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FRISCO — Going into the 2011 draft, the opinion on the teenage tackle from USC wasn’t exactly unanimous at Valley Ranch. Rob Ryan, the new defensive coordinator, pleaded for a guy who’d started out as a tight end at Central Michigan. Ryan loved the unparalleled combination of size, athleticism and 426 big-block HEMI. But the fix was already in.
Jason Garrett, intent on building a wall around Tony Romo, made only one pro day visit, and it was to watch Tyron Smith, whom the Cowboys took ninth.
J.J. Watt went two picks later to Houston, where he became the dominant defender of the decade, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who even finished second in MVP voting in 2014.
Smith didn’t make that kind of impact, but his next stop after retiring as a Cowboy last week is Canton.
Cowboys
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker, right, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 12th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)(Jeff Roberson / AP)
Tyler Booker doesn’t have to be that good replacing Zack Martin, another HOFer in waiting, not to mention the last guard the Cowboys took with the 12th pick. But it’d be nice if he was better than, you know, Matthew Golden.
Or Jalon Walker.
Or Jahdae Barron.
The Cowboys could have had any of the above, not to mention Walter Nolen, the defensive tackle from Ole Miss who might have fixed their run defense at last. Golden would have deflected attention from CeeDee Lamb and given Dak Prescott a deep threat. Walker, who fell out of the top 10, would have replaced DeMarcus Lawrence and twinned up nicely with Micah Parsons. Barron would have been a Swiss Army knife for a thin secondary.
Booker?
The Cowboys had him “seventh or eighth” on their board, Jerry said, which is considerably higher than you’d find him on most mock draft lists. Doesn’t mean the Cowboys were wrong. The book on the three-year starter at left guard for Alabama is he’s a bull-in-a-china-shop, a downhill road grader who makes up in intelligence, technique and intensity for what he lacks in quickness and athleticism. Will McClay, the man in charge of the Cowboys’ draft, said the grades they had on Booker are “similar” to their scouting report on Martin, which is saying something. Booker says his goal is to make the guy across from him want to quit, confirming a couple things the Cowboys indicated in their pre-draft presser on Tuesday.
The problem with the Cowboys’ running game last year, Jerry Jones said, wasn’t the lack of a dynamic running back. Sure, he was impressed with what Saquon Barkley did for Philadelphia. He was more impressed with the job done by the Eagles’ defensive line, and the only way to fight that, he said, is to fix an offensive line that didn’t galvanize until the second half of last season, when Dowdle suddenly seemed adequate.
The selection of a guard also confirms the identity Brian Schottenheimer wants to build into his offense. “Physical” is the word he uses, over and over. He wants to play bully ball, which, at this point in Dak’s career doesn’t seem like such a bad idea at that.
Related:How Tyler Booker ended up with the Cowboys, and the trade offer Dallas rejected
Just the same, for a guard, the 12th pick might seem a little rich, especially with so many other options on the table.
Booker, who talks fast and thinks faster, had a ready answer.
“Turn on the tape,” he said.
Booker should be a fine player if only because McClay’s track record inside the 20th pick says so. Those five picks were Martin, Zeke Elliott, Leighton Vander Esch, Lamb and Micah Parsons. Last year’s choice of Tyler Guyton notwithstanding, he’s also done an excellent job of identifying offensive linemen (Martin and Tyler Smith) at any time in the first.
But you have to ask if Guyton hadn’t been a bust last year, would they have used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman for the third time in four years?
Stephen Jones said they got “hard offers” for their pick, but nothing they liked. We’ll take his word for it. Seems the least they could have done was trade back a few spots, pick up a third or fourth and still get their man.
The Cowboys didn’t want to take that chance on missing Booker because they’re trying to repeat history. From 2011-14, they used their first-round picks on offensive linemen three out of four years. Ended up with Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin. Worked out pretty well. No one’s predicting a couple of HOFers to come out of this group, too. Their biggest concern right now is holding their own in a division with outstanding interior defensive linemen.
But here’s the problem with going offensive line in the first: The Cowboys also have a pretty big need at wide receiver and running back. They can find the latter in the third round. But the pool of starting-caliber receivers is shallow. The Cowboys’ plans might have been derailed when Carolina took Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick. Jerry conceded the 6-4 receiver was “very high” on their board but wouldn’t say how it might have impacted their decision on Booker had he been available.
Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka was the second receiver to go off the board, taken by Tampa Bay at 19. Golden went 23rd to Green Bay. Quinn Ewers looked for him whenever he needed a big play at Texas.
Speaking of which, the Longhorns’ opening win over Michigan last fall looks better all the time, especially after three Wolverines went in the first 13 picks.
Can the Cowboys get a starting wide receiver in the second? Missouri’s Luther Burden III is still available, but for how long?
McClay said he’s confident they can find a starting wide receiver, if not in the draft, maybe a veteran. Amari Cooper? Keenan Allen? Just because I couldn’t get them Earl Thomas doesn’t mean I’m giving up on Cooper or Allen now.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
More on Cowboys’ selection of Tyler Booker
— Dallas Cowboys select Alabama OG Tyler Booker with 12th overall pick in 2025 NFL draft
— Who is Tyler Booker? Five things to know about the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round selection
— Tyler Booker wasn’t the sexiest pick, but he was the right one for Dallas Cowboys
— How Tyler Booker fits player profile Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is looking for
— Cowboys’ Tyler Booker doesn’t have to be a Hall of Famer, just better than his draft peers
— National reaction to Cowboys’ No. 12 draft pick: Add another to the ‘Great Wall of Tyler’
— This Tyler Booker quote drew exciting reaction from new Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons
— Ex-Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy says he loves Dallas’ first-round selection of Tyler Booker
— Listen: Tyler Booker gets the call from Cowboys after being drafted at 12th overall
Revel is recovering from an ACL tear ahead of his rookie campaign in Dallas.
Booker’s had a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time since being selected 12th overall by the Cowboys.
Dallas has found tremendous value in landing players like Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel Jr.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
and make it easy for teens to read and understand.Organize the content with appropriate headings and subheadings (h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6), Retain any existing tags from
FRISCO — Going into the 2011 draft, the opinion on the teenage tackle from USC wasn’t exactly unanimous at Valley Ranch. Rob Ryan, the new defensive coordinator, pleaded for a guy who’d started out as a tight end at Central Michigan. Ryan loved the unparalleled combination of size, athleticism and 426 big-block HEMI. But the fix was already in.
Jason Garrett, intent on building a wall around Tony Romo, made only one pro day visit, and it was to watch Tyron Smith, whom the Cowboys took ninth.
J.J. Watt went two picks later to Houston, where he became the dominant defender of the decade, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who even finished second in MVP voting in 2014.
Smith didn’t make that kind of impact, but his next stop after retiring as a Cowboy last week is Canton.
Cowboys
Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker, right, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 12th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)(Jeff Roberson / AP)
Tyler Booker doesn’t have to be that good replacing Zack Martin, another HOFer in waiting, not to mention the last guard the Cowboys took with the 12th pick. But it’d be nice if he was better than, you know, Matthew Golden.
Or Jalon Walker.
Or Jahdae Barron.
The Cowboys could have had any of the above, not to mention Walter Nolen, the defensive tackle from Ole Miss who might have fixed their run defense at last. Golden would have deflected attention from CeeDee Lamb and given Dak Prescott a deep threat. Walker, who fell out of the top 10, would have replaced DeMarcus Lawrence and twinned up nicely with Micah Parsons. Barron would have been a Swiss Army knife for a thin secondary.
Booker?
The Cowboys had him “seventh or eighth” on their board, Jerry said, which is considerably higher than you’d find him on most mock draft lists. Doesn’t mean the Cowboys were wrong. The book on the three-year starter at left guard for Alabama is he’s a bull-in-a-china-shop, a downhill road grader who makes up in intelligence, technique and intensity for what he lacks in quickness and athleticism. Will McClay, the man in charge of the Cowboys’ draft, said the grades they had on Booker are “similar” to their scouting report on Martin, which is saying something. Booker says his goal is to make the guy across from him want to quit, confirming a couple things the Cowboys indicated in their pre-draft presser on Tuesday.
The problem with the Cowboys’ running game last year, Jerry Jones said, wasn’t the lack of a dynamic running back. Sure, he was impressed with what Saquon Barkley did for Philadelphia. He was more impressed with the job done by the Eagles’ defensive line, and the only way to fight that, he said, is to fix an offensive line that didn’t galvanize until the second half of last season, when Dowdle suddenly seemed adequate.
The selection of a guard also confirms the identity Brian Schottenheimer wants to build into his offense. “Physical” is the word he uses, over and over. He wants to play bully ball, which, at this point in Dak’s career doesn’t seem like such a bad idea at that.
Related:How Tyler Booker ended up with the Cowboys, and the trade offer Dallas rejected
Just the same, for a guard, the 12th pick might seem a little rich, especially with so many other options on the table.
Booker, who talks fast and thinks faster, had a ready answer.
“Turn on the tape,” he said.
Booker should be a fine player if only because McClay’s track record inside the 20th pick says so. Those five picks were Martin, Zeke Elliott, Leighton Vander Esch, Lamb and Micah Parsons. Last year’s choice of Tyler Guyton notwithstanding, he’s also done an excellent job of identifying offensive linemen (Martin and Tyler Smith) at any time in the first.
But you have to ask if Guyton hadn’t been a bust last year, would they have used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman for the third time in four years?
Stephen Jones said they got “hard offers” for their pick, but nothing they liked. We’ll take his word for it. Seems the least they could have done was trade back a few spots, pick up a third or fourth and still get their man.
The Cowboys didn’t want to take that chance on missing Booker because they’re trying to repeat history. From 2011-14, they used their first-round picks on offensive linemen three out of four years. Ended up with Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin. Worked out pretty well. No one’s predicting a couple of HOFers to come out of this group, too. Their biggest concern right now is holding their own in a division with outstanding interior defensive linemen.
But here’s the problem with going offensive line in the first: The Cowboys also have a pretty big need at wide receiver and running back. They can find the latter in the third round. But the pool of starting-caliber receivers is shallow. The Cowboys’ plans might have been derailed when Carolina took Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick. Jerry conceded the 6-4 receiver was “very high” on their board but wouldn’t say how it might have impacted their decision on Booker had he been available.
Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka was the second receiver to go off the board, taken by Tampa Bay at 19. Golden went 23rd to Green Bay. Quinn Ewers looked for him whenever he needed a big play at Texas.
Speaking of which, the Longhorns’ opening win over Michigan last fall looks better all the time, especially after three Wolverines went in the first 13 picks.
Can the Cowboys get a starting wide receiver in the second? Missouri’s Luther Burden III is still available, but for how long?
McClay said he’s confident they can find a starting wide receiver, if not in the draft, maybe a veteran. Amari Cooper? Keenan Allen? Just because I couldn’t get them Earl Thomas doesn’t mean I’m giving up on Cooper or Allen now.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
More on Cowboys’ selection of Tyler Booker
— Dallas Cowboys select Alabama OG Tyler Booker with 12th overall pick in 2025 NFL draft
— Who is Tyler Booker? Five things to know about the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round selection
— Tyler Booker wasn’t the sexiest pick, but he was the right one for Dallas Cowboys
— How Tyler Booker fits player profile Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is looking for
— Cowboys’ Tyler Booker doesn’t have to be a Hall of Famer, just better than his draft peers
— National reaction to Cowboys’ No. 12 draft pick: Add another to the ‘Great Wall of Tyler’
— This Tyler Booker quote drew exciting reaction from new Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons
— Ex-Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy says he loves Dallas’ first-round selection of Tyler Booker
— Listen: Tyler Booker gets the call from Cowboys after being drafted at 12th overall
Revel is recovering from an ACL tear ahead of his rookie campaign in Dallas.
Booker’s had a hootin’ and hollerin’ good time since being selected 12th overall by the Cowboys.
Dallas has found tremendous value in landing players like Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel Jr.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
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