{"id":50508,"date":"2025-04-24T08:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T08:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=50508"},"modified":"2025-04-24T08:32:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T08:32:14","slug":"cowboys-likely-to-target-skill-position-in-first-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=50508","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Likely To Target Skill Position In First Round"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 23rd, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Ely Allen<\/p>\n<div data-swiftype-index=\"true\">\n<p>With the 2025 NFL Draft coming tomorrow night, several teams are zoning in on where their draft focus will be in the first round. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, there are \u201cmany sources\u201d who expect the <strong>Cowboys<\/strong> to target an offensive skill position (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, or tight end) with the No. 12 overall pick.<\/p>\n<p>Considering the recent extension for quarterback <strong>Dak Prescott<\/strong> and the recent trade for backup passer <strong>Joe Milton<\/strong>, I believe we can safely dismiss any notions of quarterback being a target. The presence of two tight ends (<strong>Jake Ferguson<\/strong> and <strong>Luke Schoonmaker<\/strong>) still on their rookie deals, one of whom has a Pro Bowl to their name already, likely disqualifies that position, as well.<\/p>\n<p>That leaves running back and wide receiver. Running back was certainly a weakness last year, but Dallas addressed the position in free agency this offseason, signing both <strong>Javonte Williams<\/strong> and <strong>Miles Sanders<\/strong>. While the two aren\u2019t exactly world-beaters, they\u2019ve each shown an ability to carry the load as a starter in the past, giving the Cowboys a passable duo of rushers for 2025. That being said, if <strong>Ashton Jeanty<\/strong> were to fall to 12, it would likely be hard for the team to pass him up. Other options like <strong>Omarion Hampton<\/strong>, can\u2019t likely be ruled out but would more likely be targeted in the second round or with a trade back in the first.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, we can turn our attention, as Russini did, to wide receiver, specifically, Texas wideout <strong>Matthew Golden<\/strong> and Arizona receiver <strong>Tetairoa McMillan<\/strong>. NFL Network\u2019s Jane Slater seconded this notion today, saying that, while the team needs an offensive lineman, they really want a wide receiver.<\/p>\n<p>McMillan appears to be the most desired choice, but Slater reports concerns that he\u2019ll go before Dallas gets a chance to take him (like to the Saints at No. 9 overall). That leaves Golden, whose speed (4.29 40-yard dash at the combine) gives the Cowboys what they\u2019re looking for in a pass catcher to pair with <strong>CeeDee Lamb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In his last second mock draft, ESPN\u2019s Matt Miller also landed on McMillan, though he noted the team\u2019s extensive work done on offensive linemen. This is evidenced by the recent update that Alabama offensive guard <strong>Tyler Booker<\/strong> was one of the most recent players to take a top-30 visit to Dallas, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. Texas offensive tackle <strong>Kelvin Banks Jr.<\/strong> is another name Slater mentioned for the Cowboys, but there is a presumption that he will get selected before the Cowboys get to pick by the Jets at No. 7 overall.<\/p>\n<p>Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated did a breakdown yesterday of each team\u2019s biggest draft needs, and after mentioning McMillan and Golden (as well as Michigan cornerback <strong>Will Johnson<\/strong>) for the Cowboys, Breer turned his attention to versatile North Dakota State offensive lineman <strong>Grey Zabel<\/strong>. Zabel brings plenty of intrigue to the first round. Despite starting games at every position along the offensive line in college except center, Zabel has been projected as the draft class\u2019s best center prospect. Regardless, he is certainly one of the draft\u2019s top interior offensive linemen, and many are connecting him to Dallas.<\/p>\n<p>Breer specifically mentions that Zabel won\u2019t make it out of the teens, which Miller\u2019s mock draft reflects, as well, sending him to the <strong>Seahawks<\/strong> at No. 18 overall. Per Miller, Zabel and McMillan are the two names that Seattle has focused in on. The team reportedly believes that the guard position is deeper than receiver in this draft, so McMillan would be the preference, but if either player is still around by the 18th pick, they may be headed to Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>That might end up being possible, too, as Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS seems to believe there is no chance of the Cowboys considering an offensive lineman in the first round, despite all the work they\u2019ve done on the position. It seems like the only way they may land on an offensive lineman in the first round is if they trade back, which is certainly also a possibility. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Cowboys owner\/president\/general manager <strong>Jerry Jones<\/strong> claimed that the team is \u201cactively looking at potential trades they could do before or after the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other players that Slater listed as names the Cowboys are kicking around are Ole Miss defensive tackle <strong>Walter Nolen<\/strong>, Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce, and Virginia Tech running back <strong>Bhayshul Tuten<\/strong>. She notes that the team has character red flags for Pearce, so he shouldn\u2019t be a Day 1 consideration for Dallas. She also believes that some of Jones\u2019 trade ideas could lead the Cowboys into the late-second round, where they would target Tuten. We\u2019re less than 24 hours away from getting to find out just how all of these ideas will finally play out in reality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cowboys are expected to target a skill position in the first round, and wide receiver is the likeliest of those skill positions to be targeted&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":50512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[447,754,1653,54,1654,1655,264,1596,1656,1657,390,448,1658,1659,1660],"class_list":["post-50508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-2025-nfl-draft","tag-ashton-jeanty","tag-bhayshul-tuten","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-grey-zabel","tag-james-pearce","tag-jerry-jones","tag-kelvin-banks-jr","tag-matthew-golden","tag-omarion-hampton","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-tetairoa-mcmillan","tag-tyler-booker","tag-walter-nolen","tag-will-johnson-michigan"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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