The Jones family’s favorite time of year is now under wraps.
The Dallas Cowboys made nine selections in this year’s draft. While they still have some holes left on offense, this year was a massive bounce-back from the lackluster 2023 and 2024 drafts. They replaced household names with two of the top players at their position. They may end up being one of the biggest steals of the draft. To top it off, they capitalized on some high-upside athletes on Day 3.
Let’s take a closer look at the newly minted Cowboys from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Tyler Booker Has Monumental Shoes to Fill
The retirement of Zack Martin didn’t come as a shock, and neither did the selection of Tyler Booker.
Dak Prescott is coming off another injury. It’s his second season-ending injury in the last four years. Leaning on the run game and allowing Prescott to get more comfortable as the season progresses seems to be the best course of action for Dallas. The addition of Booker may have come too early, but they grabbed a dominant guard. Booker finished with an 86.5 pass-rush grade from PFF last year. It was between him and Grey Zabel for the best interior offensive lineman in the draft.
His athletic testing is something to shy away from. He had a poor combine, tanking his stock for a lot of teams.
Not Dallas, though.
His tape provides enough to like, but his character gives you plenty to love. That’s what this move feels like the most. Booker is a motivator who wants to win above all else. He had Micah Parsons jumping with joy in his post-draft interview. The excitement from the front office may have been eye-rolling for fans, but we could easily look back at Booker as a success for the role he’s filling.
The Cowboys Became Day 2 Champions
It’s hard to find better round two and three performances than Dallas’. Never mind the positional needs, for once, the Cowboys drafted the best player available.
Donovan Ezieraku is the easiest DeMarcus Lawrence replacement the Cowboys could have gotten. He’s the perfect blend of size, speed, and production. He was second in Division I and first in the ACC in sacks with 16.5. Ezieraku has a deep bag of tricks coming off the edge. The new tandem with Parsons is infatuating for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Pair that with Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland coming back from injury, and Dallas could have the best arsenal of edges in the league.
Jerry Jones may have never picked up the phone as fast as he did at 76. The fact that Shavon Revel Jr. fell out of the first round was shocking enough. Every Cowboys fan was likely pinching themselves when they heard Revel’s name announced.
Revel is coming off a torn ACL in early 2024, but he’s already progressing fast. With the injury to Trevon Diggs and the uncertainty of Daron Bland returning after next season, Revel gives you plenty of security. He was geared up to have a dominant season at East Carolina. He’s arguably the best man corner in this class. If he’s as healthy as Dallas thinks, this could be an all-time steal for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys Found Upside and Leadership
Day 3 was filled with high-upside picks.
Jaydon Blue was the big name for Dallas in the fifth round. While there were still three-down options available to start day three, it was wishful thinking to hope Jerry Jones would move up. They sat and got one of the best athletes in the position group.
The Texas Longhorn has juice beyond the Cowboys’ current running backs. His combine was good, but his pro day was even better. He was still rehabbing a groin injury in Indianapolis, but he looked fully healthy back in Texas. Blue improved his 40-yard dash from a 4.38 to a 4.28. Fumbles were an issue in 2024, but we’ve seen runners bounce back from ball control issues time and time again. He’s an elite athlete who showed out whenever he touched the ball.
He’s not the three-down option fans hoped for, but he has the potential to develop into one.
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Shemar James and Ajani Cornelius are the other highlights from this class. James had a better 2023 in coverage for Florida, but had his best season as a run defender in 2024. Cornelius is a big-bodied project who could move up and down the line. He was a good complement to Josh Conerly at Oregon, giving up just four sacks in three seasons as a starter.
All of these picks scream leadership. From Booker to Phil Mafah, these players have all been praised for their character. Fans should be relieved to hear this because, for the first time in forever, the Cowboys went into a draft with a set ideology and followed it. Brian Schottenheimer wants guys who want to win. His first draft as the Cowboys’ lead man was almost as good as you can get. Not having a true No. 2 receiver will hurt next year, but the defense is geared up for a massive bounce-back.
As the culture in Dallas continues to shift, the 2025 class looks to emphasize an ideology Dallas has seemingly forgotten about: winning football games.
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