Cowboys receive less than stellar ranking of 2025 rookie class

The Dallas Cowboys have been praised for their work during the NFL draft in recent years. While not every selection is a hit, they’ve done a good job building depth, which is necessary given their lack of involvement in free agency as of late.

This season, however, was a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to rookies. The Cowboys leaned heavily on the 2025 class, and while a couple of rookies struggled, most failed to make a major impact.

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That’s why ESPN’s Aaron Schatz ranked the Cowboys’ rookies 12th in the league, which isn’t terrible, but not what they hoped for.

”The Cowboys' first two picks were their top two rookies. Tyler Booker was above average among guards with a 93.1% pass block win rate and 75.1% run block win rate. Edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku had only two sacks but 23 pressures and 40 combined tackles,” Schatz wrote.

”At cornerback, Trikweze Bridges was actually a seventh-round pick of the Chargers, but the Cowboys picked him up after Los Angeles cut him, and he played 16 games with two starts, 23 combined tackles and an interception. Third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. was injured for the first part of the season but came back to start five games with 35 combined tackles. And fifth-round linebacker Shemar James started six games and had 91 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.”

One rookie could have significantly changed the rankings

Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue rushes during the second quarter against the New York Giants. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As impressive as Tyler Booker and Donovan Ezeiruaku were this season, Dallas had one rookie who failed to live up to the hype.

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Fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue came into the league with high expectations due to his speed and receiving ability. Unfortunately, he spent much of the season as a healthy scratch.

Blue appeared in five games and had 129 yards on 38 attempts and one catch for five yards. He did finish strong in Week 18 and could change the outlook for this whole class if he can reach his potential in year two.

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