Shavon Revel Jr. was the epitome of a high-upside pick when the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. His rookie season was somewhat of a wash as he recovered from a knee injury, but that patience is quickly drying up in Year 2, particularly in a win-now window for Dallas.
Cobie Durant has a firm grasp on the No. 2 cornerback role on the boundary opposite DaRon Bland, as the veteran parlayed a strong offseason into training camp. But Revel Jr. isn't going away quietly, as the sophomore has put together two very strong showings with the pads now on in Oxnard.
However, one of the biggest concerns with him is a tendency to grab hold of a wide receiver's jersey, and that problem has reared its ugly head twice now at Cowboys camp. While it's great that Revel Jr. is getting hyped up at this point, it means nothing if Dallas' young corner doesn't loosen his grip.
Shavon Revel Jr. shines through first two days of padded Cowboys practice
By all accounts, Revel Jr. made his mark during Monday's session. According to several reporters, the young defensive back broke up not one, not two, but three passes on the day, which was the cherry on top of a solid overall performance. Success against star wideouts is helping him gain confidence.
"There's a reason [CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens] are top-five [in the NFL], for real," Revel Jr. told reporters. "You see it watching last week. They make me better. They're sharpening my tools each and every day."
Other reporters noted that Revel Jr. is looking more self-assured, which goes perfectly in line with what fans heard earlier this offseason, both from the media and Revel Jr. himself. Durant isn't making his path to a starting job any easier with his camp of big plays, but individual growth is more critical.
It also sounds like it wasn't just Revel Jr. making plays on the ball that helped him stand out. According to those who were on-site, it may have been his best day in a Cowboys uniform in an overall sense. His closing speed looked good, and he forced incompletions without getting PBUs.
His strong camp continued on Tuesday, a great sign that his previous performance wasn't simply a flash in the pan. But as we alluded to earlier, Revel Jr. has a glaring hole to clean up in his game, which is his habit of holding route-runners and drawing flags.
Shavon Revel Jr. must clean up hand play and limit penalties
In the only full season that Revel Jr. played at East Carolina, he was penalized six times. As a rookie in Dallas, in just seven games and five starts, Revel Jr. was penalized five times. Starting cornerbacks don't let the refs get involved that often, but even the stripes at Cowboys camp are flagging him.
Reporters made mention of Revel Jr. getting called for defensive pass interference, even including a video of it. Some have argued with the merit of the call, but yellow cloth on the grass is yellow cloth on the grass.
And a video went a bit viral during Tuesday's practice, where Revel Jr. clearly holds KaVontae Turpin beyond the allotted five yards in 1-on-1s. Now, 1-on-1s are very difficult, but Revel Jr. needs to be able to guard his yard in Christian Parker's defense.
Getting flagged too often will keep him off the field, especially with how well Bland, Durant, and even fourth-round rookie Devin Moore seem to be playing. So, for as much hype as Revel Jr. is getting, for it to matter, he needs to clean up this costly mistake. At least he seems aware of this reality.
"I'm taking it day-by-day. Getting better at my skills and the errors that I need to fix. I come in, watch film and fix what I need to fix," Revel Jr. told the media.
Cowboys fans sure hope so, because the hype is too intriguing to be let down by some jersey tugging.
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