Cowboys' most underrated building block from Week 13 is impossible to ignore

How 'bout them Dallas Cowboys! Or more specifically, how 'bout that Dallas Cowboys draft class!

The rookies have indeed come to play in Big D. That was on full display on Thanksgiving as the mighty Kansas City Chiefs were hounded by Dallas' revamped defensive front in the Cowboys' 31-28 victory. Second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku trailed only Quinnen Williams with five QB pressures, per PFF, as he continued his rapid ascent.

But there was another first-year player who's only recently entered the lineup and deserves his flowers for answering the bell so soon. He's proving to be a stellar, necessary addition to what was an embattled secondary not long ago.

Cowboys CB Shavon Revel Jr. proved he can handle the heat in Thanksgiving win over Chiefs

Between Ezeiruaku and starting guard Tyler Booker, the Cowboys looked to have hit big time on their top two draft picks. Now we're seeing their third-round cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. show off his considerable talents.

Revel eased his way into his Dallas debut, logging only 19 snaps in his first game back from ACL surgery. However, after increasing his workload to 39 snaps in the stirring rally to beat the Eagles, Revel backed that up with 63 snaps in the win over the Chiefs, per PFF.

Dallas' dynamic pass rush deserves a lot of credit for pressuring Patrick Mahomes so often on the holiday. He still somehow threw four TD passes on the day — just none of them went Revel's way.

In fact, the savvy Mahomes didn't bother challenging Revel often at all. He threw at him only three times for two receptions and 15 yards.

RELATED: Brian Schottenheimer puts Trevon Diggs speculation to bed with blunt six-word answer

Some of that was Kansas City's determination to exploit the Cowboys' linebackers in coverage. Some of it was definitely Revel holding up his end of the bargain as a newly minted starter.

The more reps Revel gets, the more confidence he should gain on his repaired knee and within Dallas' defensive scheme. No one took more snaps as a boundary corner on Thanksgiving than Revel's 59, as he outpaced DaRon Bland (40) and Trikweze Bridges (26).

Don't be surprised if a splash play like this is in Revel's near future if opposing quarterbacks dare to throw his way with more frequency.

Bias aside as someone who had Revel as my seventh-rated overall prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, there's no denying he's already showing flashes of the star he was at East Carolina. If not for that major knee injury in his final collegiate season, Revel would've been in the conversation as a first-round pick.

Looks like the Cowboys might've gotten three first-round-caliber players on the draft's first two days now that Revel's stock is rising.