The Dallas Cowboys are destined to ruin this draft — at least according to one NFL Insider. Per ESPN’s Peter Schrager, he predicts the Cowboys will draft Alabama guard Tyler Booker. Why Schrager thinks this is a little unclear, but for Jerry Jones’ sake, I hope this is nothing more than a rumor.
Cowboys fans would riot AT&T Stadium on Thursday night if Matthew Golden, Tetairoa McMillan and even Emeka Egbuka are still on the board, and they opt for an offensive lineman instead — especially one that’s probably a second-round talent.
Per Booker’s NFL Draft scouting report, he’s graded a 6.38, which by NFL.com’s grading scale is a project lineman that could develop into an elite starter. But with the No. 12 pick, it’s stupid to take risks.
Jerry Jones can’t afford to mess up the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night
The Cowboys can’t waste away this draft for an offensive lineman. They have offensive needs they can address and defensive line needs they could address. But this isn’t the draft to waste the No. 12 pick on an offensive lineman.
Jones should know by now what his team needs to be competitive in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles are the defending champions, the Washington Commanders lost to the Eagles in the NFC championship game and the New York Giants feel they have their solution to get back to the playoffs.
If the Cowboys end up the bottom feeders in that division this season, that would say a lot about Jones and his ability to build a championship roster. Those questions have been at the forefront, but if Dallas falls significantly behind everyone else, it would set them further back.
Jones can learn one thing about how to approach Thursday and that’s look at the Eagles and the Commanders. The Eagles have drafted best available for the last few years and it’s turned into an All-pro defensive line.
The Commanders did it last year and it took them to the NFC championship game and a 12-win season, a year after holding the No. 2 pick. The Giants have seemed to settle on Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, whoever the Browns don’t take.
That’s the nature of the NFL Draft right now: Draft the best player available. That player is not Booker. That player is either an EDGE rusher or Matthew Golden, in my opinion. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott need another weapon in the receiving corps.
To pass up on that for a guard they could probably get in the second round anyway is irresponsible. Cowboys fans are some of the most loyal fans across sports. They could turn on Jones if he listens to Schrager.