal, the Cowboys knew they would be coming back against the Raiders with a completely unrecognizable defensive unit.
And that’s precisely what we saw. Not only did Revel make an impact, but so did DeMarvion Overshown, Quinnen Williams, and plenty of others against the Raiders. Having a hungry rookie like Revel who could have easily been the CB1 of his class is another piece of the puzzle the Cowboys will be thankful they invested in as the season rolls along.
