What grades did the Dallas Cowboys get for their picks in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and the team addressed several areas of need, including replacing the recently retired offensive lineman Zack Martin.
How did NFL pundits grade the Cowboys’ draft?
Nate Tice and Charles McDonald, Yahoo Sports
The Cowboys were able to fill some needs with players who might be able to make serious impacts as rookies. Guard Tyler Booker, pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. have a chance to be instant impact starters with long-term upside for the Cowboys. Dallas added three players whom many draft analysts had as first-round prospects without trading assets to acquire them. Good process. Hopefully good results for what Dallas was able to pull off.
Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
Alabama’s Tyler Booker was a two-year starter at guard for Alabama and comes into the NFL with a 6’5”, 321-pound frame, a physical play style and an aggressive demeanor.
Booker should be a strong fit for the balanced offense of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. He won’t make fans forget about future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, who retired in the offseason, but he’ll help replace him.
Mel Kiper, ESPN
So what did the Cowboys do? Well, they went unflashy with guard Tyler Booker, who can step in for Martin. Look, I like Booker as a player-- he is my No. 1-ranked guard. I just don’t love the value at No. 12, which I wrote about Thursday Night.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
The Cowboys bypassed the available offensive skill-position players and defensive talent at No. 12 to replace the retired Zack Martin with Booker. The former Alabama guard is a proven starter out of the SEC, but he did not impress in athletic testing this spring. Ezeiruaku projects as the next Demarcus Lawrence, while Revel could be a nice Day 2 find if he’s able to stay healthy (coming off an ACL tear).
Rob Rang, FOX Sports
Give Jerry Jones and the Cowboys some credit. For a franchise that once prioritized playmakers — sometimes irresponsibly — Dallas chose to begin its draft with the biggest, nastiest blocker of this class in Tyler Booker, wisely providing the girth and guts needed to combat the dominant defensive lines of the NFC East. Further, Day 2 picks Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel Jr. were quality value selections who filled positions that had been decimated in recent years by free-agent defections and injuries.
Connor Rogers, NBC Sports
After a mini reach in Round 1, the Cowboys came back with a vengeance on Day 2, Tyler Booker is a fine player, I just didn’t value an athletically-limited guard in Round 1. Donovan Ezeiruaku is a pure pass rusher who gives tackles headaches on an island. If Shavon Revel Jr. didn’t tear his ACL last September, I thought he had a shot to be a top 20 pick due to his size, speed, ball skills, and fiery nature.
Staff, PFF.com
Zack Martin’s retirement in March left a hole on the Cowboys’ interior offensive line. Booker, the 48th-ranked prospect on the PFF Big Board, profiles as a bit of a reach but a talent who fills a definite need up front in Dallas. The Alabama guard earned an 86.5 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024, which will provide an instant boost to a Cowboys offense that ranked 23rd in PFF pass-blocking grade (62.1) this past season.
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune
As much as I like Booker for them, the Joneses really needed to upgrade their offensive skill-positions earlier in this draft. Also, Revel could be a steal in the third, but he’s coming off an ACL tear, and considering how snakebitten the Cowboys secondary has been, it was an odd choice.
Rob Maaddi, AP
G Tyler Booker is an immediate starter but Dallas probably could’ve traded down and snagged him in the teens. Edge Donovan Ezeiruaku (44) and CB Shavon Revel Jr. (76) are excellent value picks and will boost the defense. RB Jaydon Blue (149) is a home-run hitter. LB Shemar James will benefit from being around Micah Parsons.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
They added some good players, even if taking a guard at No. 12 seems high. Tyler Booker, that guard, will be a good player. I do like Revel in the third-round edge Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second. I love running back Jaydon Blue in the fifth. It was a good haul, but I wanted to see an early receiver taken.
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
Jerry Jones didn’t end up with a wide receiver or tight end to help Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, but it was OK to table that position in lieu of boosting others. Booker is a great replacement for Zack Martin, and Cornelius has starting potential inside or out for their offensive line. Blue is their kind of speedy, power runner, and Ezeiruaku and Revel were absolute steals, given both could have gone at the end of the first round. Dallas addressed most key weaknesses as it tries to become tougher overall.
