Bookin It To Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys selected offensive guard Tyler Booker with the twelfth overall pick in the NFL Draft. Booker played at the University of Alabama for three years and attended IMG High School, which is one of the perennial powerhouses in high school football. 

Booker is a mammoth of a human, standing at 6’5 321 pounds. He has eleven-inch hands and has almost thirty-five inches of arm. He possesses a lot of strength, as that is how the game is. Booker is a true mauler. Booker is an elite pass protector as well. He routinely gives no ground when pass protecting and uses those thirty-four-inch arms to keep defenders away. Booker also shows exceptional awareness with stunts, meaning that he is a smart player. Booker is a powerful and brute force in the interior is highly important when considering who Dallas sees this year. Jalen Carter in Philly, Dexter Lawrence in New York, and plenty of other great interior defensive linemen, Booker will be ready.

The Dallas Cowboys are clearly building a new identity. They are going to pound the rock. Hiring Klayton Adams as the new offensive coordinator was just the first piece of many steps they’ve taken to emphasize that this team is GOING to run the football, whether opposing defenses like it or not. Tyler Guyton has a lot of work to do, but considering how raw of a prospect he was, believing he’ll come back into year two better and more knowledgeable shouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. Tyler Smith is an elite guard who can move to tackle if needed. Cooper Beebe showed great flashes in year one, and he should be even better in year two. Tyler Booker should be a plug-and-play guy at right guard, much less of a project than last year’s first-round pick, Tyler Guyton. So he won’t directly replace the production that Zack Martin gave this team, but Booker should at least be serviceable in year one. Despite all the hate Terrence Steele gets, he’s one of the best ten to fifteen run blockers in the sport. Yes, he struggles in pass protection, but he is a big man in the run game.

Obviously, not every pick is rainbows and sunshine. Booker has his flaws, and the selection in general does too. Booker isn’t necessarily an athlete for his position. He scored a 3.68 on his Relative Athletic Score(RAS). Although he has the power to be one of the best run blockers, he struggles to stay latched onto his man, often getting beaten by linemen who can move well. Blocking in the open field is a concern as well, since he’s not a great athlete, it’s going to be hard for him to get out on screens, as he constantly takes bad angles and misses his man completely. Booker will be a good player, but no prospect is perfect; he will obviously have things to work on, like everyone in this draft will. Where the main problem comes in, however, is the pick itself. Brock Hoffman showed flashes of very good, and has a similar dog mentality to Booker. The interior of the offensive line was the strongest part of the offensive line, and with a lack of weapons at receiver, this pick can be a concern. Even if Dallas didn’t want to go receiver, there were many players graded higher, and some of those players were also at a high position of need. Dallas has changed their identity to a team that wants to run the air out of the football, but who’s going to run the football? Javonte Williams hasn’t been a serviceable runner since his injury, and are they seriously going to trust Miles Sanders and Deuce Vaughn to run the ball? There were players on the defense who could’ve helped more, but they went with the offensive guard. 

Tyler Booker WILL be a good player theres no doubt about it. The pick has it’s problems, and Booker has his, but the draft isn’t over after round one. The Cowboys have nine more picks, lets see what they do.

The eyes of texas are upon matthew golden

Matthew Golden has been mocked to the Dallas Cowboys by multiple draft analysts, so is it a real possibility? The six-foot-one hundred ninety-five-pound receiver from Texas broke out after transferring from Houston with a career-high in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Golden helped lead the Longhorns to a College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance, including a game-tying touchdown catch in overtime against the Arizona State Sun Devils in a classic.

Matthew Golden does many things at a great level, and could very well have the highest ceiling in the draft. His route-running ability is the best in this class. He can change tempos well, his release is great, and his breaks in and out are all great traits that Golden possesses. Golden would also be the best compliment to CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys need someone else who can create consistent separation, and once again, Golden does that at a high level. Golden can fly as well. He’s one of the fastest in the draft, and more importantly, he plays at that 4.2 speed.

Matthew Golden might not be the clear-cut WR1 in this draft class, but Golden has the highest ceiling, and in this offense, would be a perfect fit.

Giving batman his robin

We all know how excellent wide receiver Ceedee Lamb is, but he needs help. The Cowboys' 2024 offense was stagnant for several reasons. 240M dollar star quarterback Dak Prescott missed the final nine games due to a completely torn hamstring. Tight end Jake Ferguson struggled with injuries and poor play as well. Even with all those issues, Dallas's main problem was the lack of explosive plays and playmakers. Dak Prescott has nobody to throw the ball to because all teams would do is rotate their safety up high, and the other would bracket Ceedee Lamb.

So, how does Dallas stop this from happening? They have to add another playmaker that can take pressure off Ceedee Lamb. Whether it's Boise State Heisman Trophy runner-up running back Ashton Jeanty, Missouri superstar wide receiver Luther Burden, or someone else, Dallas needs another offensive threat. If Ashton Jeanty makes it to the Dallas Cowboys pick, which is 12th, he will almost certainly be the best player on the board. The only thing stopping Ashton Jeanty from being picked in the top five is positional value. The running back position isn't valued anywhere near it once was, but in the draft, the best way to go is to take the best player on your board. Ashton Jeanty is a superstar back. He has an elite vision and outstanding speed. However, his best trait is, without a doubt, his contact balance. Tackling Ashton Jeanty is not a fun job for any defense, and the way teams were stacking the box against the legendary back would give Ceedee Lamb a LOT of single coverage.

If Dallas snags Ceedee Lamb's Robin, Missouri's Luther Burden is an excellent choice. Without a doubt the second-best wide receiver in this class besides Arizona's Tetairoa McMillian. Luther Burden has excellent body control when going up for footballs and exceptional route running. However, what makes him so unique is his ability to make guys miss and be impossible to tackle. Turning on the tape against Boston College reminded me of Ceedee Lamb or Jamarr Chase, how he shakes guys off and is so shifty when he's in space.

Regardless of positional value, I would take Ashton Jeanty. He's on another level, even in an elite class of fantastic running backs. I don't want Dallas to take an offensive lineman in the first or second round unless a great player falls. The way to win in the NFL is to make the quarterback's job easier; it just happened with the Eagles and Lions. Neither quarterback I would rank inside the top ten, but they look really good with the supporting cast around him. Dak Prescott and Ceedee Lamb powered through the entire league, snagging the two seed in 2023 before finally collapsing. Dak and this offense need a lot of help, and taking a massive step in the right direction would be selecting one of these two stars.