Cowboys picking Tyler Booker in the first round goes against Brian Schottenheimer's previous message yet it's a favor to him
Earlier in the month, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer seemed to have dropped a major hint about what positions the front office would address in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when he said he believed in building a team from the outside-in. But when the Cowboys picked Tyler Booker with the 12th […]
Earlier in the month, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer seemed to have dropped a major hint about what positions the front office would address in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when he said he believed in building a team from the outside-in.
But when the Cowboys picked Tyler Booker with the 12th overall pick on Thursday, the front office took an entirely different direction. Though the former Alabama offensive lineman was one of the most dominant in college football last year, he's not an option at tackle, meaning he will surely play right guard when the season starts.
"You're looking for guys that can influence the game, how do you influence the game?" Schottenheimer told reporters at the League Annual Meetings. "You rush the quarterback and you get sacks, strip sacks, fumbles, whatever it is. (. . .) Look at it this way, you build it from the outside-in. So you've got corners, receivers, they get isolated one-on-one. Pass rushers, tackles, they get isolated one-on-one."
However, even though picking Booker goes against Schottenheimer's "build it from the outside-in" philosophy, it's also a favor to him. Since he picked up the mantle of Cowboys head coach, Schottenheimer has talked about running the ball.
In hiring Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator—formerly the Arizona Cardinals OL coach—Schottenheimer is expected to call an offense with a much more varied running game using gap schemes like counter and power, a rarity for Cowboys units in recent years.
To do that successfully, the team needs quality linemen in the interior. Booker can be the last piece to the puzzle as he joins Cooper Beebe (center) and Tyler Smith (left guard).
It might not be the flashiest or sexiest pick but the Cowboys strongly believe in building an offensive line through the NFL Draft. This is the latest example. Now it's up to Schottenheimer and Co. to make it count.
