2025 NFL Draft Grades: Dallas Cowboys

Best Pick: I love third-round corner Shavon Revel. He suffered a torn ACL last year, but is expected to be ready for the season. If not for the injury, he's a first-round pick.

Worst Pick: It's not any of their picks, but rather not addressing receiver with their first three picks. They have to get somebody who can help balance the field for CeeDee Lamb.

The Skinny: They added some good players, even if taking a guard at No. 12 seems high. Tyler Booker, that guard, will be a good player. I do like Revel in the third-round edge Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second. I love running back Jaydon Blue in the fifth. It was a good haul, but I wanted to see an early receiver taken.

Top needs entering the draft: Running back, wide receiver and cornerback

The Cowboys, coming off a disappointing and injury-plagued 7-10 season, could have gone in several directions at No. 12 overall. They could have targeted the defensive line, where they lost key depth with DeMarcus Lawrence and Chauncey Golston departing in free agency. They could have picked a guard to replace future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, who retired in February. They could have taken a tackle to create competition for Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele.

Or Dallas could have done the flashy thing and taken a playmaker to help the offense. It doesn't have a standout No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, nor does it have a game-changing running back. I thought running back Omarion Hampton might be an option, along with wideouts Matthew Golden or Tetairoa McMillan (who went off the board at No. 8).

So what did the Cowboys do? Well, they went unflashy with guard Tyler Booker, who can step in for Martin. Look, I like Booker as a player -- he is my No. 1-ranked guard. I just don't love the value at No. 12, which I wrote about Thursday night. I would have rather them trade down to add more capital that could have helped a depleted roster. I don't think team owner Jerry Jones & Co. will care much about the value if Booker becomes a multi-time Pro Bowler, but it matters when I'm trying to grade a class from top to bottom.

Now, I did like what the Cowboys did on Day 2, adding edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., both of whom could have landed in the first round if everything broke right. They have the potential to be early starters for a Dallas defense undergoing a ton of turnover. Ezeiruaku could help fans forget about Lawrence, whose time with the team ended unceremoniously.

On Day 3, the Cowboys finally snagged a running back, but I had others rated over Jaydon Blue. Damien Martinez, Devin Neal and DJ Giddens were all higher in my rankings. Dallas also traded up for Blue, eating into its capital. It drafted another back -- Phil Mafah, adding to a crowded depth chart. I like the competition, though. Jay Toia is a big run-stopping nose tackle who can plug holes on defense.

Overall, this is a solid, if unspectacular, haul.

I really liked what the Cowboys did this weekend in adding a handful of early contributors to their roster. Alabama guard Tyler Booker will help solidify their interior offensive line and should provide clean pockets for Dak Prescott and run lanes for the team's backs. Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku is a slippery, productive pass rusher who should pair excellently with Micah Parsons off the edge. East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel has top-tier upside as a big, long outside corner with ball skills and instincts in coverage. And Texas running back Jaydon Blue adds top-tier speed to the team's backfield, giving the Cowboys a home run hitter at the position. All in all, a solid haul.

Give Jerry Jones and the Cowboys some credit. For a franchise that once prioritized playmakers — sometimes irresponsibly — Dallas chose to begin its draft with the biggest, nastiest blocker of this class in Tyler Booker, wisely providing the girth and guts needed to combat the dominant defensive lines of the NFC East. Further, Day 2 picks Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel Jr. were quality value selections who filled positions that had been decimated in recent years by free-agent defections and injuries.

While I liked the Cowboys' strategy to reinforce their offensive line and defense, they were surprisingly quiet on the playmaker front. Fifth-round running back Jaydon Blue certainly adds the element of straight-line speed, but I believe Dallas really needed to upgrade its receiving corps beyond CeeDee Lamb.

Here's why: The Cowboys were able to fill some needs with players who might be able to make serious impacts as rookies. Guard Tyler Booker, pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. have a chance to be instant impact starters with long-term upside for the Cowboys. Dallas added three players whom many draft analysts had as first-round prospects without trading assets to acquire them. Good process. Hopefully good results for what Dallas was able to pull off.

Most interesting pick: Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama

Dallas continued its love for drafting offensive linemen in the first round with the bruising guard from Alabama. Some viewed this as a reach, but Booker is a high-floor player who can form a hellacious interior group with guard Tyler Smith and center Cooper Beebe. If Tyler Guyton (wow, a lot of Tylers here) takes the next step, Dallas could have one of the best offensive lines in the league again.

It might not have been exactly what the fan base was hoping for — Jeanty — but owner Jerry Jones and his front office generally do a pretty solid job this time of year. Aside from being a bully on the field, first-round G Tyler Booker not only fills a need but could provide fresh leadership in the locker room in time. Second-round DE Donovan Ezeiruaku and third-round CB Shavon Revel Jr. were certainly worthy of being taken a round earlier than they were. Fifth-round RB Jaydon Blue brings sub-4.4 speed if not the background to suggest he can shoulder the load on the ground. Receiving depth behind WR CeeDee Lamb still looms as a significant question.

Dallas found a different way to help Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb without adding to a thin group of skill players early in the draft. The Cowboys opted to do what they do best—drafting an offensive lineman in the first round. Booker is set to replace the retired Zack Martin, one of the best draft picks ever for the Jones family. Dallas could again have one of the best offensive lines in the league, with Booker joining fellow first-round selections Tyler Guyton (2024) and Tyler Smith ('22). The Cowboys have also had success drafting cornerbacks, perhaps a good sign for Revel, a first-round talent with injury concerns.

They reached for Tyler Booker in the first round, but he still fills a position of need. Landing both Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel on Day Two was arguably the best duo of picks on Friday of any team. They didn't add a receiver, though, which they still desperately need.