FRISCO \u2014 Tyler Booker wasn\u2019t the sexy pick a disgruntled fan base for a team coming off a 7-10 season was hoping for. Booker was the Cowboys\u2019 first-round pick (12th overall) on Thursday night because he was the right one.<\/p>\n
Yes, the Cowboys could have picked wide receiver Matthew Golden. Yes, the Cowboys could have selected edge rusher Jalon Walker. Yes, the Cowboys could have picked up cornerbacks Jahdae Barron or Will Johnson. Sure, the Cowboys could have even snagged another edge rusher in Shemar Stewart.<\/p>\n
The pick is in! Photos from Dallas Cowboys’ NFL draft party at The Star in Frisco<\/p>\n
When you\u2019re trying to commit to the running game and lost a Hall of Fame right guard in Zack Martin to retirement, the best thing to do is to replace him.<\/p>\n
Cowboys<\/p>\n
That\u2019s Booker.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for one, I\u2019d say turn on the tape because three years at Alabama I was just straight up dominating,\u201d Booker said when asked about fans questioning the pick. \u201cI was the dude at the University of Alabama. I was that guy for three years straight and it takes a lot for a person to be that, first turn on the tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe it was fate that Booker was coming to the Cowboys when during his visit to The Star as one of the 30 national visits, coach Brian Schottenheimer played the one song that seemed perfect: \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody\u201d by Whitney Houston.<\/p>\n
Booker\u2019s name emerged late in the draft process as the Cowboys sought to upgrade their offensive line.<\/p>\n
He comes from a solid foundation. It started as an 11-year-old who attended a Nick Saban football camp.<\/p>\n
He commuted from his hometown in New Haven, Conn., to Oradell, N.J., to play for state football power Bergen Catholic.<\/p>\n
Then he moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and that\u2019s where it really got going for him. He emerged as a top recruit and eventually landed at Alabama.<\/p>\n
Booker didn\u2019t shine until his final season with the Crimson Tide where he was named first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC. He played 12 games at left guard and once at left tackle.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys are projecting him to start at right guard because, let\u2019s be honest, he\u2019s an upgrade to what\u2019s at the position now.<\/p>\n
This offseason, the Cowboys added veteran guards Robert Jones and Saahdiq Charles to support Brock Hoffman, who started seven games for Martin last season.<\/p>\n
Booker not only upgrades the position but you must assume he\u2019ll get first-team reps when the Cowboys move to the training camp phase of their development this summer.<\/p>\n
Please forget moving other players around the offensive line. The Cowboys have said they\u2019re committed to Tyler Guyton at left tackle and Terence Steele as the right tackle. Guyton didn\u2019t have the best of rookie seasons, being penalized 18 times, including eight holding calls and five false starts. Guyton should improve in 2025, and that\u2019s part of the reason he\u2019s staying at left tackle. Steele will remain at right tackle because team officials believe in his leadership abilities, besides Tyler Smith (left guard) will help a young offensive line room.<\/p>\n
And if you question whether Booker can play consistently at right guard, the confidence level is high for the 21-year-old.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Booker said early in his time at Alabama he got practice reps at the guard positions to help with his versatility.<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever you put me on the football field, I\u2019m going to be ready to get after it,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 it doesn\u2019t matter if I\u2019m at left guard, right guard, right tackle, center, slot receiver, running back. It don\u2019t matter I\u2019m going to give it my all.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it was time for the Cowboys to make a selection Thursday night there was so much talent at their disposal, but one thing we\u2019ve known regarding this front office is the draft board.<\/p>\n
The front office, led by vice president of player personnel Will McClay, believes in their rankings of players.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday afternoon, McClay said the players with first-round grades weren\u2019t up for display yet for the personnel department.<\/p>\n
When it was all finalized at some point this week, it\u2019s clear getting the best player for the best value would be presented to them.<\/p>\n
On Thursday night, it was Booker.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Dallas Cowboys select Alabama OG Tyler Booker with 12th overall pick in 2025 NFL draft<\/p>\n
\u2014 Who is Tyler Booker? Five things to know about the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 first-round selection<\/p>\n
\u2014 Tyler Booker wasn\u2019t the sexiest pick, but he was the right one for Dallas Cowboys<\/p>\n
\u2014 How Tyler Booker fits player profile Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is looking for<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cowboys\u2019 Tyler Booker doesn\u2019t have to be a Hall of Famer, just better than his draft peers<\/p>\n
\u2014 National reaction to Cowboys\u2019 No. 12 draft pick: Add another to the \u2018Great Wall of Tyler\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2014 This Tyler Booker quote drew exciting reaction from new Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons<\/p>\n
The Dallas Cowboys’ First-Round Pick: Tyler Booker FRISCO \u2014 Tyler Booker wasn\u2019t the sexy pick a disgruntled fan base for a team coming off a 7-10 season was hoping for. Booker was the Cowboys\u2019 first-round pick (12th overall) on Thursday night because he was the right one. Yes, the Cowboys could have picked wide receiver […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4348","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/XOWDLRRB2GRPYVOVK5OOEOR5UQ.jpg?auth=870af2914823795242224f8f64d1475be655f97368934c8704e4bfae7e4c1510&height=630&width=1200&focal=3362,536&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4348"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4350,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4348\/revisions\/4350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}