The Dallas Cowboys added nine players in the 2025 NFL Draft and it's time for us to dive into their impact on the team's roster and coaching staff.

We're looking at winners and losers on the team following the class, focusing on those whose stock is up or down as a result of the picks made. Spoiler alert: Head coach Brian Schottenheimer leads the list and for good reason. 

Let's dive in. 

Winner: HC Brian Schottenheimer

I went into much more detail about this in a different article but Schottenheimer preached about players with leadership and high character leading up to the NFL Draft and that's exactly what he got. Starting with Tyler Booker, the Cowboys are getting a tone setter in the trenches that was considered "the guy" who got Alabama back on track after an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt in 2024. 

The Cowboys also got multiple former team captains and players with a deep love for football. These are Schottenheimer guys already.

Loser: WR CeeDee Lamb

The Cowboys didn't address the lack of a No. 2 wide receiver in the Draft and while that doesn't mean the picks were bad—drafting for need is almost never a good idea—it does mean CeeDee Lamb isn't getting much-needed help on offense.

Adding a legit WR2 could open things up for the All-Pro receiver and make his life easier and until the Cowboys do something about it heading into the 2025 season, this is the team's biggest flaw. 

Winner: TE Jake Ferguson

There was some speculation heading into this year's Draft that the Cowboys might feel tempted to pick TE Tyler Warren if he was there at No. 12. He was, but the front office passed on the consensus Top 10 talent. 

Ferguson is entering a contract year and a quality 2025 season could allow him to break the bank next offseason. A first-round talent arriving would've presented an additional challenge to put up big numbers but right now the tight end room is all his. 

Winner: OC Klayton Adams

Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams wants a violent rushing offense and adding Tyler Booker in the first round will surely help him. With Booker in the mix, the Cowboys' interior line is lining up perfectly to bully some people in the ground game. 

"The same thing that I want from every player on offense, and that is to create violence in the game—be aggressive, run, hit," Adams told reporters back in February. "I think that every decision that we make schematically needs to lean that direction." 

Loser: EDGE Sam Williams

Williams is returning from injury after missing the entirety of the 2024 season with a torn ACL but it won't be easy to get playing time in his contract year. Second-round draft pick Donovan Ezeiruaku is joining Dante Fowler Jr. and Marshawn Kneeland in addition to Williams.

Considering he hasn't played meaningful football since 2023, Williams' stock is down. But he has the talent to pick up where he left off as long as he stays disciplined. 

Winner: Jonathan Mingo

Mingo consistently came un in press conferences as part of the reason why the Cowboys were okay with passing on wide receiver multiple times in the Draft. Though an addition could still be made, it feels like he's well positioned for a chance to be Lamb's No. 2. That might be a concern for the offense given his lack of experience and proven track record but it's a positive for him. 

Loser(s): Miles Sanders and Deuce Vaughn

In my way-too-early roster projection, these two are out after the Cowboys double-dipped at running back in Day 3 of the Draft. Brian Schottenheimer claimed he saw Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah as players who could start and I personally think they'd be a better combo than Sanders and Vaughn. 

‘We wouldn’t have drafted them’ – Brian Schottenheimer makes a strong statement about late Dallas Cowboys draft picks

Well said.