The idea of the Cowboys finally having the pieces to play “bully ball” is catching on more and more following their nine draft choices.
CBS Sports: B
CBS Sports echoed similar sentiments, noting the Cowboys’ emphasis on building through the trenches.
They highlighted Booker, Ezeiruaku, and Revel Jr.’s strategic selections, which address critical areas on the roster.
The focus on line play and defensive depth was seen as a prudent move for long-term success.
Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports had this to say:
After some highly questionable drafts of late, Jerry and Stephen Jones — and Will McClay — have totally redeemed themselves in 2025. Ok, so I didn’t love the Tyler Booker selection at No. 12 overall due to his athletic deficiencies. But I will acknowledge guard was a monster need on this offense.
Fox Sports: B-
Fox Sports recognized the Cowboys’ commitment to building a formidable presence in the trenches.
They noted that while the team didn’t make headline-grabbing picks, their selections were strategic and addressed long-standing needs, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.
The full picture of who the Cowboys are getting in first round pick Tyler Booker makes it even more of a home run pick to replace Zack Martin.
The main thing Booker brings to the equation isn’t additive; it’s that he’s a force multiplier.
Booker is a high-energy, supremely studious, leader by example. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been in the Cowboys’ locker room and offensive meetings for three years. He’s witnessed first-hand how the offensive line group works with each other and identified a major issue. He saw how things functioned with two Hall of Fame players on the roster in Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.
Smith’s, a quiet leader by example, and Martin’s, with a more outspoken style, skills were deteriorating because of health. Smith left the club in 2024 and Martin retired this year, leaving a void of leadership. The men left in their wake, the heir apparents, were missing a crucial factor.
Tyler Smith, for all of his All-Pro bona fides, did not fit the Martin mold. He was cut more in the cloth of Tyron Smith’s silent greatness. Tyler Guyton, the 2024 first-round pick, had discipline issues in his rookie season. The scuttlebutt is that the myriad of concentration penalties and lack of quality play were results of his lack of discipline both on the field and off of it.
Enter Booker.
The Cowboys have been working to create the Great Wall of Dallas 3.0 in a similar image as 2.0, and Booker is the hopeful exponent. The concept is that, by being the most pedigreed of the three, Booker will be able to grab the leadership mantle and through example and osmosis, inspire a better work ethic in Guyton and provide leadership for the other four positions on the offensive line.
The Cowboys being improved but still a ways behind the Eagles and Commanders following the draft feels about right with where fans are at the moment.
Rank 20 (Up 2)
In a vacuum, the first three picks really made a lot of sense. Tyler Booker continued the OL bolstering, while Dallas snagged Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel Jr. below where I thought they might be picked. Even a few of the Day 3 selections have a chance to stick in what was a typically sound draft haul. That said, I have questions. Who is helping CeeDee Lamb out? What is the RB pecking order? Will Micah Parsons be a happy — and RICH — man soon? The Cowboys might not be able to eliminate every concern before August, but they’re foundationally solid. Will that matter in a suddenly fearsome NFC East, with the Eagles and Commanders having just faced off in the conference title game? That remains to be seen in head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s first season.
Despite not addressing either position until day three, the Cowboys came out of the draft with better depth at linebacker and defensive tackle.
For this depth chart, we’re focusing more on how we think things will shake out by the end of summer. So while a veteran like RB Miles Sanders may get the initial nod over rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, that probably won’t last by September or even by the end of training camp.
This isn’t a roster projection; way more than 53 names on these lists. But in terms of where we think all of these new faces will eventually work their way onto the depth charts for their positions, here’s one guess.
DT – It’s still Mazi Smith’s job to lose coming out of the draft. The third-year, former first-round pick didn’t get an immediate threat to his spot, but rookie Jay Toia should push for work as a true nose tackle in certain packages. While Solomon Thomas likely rounds out the core four, there’s plenty of room for prospects like Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon to push their way into the conversation.
LB – We know DeMarvion Overshown won’t start Week 1, or perhaps even at all in 2025, as he recovers from injury. Still, we can hope. Veteran additions Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn will have a tough fight with Marist Liufau for primary reps, and rookie Shemar James may be better suited for nickel work than any of them. Don’t count out Damone Clark either, who has a lot of experience and could find new life with a new defensive regime.
Finding more help at wide receiver is still the burning question on offense, but the Cowboys also have a lot of work to do figuring out how to best utilize their stable of running backs.
2. Who will spearhead RB by committee?
Speaking of trouble, the Cowboys added two running backs in Day 3 of the Draft but it remains unclear how they’ll go about it. That will likely be the case until the pads come on in Oxnard.
“The strange thing about the running back position is you really don’t find out about them until you get out to Oxnard and put the pads on,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said post-draft. “Running around out there in shorts is a little different than running through a 330-pound defensive lineman sticking their arms out, or linebackers filling holes and blitzing through the A-gap and things like that.”
Don’t be surprised if the answer to who starts is a combination of rookies in Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, who Schottenheimer believes to have a chance at the starting role.
The Cowboys haven’t had a seventh round pick make a difference for them in a while, but odds are high that can change this year with a pair of DTs adding depth at a major position of need, as well as RB Phil Mafa.
Jay Toia (7th round, 217th overall pick, DT, UCLA) – The first defensive tackle drafted by the Cowboys in 2025, Toia was a player that the Cowboys were happy was available this late because of where he projects as a one-technique defensive tackle. He’s got a big, heavy frame at 6’2, 341 pounds and eats up blocks in the middle to help stop the run.
Projected role: With only five defensive tackles on the roster heading into the draft, Toia has a real opportunity to earn a large chunk of snaps on the defensive line in his rookie season, and even push Mazi Smith for a starting role if he plays well enough.
Phil Mafah (7th round, 239th overall, RB, Clemson) – Mafah possesses an NFL build and runs with great contact balance and ball security, with only one fumble on 237 touches in his final season at Clemson. He’s not the fastest guy in the open field, but has the ability to pick up the nitty-gritty yards in between the tackles.
Projected role: Similarly to Blue, Mafah will have to stand out in a crowded running back room, and his power and ability to push forward will likely have to be the determining factors in that equation in order to earn a role in Dallas’ run game.
Tommy Akingbesote (7th round, 247th overall, DT, Maryland) – Akingbesote was the second one-tech that the Cowboys took in the seventh round, and presents a bigger, but leaner body at 6’3, 306 on the defensive line that specializes in stopping the run.
Projected role: Akingbesote and Toia will likely compete against one another for the second one-technique spot on the roster, and Akingbesote has a lot of developing to do but has extremely high upside.