
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys claimed they were going to take “the best player on the board” with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they decided to fill a need along their offensive line with the selection of Alabama Crimson Tide All-American guard Tyler Booker. There was an instant connection between Booker and the Cowboys.
“Right after the [30] visit, they called my agents and told me how well I did,” Booker said on a conference call at the Cowboys’ facility. “Then just being on the visit, we really connected. We had a vibe like we ere two entities who are really excited about football, who really love football. … God has set it for me to go to the pinnacle of the NFL, like to play for America’s team, like the Dallas Cowboys are a national brand. It’s very powerful to be a part of a brand like that. God has set for me to be there, and I’m super excited to get to work.”
Dallas took the best true guard prospect in this draft class. He only allowed two sacks on 979 career pass-blocking snaps in college at Alabama, and he’s also young, having just turned 21 years old on April 12. However, the Cowboys will be attempting to flip an offensive lineman to the opposite side of the line for the second year in a row. In 2024, they took Tyler Guyton in the opening round and moved him to left tackle despite him being a right tackle for Oklahoma. In Booker, they’ll flip a left guard to right guard to replace the recently retired, seven-time first-team All-Pro Zack Martin.
“It’s easy for me,” Booker said when asked by CBS Sports about switching from left guard to right guard. “As my [Alabama offensive line] coach [Eric] Wilford would say, ‘It’s sleepy because you can do it in your sleep.’ That’s what he would say. My freshman year so my rotation was the starters would get the first two series, and then I’ll get two series at right guard. So that’s something I’m comfortable switching sides, and that won’t be too much of a problem for me. I’m just excited to get to work. Wherever you put on the football field, I’m going to be ready to get after [it]. I’m going to be ready to go. It doesn’t matter if I’m at guard, right guard, right tackle, center, slot receiver, running back. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to give you my all. … My demeanor is I’m always trying to make you quit, and I do that by being violent, nasty from the first snap to the last snap, and I never let up. There’s only so much a man can take.”
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones did say at his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday that he believes the offensive line matters more than the person carrying the football in the run game, and he certainly doubled down on that notion with the selection of Booker at pick No. 12.
Dallas likely looked at quarterback Dak Prescott tearing his hamstring in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons and vowed to never let that happen again. Its projected offensive line now reads as follows: Guyton at left tackle, two-time Pro Bowler Tyler Smith at left guard, 2024 third-round pick Cooper Beebe at center, Booker at right guard and Terence Steele at right tackle. NFC East rival and Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles have built themselves through the trenches, and the Cowboys are apparently doing the same.
“For one, I would say turn on the tape because for three years at Alabama, I straight up dominated,” Booker said when asked to address Cowboys fans who are disappointed with an offensive lineman at No. 12. “I was a dude at the University of Alabama. I was that guy in the SEC for three years straight, and it takes a lot for a person to be that. So first, turn on the tape.”
Tyler Booker NFL Draft grade: B-
“He is one of my favorite offensive linemen in this draft. He’s a mauler. He is a little limited in terms of athletic ability, but he works for the Cowboys as they try and get better up front. But why not receiver here?” — Pete Prisco
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