Jerry Jones makes a bold Cowboys NFL Draft choice in Tyler Booker that will be heavily scrutinized for years

The selection of guard Tyler Booker will be watched incredibly heavily by Cowboys fans with Jerry Jones leaving plenty of skill players on the board.

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Tyler Booker after he is selected by the Dallas Cowboys. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

All offseason, we've been hearing about how the Dallas Cowboys need more playmakers. Are they going running back? Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton were linked heavily to the Cowboys. What about wide receiver? Maybe they'd be interested in the Texas product Matthew Golden out of their own backyard to be a running mate for Ceedee Lamb.

Or maybe they could even use a tight end! The elite playmaker out of Penn State, Tyler Warren, could certainly be an option.

Sitting there on the clock at 12th overall, the only afforemetioned player that was off the board was Jeanty. Dallas could have solved their biggest needs on offense with a variety of picks. Instead, Jerry Jones and company elected to take an offensive guard, Tyler Booker out of Alabama, well ahead of where he was expected to get selected. Just look at Micah Parson's face when he saw the pick.

#Cowboys Micah Parsons reaction to the team drafting OG Tyler Booker at 12th overall.

(🎥: @BleacherReport on YT) pic.twitter.com/UFa74Kn1ik

— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) April 25, 2025

Not only did the Cowboys have the opportunity to get a top playmaker on offense, they also had their chance to get one of a handful of elite players that cold step in right away on the defensive line, like EDGE rushers Jalon Walker and Mike Green. There were a ton of ways that they could go.

Yes, I know that the Cowboys have a history of selecting offensive guards, and those players have gone on to be stalwarts of their team for years. Zach Martin and Tyler Smith, in particular. But still, for Cowboys fans, it was an uninspiring pick for a fanbase that is clamoring for playmakers, especially when Jones is such an avid advocate for taking the splashy picks.

Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Booker was considered by many to be a late first, early second round pick. Using the 12th overall pick on an interior offensive lineman is a bold move, and will be one that Cowboys fans analyze under a microscope all throughout the 2025 NFL Season.

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