ESPN: Sources suggest Cowboys could make shocking pick at No. 12 in NFL draft

USA Today

23-04-2025

ESPN: Sources suggest Cowboys could make shocking pick at No. 12 in NFL draft
After weeks and months of player evaluations, 40 times, 30 visits, pro days, and more mock exercises than ever, it's finally time to make the picks in the 2025 NFL draft. Almost.
And in the last 24-36 hours before teams finally start turning in their cards, there are always a final few surprises, it seems. A prospect suddenly skyrockets or plummets based on an eleventh-hour piece of information. A team pulls the trigger to move way up in the draft order, reshuffling the entire first round. Or a name no one had been talking about catapults into the conversation out of nowhere to cause a stir just as the tea leaves seemed settled.
That's what's happened with Peter Schrager's mock, at least as it pertains to the Dallas Cowboys.
The former NFL Network host recently jumped ship to ESPN, and his first assignment for the Worldwide Leader was to put out his Round 1 projections- not based on what he would do, but what could actually happen based on what his sources around the league are saying.
Schrager's intel suggests the Cowboys could- shockingly- use the No. 12 selection to take Alabama guard Tyler Booker:
"Booker, a bully of a guard, could help add some much-needed beef to the Cowboys' line. Having had Zack Martin retire this offseason, there's going to be a desire to fill the interior with a plug-and-play lineman."
Yes, how the team chooses to address the spot that had been occupied by the nine-time Pro Bowler is a major question in Dallas this offseason. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has expressed confidence, though, that Brock Hoffman is ready to step up and be a 17-game starter. A swap with Cooper Beebe, who plays center next to him and was a guard in college, would appear to be a more-than-serviceable Plan B if things go sideways.
T.J. Bass also has fans in the building, as does Asim Richards. Additionally, the Cowboys signed veteran offensive linemen Robert Jones, Saahdiq Charles, and Hakeem Adeniji this offseason. Every one of them is either listed as a guard or can play the position.
So using such a high-value pick on a rookie guard- especially when the Cowboys' needs are so glaring at wide receiver, cornerback, and running back- would be a stunner.
The 6-foot-5-inch Booker is ranked by Dane Brugler's "The Beast" as the best guard in the class, but that doesn't mean he's a lock to be drafted anywhere in the first round. He's big and strong and nasty, famously saying once, "I make guys not love football anymore." But he's also not considered an overly impressive athlete, and he has some very real technique concerns. Combine that with his playing a non-premium position, and Booker's selection with this year's No. 12 pick would be somewhat bewildering.
What's worse, Schrager has Dallas passing on the three best wide receivers of this year's draft class- Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka, and Matthew Golden of Texas- as well as a trio of top-flight cornerbacks and North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton to make the Booker pick.
Keep in mind that the Cowboys already plan to pick up the fifth-year option on left guard Tyler Smith's rookie contract. He was drafted in the first round in 2022 but was thought to be the team's left tackle of the future. He moved to guard only to keep him on the field alongside perennial All-Pro Tyron Smith and then stayed there when Dallas drafted tackle Tyler Guyton last year.
The Booker pick isn't just coming out of left field; it's coming from a different stadium's left field.
And now it's apparently a possibility to watch for at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.