{"id":755970,"date":"2026-02-16T12:57:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T12:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/755970\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T12:57:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T12:57:24","slug":"which-players-should-dallas-cowboys-have-taken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/755970\/","title":{"rendered":"Which players should Dallas Cowboys have taken?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hindsight is 20-20, right? Decisions should be easier to make with the benefit of future context. But is one season enough time to have a clear picture when it comes to how the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> selected in the 2025 NFL draft?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s revisit all of the Cowboys\u2019 selections and see, with the benefit of hindsight, if they should\u2019ve stuck with their selection or opted for another choice.<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 12<\/p>\n

Original pick: Alabama RG Tyler Booker<\/p>\n

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Re-draft selection: Booker<\/p>\n

When the Cowboys selected Booker, they believed they selected someone with instant impact ability and also someone who could be a foundational piece for their future. Booker accomplished the first part and appears to be on his way toward the second part, too.<\/a> Booker would be the first to say he has some things he wants to correct this season, but he more than held his own as a rookie. He also showcased a physical and commanding demeanor that should excite Cowboys fans for his future. If there was another option to consider here, in hindsight, it probably would\u2019ve been Seattle\u2019s Grey Zabel, who was selected six spots later. He helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl.<\/a> Still, without knowing how Zabel would fit in, the Cowboys stick with Booker.<\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 44<\/p>\n

Original pick: Boston College DE Donovan Ezeiruaku<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Ezeiruaku<\/p>\n

I promise there will be some alternative selections in this story, but for the first two picks we stick with who the Cowboys selected. Ezeiruaku had a solid start to his career in 2025,<\/a> providing optimism that he could grow into being a quality starting edge. That\u2019s despite Ezeiruaku, an All-American and prolific pass rusher at Boston College, not having a lot of production as a pass rusher. He finished this season with two sacks. It was encouraging to see how Ezeiruaku played against the run, however. If he can grow into being an NFL pass rusher the way he grew as a college edge rusher, then the Cowboys will be thrilled. Two other options the Cowboys could\u2019ve considered in hindsight: Denver Broncos running back R.J. Harvey (60th overall) or Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson (47th overall).<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 76<\/p>\n

Original pick: East Carolina CB Shavon Revel<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Western Kentucky CB Upton Stout<\/p>\n

This is tough because I think Revel has a lot of ability. With new defensive coordinator Christian Parker,<\/a> new defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley and new secondary coach Ryan Smith, there\u2019s a good chance Revel could climb toward the potential that had everyone so excited about him coming out of the draft<\/a> \u2014 especially with a full offseason. I just think there\u2019s more risk compared to the assurance of someone like Stout, who was an instant contributor in San Francisco as the 100th overall pick. The Cowboys have also reiterated that the loss of Jourdan Lewis stung them this season.<\/a> Stout, with a similar tenacity, would\u2019ve been a great replacement.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"FromRound 5, Pick 149<\/p>\n

Original pick: Texas RB Jaydon Blue<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai<\/p>\n

There was a lot of excitement about Blue coming out of Texas. In the final game against the Giants, he showed why, flashing his top-end speed and shiftiness.<\/a> It took until the final game of the season for Blue to be a factor, however. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer mentioned multiple times that he wanted Blue to improve as a professional during the week if he wanted to play on Sundays. Blue, himself, noted that it was a learning process. Monangai, drafted 233rd overall by Chicago, could\u2019ve immediately been a tough and reliable piece in the backfield.<\/p>\n

Round 5, Pick 152<\/p>\n

Original pick: Florida LB Shemar James<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsden II<\/p>\n

To be fair, no one in the Cowboys\u2019 linebacker corps had a great season. And if everyone struggles, it might be due to another reason rather than one individual. Still, James wasn\u2019t immune to those struggles. He mentioned at the end of the season that he\u2019s excited to attack his first full NFL offseason with the hopes of making the most out of lessons learned. Still, in this case, the vertical ability of Gadsden, taken 165th overall by the Chargers, is too hard to ignore. While starting tight end Jake Ferguson was reliable, he also didn\u2019t stretch the field like he had in years past. Pairing Gadsden with him would\u2019ve been a fun combination.<\/p>\n

Round 6, Pick 204<\/p>\n

Original pick: Oregon OT Ajani Cornelius<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Clemson S R.J. Mickens<\/p>\n

The Cowboys had a plethora of injuries among their safeties. Mickens, a former Southlake Carroll star selected 214th overall<\/a>, proved to be a good depth piece for the Chargers. He had two interceptions this past season. Cornelius played in just one game for his rookie season, but could be a depth piece this coming season.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 217<\/p>\n

Original pick: UCLA DT Jay Toia<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Oregon WR Tez Johnson<\/p>\n

Johnson was productive in college but slipped to 235th overall due to his size and combine speed that didn\u2019t quite match what was seen on film. When called upon, he was productive for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, finishing with five touchdowns. He\u2019s someone, in hindsight, who could\u2019ve paired well with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy. Toia bounced back and forth between being inactive and active this season.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 239<\/p>\n

Original pick: RB Phil Mafah<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Arizona RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt<\/p>\n

I actually think Mafah has a lot of potential. He played well in the preseason, showing impressive contact balance. He\u2019ll be interesting to watch in training camp this year. Croskey-Merritt, however, proved to be a home-run threat in Washington after being picked 245th overall. Pairing him with Monangai would be a good one-two punch in the future for the Cowboys in this re-draft.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 247<\/p>\n

Original pick: Maryland DT Tommy Akingbesote<\/p>\n

Re-draft selection: Washington State OT Esa Pole<\/p>\n

Akingbesote didn\u2019t make the team coming out of training camp. He was also one of the last picks in the draft, making a re-draft selection here tough. This time, we get a swing tackle in Esa Pole, who played games for the Kansas City Chiefs this season after going undrafted.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hindsight is 20-20, right? Decisions should be easier to make with the benefit of future context. But is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":755971,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[230,257,7,1184,6,15,9,485],"class_list":["post-755970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl-draft","tag-cowboys","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-football","tag-listicle","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-sports","tag-tyler-booker"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116080427285615544","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=755970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/755971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=755970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=755970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=755970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}