The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Science Lab: Walker’s 7-Round Mock sets Cowboys up to win the 2025 NFL Draft – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Season aspirations could be drastically improved through the draft.
FRISCO, Texas — The time has arrived, ladies and gentleman, cats and dogs, birds and hamsters, alike. The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us and that means it’s time for the Dallas Cowboys to make decisions that will help form not only the season to come, but the next half-decade or more; and considering just how much they depend on their prowess in scouting talent for roster improvements in late April, they need home run swings in their at-bats.
At the time of this column going to print, they’ll have 10 attempts at the plate, despite executing several trades prior to now. There’s a chance one or two additional trades will occur within the next day or two, if not sooner, but let’s go with what we know at the moment.
And what we know is where the Cowboys need to focus their plan of attack as the draft unfolds over the course of the three-day event.
Draft needs (unranked): RB, WR, iDL, CB, LB, OL, EDGE
Day 1
1. Tetairoa McMillan, WR
With Ashton Jeanty off of the board (gee thanks, Bears), I was faced with several top-shelf options in landing a potential Day 1 gamebreaker and I simply refused to pass on the chance to add a player I compare to Mike Evans to a Cowboys’ roster that also includes CeeDee Lamb. It creates the complementary impact talent I believe could be destructive to opposing defenses, much like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in Philadelphia or, thinking back to yesteryear, what Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper were; or possibly what Terrell Owens and Terry Gleen used to be in their prime.
Matthew Golden was also still on the board, and while I could go for Golden here if the Cowboys chose to pull that trigger, there’s a redundancy in his skill set as compared to Lamb and, if speed and separation is what I crave, well, isn’t that what the hell I should be using KaVontae Turpin for??
Stephen Jones happy to take best player available as Cowboys did with CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons: ‘Great things happen when you do things like that’ – Grant Gordon, NFL.com
Despite team needs, sometimes the best available player makes an immediate difference.
On more than one occasion, the Dallas Cowboys have had top-tier talents fall to them in the first round of the NFL draft.
They’ve pounced, selecting standouts who have become lynchpins for their team.
Consider that from 2020 through 2022, Dallas landed CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Tyler Smith despite picking no higher than No. 12 in that time. Those three players have combined for 10 Pro Bowl selections.
Sitting at No. 12 for the first time since taking Parsons in that slot in 2021, the Cowboys will weigh need and talent like always, but they won’t let a game-changer fall past them if it comes to that once again.
“I mean, we never went into that draft — Micah’s draft — thinking we were gonna pick Micah, a pass rusher/linebacker,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday during the team’s pre-draft news conference. “The year we picked CeeDee, we were thinking we were going pass rusher all the way and we end up with a receiver. You know, great things happen when you do things like that.”
There’s needs aplenty for the Cowboys to fill, with wide receiver, running back and cornerback among them. Many have prognosticated Dallas taking a wide receiver, such as Texas’ Matthew Golden and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. NFL Network’s Jane Slater identified Golden, Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr. and Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen as players to keep an eye on for the ‘Boys.
It would seem no position is off the board if Dallas’ grade is high enough. Not even quarterback, despite Dak Prescott signing a massive extension last season and the team trading for Joe Milton III. Asked by Slater what would happen if a highly-rated QB fell to the Cowboys, owner Jerry Jones didn’t flatly say no. Thus, unlikely as it is that the Cowboys would spend a first-round pick on a signal-caller, Jones’ views on talent and depth are clear.
“Well, we’ve got a major commitment with Dak,” Jones said. “And so, you weigh all of that. But I was going to add to this whole conversation that it’s very often that somebody will step up and say, ‘We got this guy right here. We’ve got him, and we just signed him under contract.’ Well guess what? — guys get hurt. So, you bet your whole house that you got him and then all of a sudden you don’t have him. So that’s when your old mind starts saying, ‘Well, if his guy did get hurt, what would we do this year?’ There you go.
Insider reveals the two positions Cowboys will target during NFL draft – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
Regardless of taking the best available, team needs still have to be met.
It’s easy to see where the Dallas Cowboys roster needs the most attention. Even with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders signed in NFL free agency, Dallas has one of the least impressive running back stables in the league.
That said, they’re not going to reach to fill the need. Dallas knows they can find a capable back beyond Round 1, especially in a loaded class.
Where they’re more likely to focus early on is the wide receiver position. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is one of many pundits to say this, although he added that they’ll also be looking for cornerback help.
The Cowboys have two of the league’s top cornerbacks, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Unfortunately, health has been a concern for both.
Diggs played in two games during the 2023 campaign after tearing his ACL. He suited up for 11 games last year before another knee injury sidelined him.
Bland also had a frustrating campaign, playing just seven games due to a lingering foot injury.
In addition to the health concerns, the Cowboys lost Jourdan Lewis in free agency. Throw all this together and it’s safe to say Schefter’s analysis is solid.
Cowboys pre-draft notebook: Jerry Jones has ‘two pretty substantive trades’ in the works, plus draft strategy – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports
Dallas currently has ten picks, but some could be involved in upcoming trades.
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys could make some waves via trade with the 2025 NFL Draft kicking off this week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
“We’re looking at two things that could happen before or after the draft. Two pretty substantive trades. Been working on today,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday at the team’s pre-draft press conference.
Earlier this month, Dallas COO and EVP Stephen Jones indicated that he doesn’t see the Cowboys moving up in the draft, so that means Jerry Jones was either talking about trading back for more picks or deals for veteran players who are line for their second NFL contract. If Jones was talking about the latter, here are a few names that could fit the criteria of needing a second NFL contract who could potentially be moved.
George Pickens tossed some fuel on the fire that he could potentially be traded after the Steelers traded for and extended Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf after posting a picture of himself standing with Las Vegas Raiders part owner Tom Brady this offseason. Pickens would be the type of field stretcher Dallas could use opposite CeeDee Lamb with 12 catches of 30 or more yards in 2024, the second-most in a season since 2006 when that stat first was tracked. Dallas also wouldn’t have to rely on Pickens as its WR1 with Lamb on board, plus quarterback Dak Prescott is a steady leader in the locker room. Pickens to Dallas could make some sense.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III
Yes, the 2025 NFL Draft is deep at the running back position, but if Dallas isn’t enamored with who they are able to acquire in the draft, perhaps they send a fourth- or fifth-round pick Seattle’s way for Kenneth Walker III. Even though he only played in 11 games this past season, his 77 tackles avoided were the seventh-most in the NFL and one more than 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley’s 76. There’s a gaping hole at the running back position, and if he can be had for the right price, perhaps Dallas would be interested.