Cowboys exec Will McClay: On getting George Pickens, Joe Milton and more

New York Times

a day ago

OXNARD, Calif. — Will McClay is in his ninth season as the Dallas Cowboys' vice president of player personnel. It's his 24th season in the team's personnel department.
He knows the franchise well and has often been praised for his ability to get everyone on the same page, from the scouting department to the front office and coaching staff.
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However, he does not view himself as a finished product.
'(You) get better when you have success as we have throughout, where you pick some good players, but you don't always,' he said. 'You have your ups and downs. I think getting better at understanding people, understanding the process is what we're doing. I think I've gotten better at that.
'And really, for me, I'm continuing to learn how to get better at my job every day, because we're dealing with people. That's the big thing to me is I got to get better with people, continue to get better with evaluating people, communicating with people, understanding people, and then how it fits in with this group of people. That's the biggest change or where I've grown.'
McClay began overseeing the Cowboys' draft in 2014. Since then, they have picked 15 players who have made at least one Pro Bowl, tops in the NFL during that time.
We caught up with McClay before Wednesday's training camp practice to get his thoughts on the current team before they head back to Dallas.
On his working relationship with new head coach Brian Schottenheimer:
McClay: It's been awesome because he's waited for this opportunity. He was the Wonder Kid before the Wonder Kids that never got (that opportunity). So he's very, very genuine, very honest, very open. I think in 2025, with the way the world is, there are certain ways that you have to address these young men and hit them head-on and treat them like men and hold them accountable and really care about people. So it's very, very uplifting to see that and see the effect that it has not only on the team, but hopefully bringing the organization together, more so, the culture is all the way through that winning culture. So he's done a great job. I'm very excited for him.
On what he likes about the current roster:
McClay: I think that it's a very competitive roster, from top to bottom, in the different positions. You got a new culture that's coming in, and so part of building a team is fitting into a culture. The way that the guys are doing that with what (Schottenheimer) is bringing and the staff's bringing, but guys are buying into it. And when your best players are your best practice players, like CeeDee Lamb, that's when you know you're doing something.
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On his impressions of WR George Pickens since he's been with the Cowboys:
McClay: A really unique individual, No. 1, from the standpoint that he loves football, loves his teammates, and a rare talent from a standpoint of being able to track a football and have the body control to make those contested catches. In the NFL, you got to win one-on-ones, you got to make those catches. He can make catches when he's covered.
George Pickens 👀 pic.twitter.com/xjJMLUU3XS
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 12, 2025
On what's it like going through that process of getting Pickens:
McClay: We had a game plan going into it about wanting to address the position and adding some stuff there, be it in free agency, be it through the draft, or after the draft. So, free agency didn't happen, the draft didn't follow the way it did, so we continued to work and make those connections and conversations throughout the process, you kind of felt things that could happen. So when that one came up, we just felt like it was the right move and the right investment for us.
On the process of acquiring QB Joe Milton:
McClay: (His play in New England's season finale last year) was part of it. And one of the things that we wanted to do, Schotty talked about coming in when it was his opportunity to improve the depth and the athleticism and all that stuff. We got to increase that room. And we kind of looked around, and there were some draft opportunities and things. We had actually watched Joe at the combine just me and (executive vice president Stephen Jones) kind of messing around, just kind of going, 'Hey, let's look at the different guys.' Started to spark the interest a little bit, seeing what was there. And then, he was available at the right time, for the right costs.
On how a player as talented as Milton falls to the sixth round:
McClay: Everybody has their own flavor and you know what you're looking for, and there are certain things. Different offenses in college play differently than you do in the league. So there's that learning curve that you have to have. No matter what the talent is, it's how long is it going to take to get to that stage where he can handle that. Or, are you going to do things the way they did in college to make it an easy transition? People may hedge their bets based on what they think the guy is at that point and then what he's going to become.
I just think with that talent, and football's about coaching, and coaches make guys better if they want to get better. And so I'm impressed by the fact that Joe is engrossed in what we're doing and really tying it all together. I think the best thing for him was to be around a guy like (Dak Prescott), to understand what it takes so that talent can come out.
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On his thoughts about the team's running back room:
McClay: I think it's a very competitive group. I think with what we're trying to do offensively with a scheme and it's new stuff coming in, you bring in a new coach and you have to add new vitality and youth and new bodies to that room. We had to, and we were very fortunate to get Javonte (Williams), who was a very, very good player, and Miles Sanders. It's a very competitive room. And so that's how we wanted to build the roster, a competitive room. So No. 1, cream rises to the top, and No. 2, it's attrition in the league. Things happen and people are going to get hurt. So if you have a strong room, you have an opportunity to continue to do what we want to do, running the football.
On what stands out about rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku:
McClay: A young pro who's very, very smart, who picks things up very easily, very quickly. Plus, he's got the physical ability. It's very rare you see a young guy and then whatever profession it is, come in and kind of know some of the intricacies of that profession. And he knows it kind of innately, so that's the first thing that sticks out about him. And then he's a relentless, super competitive kid.
Donovan Ezeiruaku sack pic.twitter.com/kH7jCYtQL5
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 13, 2025
On how he fits in with your talented edge rusher group:
McClay: He's a young guy who will add value to us. His time will come. He'll have some great days and he'll have some days that he'll have to learn from. But I think the unique thing about this young dude is he will pick it up. He'll make a mistake, probably won't make that mistake twice. And seeing that group grow and you can add him in a bunch of different ways, and he's learning from No. 1, a great coach, and then there's a bunch of guys with different skill sets around him that he picks up on.
On his vision for the offensive line, having spent three first-round picks over the last four years in that area:
McClay: I think the offensive line has a bunch of young, athletic dudes that have to grow together as a unit. I think it's now led by Tyler Smith. He was able to get some of that knowledge from the old guys, and now it's his room. I think that the identity from the coaches and everything else, and we want to be physical, we want to run the football, that group has to buy in and it's led by Tyler. By the end of training camp, all five will work together.
On the questions at the cornerback position and how busy the next few weeks will be:
McClay: We're gonna evaluate what's on our roster. We're gonna evaluate what's out there. We have guys coming (back), but we're always trying to improve. We want to make that last corner on the practice squad better than what we had last year. So we're going to comb through it. Guys are going to come back. Coaches are doing a great job. They understand the scheme. We've got to continue to try and improve that room, as well as all the rooms in our building. Every day, we got to make it better.
On two undrafted rookies who have stood out at camp: CB Zion Childress and WR Traeshon Holden:
McClay: They're competitive young guys that fit into the culture of the NFL, what you're trying to build. Their opportunities are gonna come, and so we'll continue to see how they grow with those opportunities. They've been impressive. There's a number of impressive young guys out here. I think one thing about this young rookie class that's been said since the very beginning, when we brought them in, is how mature they are and how dialed in they are on football. So that's the thing I'm most impressed about. Can they play? Can they play at this level? We're finding that stuff out now. But we know that they're competitive, smart kids who value football. So that's what you're trying to build.
(Top photo of Pickens: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
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