Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, speculation pointed to the Dallas Cowboys potentially keying in on another wide receiver who could complement CeeDee Lamb and take attention away from the All-Pro receiver. Names such as Tetairoa McMillan (who was drafted eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers) and Texas’ Matthew Golden were mentioned as potential targets.
Yet, with Golden still available, the Cowboys chose to draft Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker instead, which came as a significant surprise, to say the least.
Booker was viewed as a legitimate first-round prospect, but most projections had him landing in the 20s, which suggests the Cowboys may have been able to trade down while still landing their target. However, it takes two to tango, and it’s possible the Cowboys didn’t have any trade partners.
In this case, the Cowboys get their guy, and he’s expected to be a Day One starter for a team that lost future Hall of Famer Zack Martin to retirement this offseason. Booker marks the fourth offensive lineman the Cowboys have drafted in the first three rounds of the past four drafts, showing their commitment to building from the trenches.
Did the Cowboys reach for Booker? Most analysts would say yes. Booker was ranked 48th on Pro Football Focus‘ big board, 51st on ESPN‘s, but ranked 17th on Daniel Jeremiah’s. Then again, the Cowboys got their guy and if he becomes an All-Pro, no one will look back on this draft class with any questions about how Dallas made their decision.
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