Jerry Jones teases big Cowboys move fans are clamoring for after NFL Draft – Sayre Bedinger, The Landry Hat

Adding another WR feels like a necessity.

Jerry Jones understands the team still needs to do something at the wide receiver position and he’s teasing something potentially big.

Cowboys might have big wide receiver move bubbling beneath the surface

Those are some interesting words from Jerry Jones right there. It gives credence to the report that the Cowboys were potentially looking into making a trade with an AFC North team for a veteran receiver, and Dallas reportedly was going to take Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan if he would have been available at 12 overall. Even though that didn’t end up being the case, the need remained.

The Cowboys didn’t just pivot to the next-best receiver on their board, and ultimately the only receivers that have been brought in are undrafted guys.

So how much longer are we going to have to wait? Will the Cowboys be able to make a deal for someone soon? Nobody in NFL Free Agency is really going to move the needle all that much at this point, but a trade for someone of note — someone like George Pickens — would potentially shake things up in the NFC East for the Cowboys.

Cowboys’ draft grades show consistently high marks, including rare A+ from PFF – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

If you put weight into draft grades, Jerry Jones and Will McClay did well with this one.

USA Today: B+

Link

It might not have been exactly what the fan base was hoping for – Jeanty – but owner Jerry Jones and his front office generally do a pretty solid job this time of year. Aside from being a bully on the field, first-round G Tyler Booker not only fills a need but could provide fresh leadership in the locker room in time. Second-round DE Donovan Ezeiruaku and third-round CB Shavon Revel Jr. were certainly worthy of being taken a round earlier than they were. Fifth-round RB Jaydon Blue brings sub-4.4 speed if not the background to suggest he can shoulder the load on the ground. Receiving depth behind WR CeeDee Lamb still looms as a significant question.

New York Post: B

A touchdown-scorer was needed, but the Cowboys are trying to recapture their great line of the 2010s with three first-round picks since 2022 (Booker, Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith). Revel is a bargain if his torn ACL rehab checks out. Ezeiruaku reminds some of the departed DeMarcus Lawrence.

Cowboys’ 2025 draft was one of the best, but skill players still lack – Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star

Looking past the glaring hole, Dallas crushed the draft.

Out of their nine draft selections, only two were offensive skill players, both chosen in the later rounds, suggesting what we all fear: that the Cowboys are content with the players already on the roster.

Once again, it appears that the weight of the passing game will fall mostly on the shoulders of WR CeeDee Lamb and a bunch of players who don’t want to win the WR2 job.

Building the Foundation

With their first-round pick, the Cowboys selected Alabama guard Tyler Booker at #12 overall.

Booker, known for his exceptional pass protection, having not allowed a sack in his final collegiate season, was brought in to strengthen the offensive line and provide better protection for quarterback Dak Prescott.

Moreover, Booker’s size and strength at the point of attack in the running game is what excited OC Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley.

Dallas is ecstatic to have drafted a player of Booker’s caliber immediately replace the retired Zack Martin.

Cowboys secure a fierce group of edge rushers by selecting Donovan Ezeiruaku- Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys

Eberflus has talent to work with off the edge.

Nobody will blame them for going after pass rushers, as it’s one of the premium positions in the NFL. Load up and go! That’s the Operatus Mundi of most roster builders at the pro level. But what makes this weird is that the Cowboys keep doing this despite entering the draft deep at the position. They’ve had guys like DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler on the team, yet they keep adding more edge rushers to the roster. And it’s good because those guys eventually left in free agency. Fowler is back this year, and the team added free agent Payton Turner, again keeping some decent depth on the end. Their edge rushing room entering the draft looked as follows:

Micah Parsons

Marshawn Kneeland

Dante Fowler

Sam Williams

Payton Turner

And now they have Ezeiruaku, giving them six total. At first glance, this might not seem like the best use of premium draft resources, especially when they have so many other needs, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

First, three players on that list above have expiring contracts after the 2025 season. The free agents, Fowler and Turner, only signed one-year deals, and Williams is on the last year of his rookie contract. Technically, four of them have expiring contracts, but we’re not counting Parsons because a long-term extension should be right around the corner. That means that while the team is set right now, this group becomes scarce after this season, leaving Parsons, Kneeland, and the recently drafted Ezeiruaku.