In Cowboys’ rookie minicamp, Tyler Booker’s leadership and charisma already on display

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The type of leadership that was advertised and teased about with the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round pick, Tyler Booker, was already on display at rookie minicamp Friday.

For the final question of Booker’s nearly nine-minute meeting with the media in the Cowboys’ locker room at The Star, the former Alabama star was asked how he’s doing learning the names of his fellow rookies at camp.

“I’m doing pretty well,” Booker said. “So, something I realized, whenever I meet you — like, let’s say your name …”

Booker paused. He locked eyes with Paul Melton, a respected cameraman for local TV station WFAA, who stood directly across Booker and had asked the question.

“What’s your name?” Booker asked Melton.

“I’m Paul,” Melton replied.

“Paul,” Booker said. “Like, ‘Hey, Paul, I’m Tyler. Nice to meet you, Paul.’ So, I’ll just say your name as many times as I can, so that’s what I’ve been doing with the rookies because I’m bad with names.”

When Booker answered questions about his leadership style in a news conference at The Star the day after he was drafted, the No. 12 pick spoke from a place of humility.

“First and foremost, when it comes to leadership, you have to earn the right to lead,” Booker said. “So, that’s what I’ll be looking forward to do first. You earn the right to lead by being a producer on the field, by doing everything right off the field and being someone that your teammates love, trust and, most importantly, respect. That’s my approach when it comes to being a leader.”

“I’m just so excited to be a Cowboy” 🤠@iamtylerbooker | @AlabamaFTBL

📺: 2025 #NFLDraft April 24-26 on NFL Network/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/E6Sv9mmCdm

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 25, 2025

Given the business element of the NFL, there are many strings attached to being a player in the league. One of those things is public image, whether it’s the way a player carries himself or how he communicates. Often, those things are conveyed through players’ conduct during their media responsibilities.

Booker got off to a fast start on that front in his opening news conference, when he answered a question about his pregame routine with a nearly two-minute response, detailing every step from the moment he wakes up to the moment the game begins.

“OK, so my pregame routine, when I wake up, I definitely listen to some gospel music,” Booker said. “I do that every day. Give glory to God. Just spend some time with God. I love music, and I feel like that’s a great way for me to connect with God earlier in the day, get my day right. From then on, it really depends on how I’m feeling. So, I just use music to kind of level me out. If I’m very amped up and animated before the game, that’s when I put on something smooth like Rick James, The Isleys, Marvin Gaye. That’s my kind of music. But if I need to get amped up, that’s when I’ll turn on the Jadakiss, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Nas. It really just depends on how I’m feeling throughout the day.

“Once I get to the stadium, that’s when I put on my pregame workout clothes. I take a lap around the field, and I just breathe. I take that lap around the field to really claim that space, essentially mark my territory, like this is my field, I’m going to dominate today. (I) do a quick little routine, and then I call my great-grandmother. We pray over the phone. And then once I get back in the locker room, I’m big into sports psychology. I practice something called visualization. So, I have the openers to the game. I’ll close my eyes and mentally put myself in the headspace of the game. I’m thinking about what my gloves feel like, what my cleats feel like, socks, what it smells like, how loud it is in the game, what jersey numbers I’m going to be going against, what their jerseys look like, so, mentally I’m already in the game.

“I’m just thinking about those openers. So, let’s say we got inside-zone duo and then play-action. I’m thinking about those plays in order. Got my eyes closed, I’m seeing those plays against a four-down front, an I-front, I-wide, what we’re going to do if they stunt, what we’re going to do if the safety rolls over. Just thinking about all the variables. I’m just checking off every checklist in my head before the game, so I’m essentially playing the first quarter of the game already. A lot of people feel like they need that first hit. That’s how I get my first hit.”

A few minutes after Booker talked about his pregame routine, coach Brian Schottenheimer, who was sitting directly to Booker’s right, was asked what impressed him about Booker during their pre-draft visit.

“This,” Schottenheimer said, pointing to Booker. “You guys have listened to him. I mean, it was just authentic. It was real. His confidence, the way he carries himself — which you guys are witnessing right now, is what we shared the entire day, basically.”

Media savvy varies by player. Among offensive linemen, there are different levels. In Dallas, Zack Martin, whom Booker is expected to replace on the field, handled his media responsibilities regularly and was comfortable in those verbal exchanges. Although other players were also supremely talented, even in the offensive line group, Martin’s ability to accompany his play on the field with his execution off the field helped elevate him as a leader.

Booker appears to have a similar comfort in front of the cameras. When asked about that aspect of his job Friday, Booker explained his intentionality.

“I really embrace my media responsibilities,” Booker said. “I feel like they’re media opportunities, just because us, as football players, we’re not like the other premier sports, like basketball or soccer, or even baseball. We wear helmets, so our face is covered. Being able to have that brand, relationship with people, with fans, with people that watch the game, we don’t have those same opportunities. I feel like whenever I’m doing media, that’s an opportunity for me to continue to build my brand and create a relationship with the viewers out there, because this is one of the few times you get to see my face as a player connected with the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys, going back to Alabama and IMG, as well. Both of those institutions really prepared me because they just put me in situations where I would have to talk to the media.

“I feel like my best media coach was my mom. Whenever I did interviews in high school, she would literally (record) it on a TV and we’d watch them back, and she’d be like, ‘Why did you say this? Say this instead of this. Make sure you slow down. Make sure you say this, make sure you say that.’ That was my first media trainer. Very thankful for her.”

As the Cowboys recalibrate the culture inside the building, led by a new coaching regime as well as some key locker room departures, young players will be counted on to step up and set the tone. Friday, Booker signed a four-year, $22.5 million deal with the Cowboys to become the first first-round pick from the 2025 draft class to sign a contract. He hasn’t played a down yet in the NFL, but he’s already shown to be all about business, in more ways than one.

(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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