Cowboys draft: Recapping Day 1 and previewing biggest remaining roster needs

Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft has come to an end. After months of speculation, the Dallas Cowboys stuck to their roots, spending their first-round pick on an offensive lineman for the third time in the past four years.

Dallas selected 21-year-old guard Tyler Booker out of Alabama. The two-year starter was named First-Team All-SEC and a Second-Team All-American in 2024, starting all 13 games for the Crimson Tide. Booker has outstanding size and play strength and will add some much-needed toughness and leadership to Dallas’ offensive line.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Dallas’ newest draft pick.

Two-year starter and team captain with elite physical traits. Booker is a downhill run blocker with average explosiveness into first contact, but he utilizes his size and power to overtake defenders in the second phase of the block. He can play too far out over his toes but that’s correctable. Booker is an average athlete in protection but makes up for it with technique and football intelligence to defend against twists. He’s tough, smart and a top leader. The traits, football character and play strength will make him a good starter for a downhill, power-based attack.

Booker figures to make an immediate impact as a Cowboy, projecting to slide in as their starting right guard. While wide receiver may have been a more significant need, there’s no denying Booker will be an upgrade over the internal starting options they currently have on their roster in Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass.

The Cowboys view Tyler Booker as a plug-and-play player. He was highly thought of on the personnel side as well as the coaching side. Listening to a snippet of OC Klayton Adams talking to Booker, he said he will help them move the line of scrimmage.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 25, 2025

While the Cowboys did address a need in Round 1, there is still plenty of work to do filling out the roster in the next two days. If the Cowboys want to be a playoff-contending team in the fall, they’ll need to add more immediate contributors with their next few picks.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the biggest roster needs the Cowboys will have to address in the next two days.

Wide Receiver
The consensus heading into today was that the Cowboys would address the WR2 spot with their first-round selection. Ultimately, they did not do this, and wide receiver still remains a massive need, so much so that it would be extremely shocking if they did not spend pick 44 or 76 on a wideout.

There are still several difference-making receivers available in the draft. Expect Dallas to make selecting one of them priority number one as they enter Day 2.

Cornerback
Outside of wide receiver, you could make a solid argument that the Cowboys’ most significant need to address this weekend is finding an immediate impact cornerback. With Trevon Diggs’ injury timeline a mystery, Dallas has a gaping hole at the position, and they need to find someone who can come in and potentially start from day one opposite DaRon Bland.

Cornerback is certainly a position the Cowboys could target with their second-round selection, and it would not be surprising if that’s the route they ultimately go. Thankfully for the Cowboys, this draft class has some depth at the position, so they should be able to get a quality corner with one of their next two picks.

Running Back
While there never seemed to be a real possibility the Cowboys would select a running back in the first round, there’s a great chance they take one on Day 2. While Dallas did add Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams on free agent deals this spring, neither of those two look like a lead back at this point in their respective careers.

Look for the Cowboys to target a running back with some speed to bring some juice to their offense.

Defensive Tackle
Every year around this time, the defensive tackle position is consistently listed as one of Dallas’ draft needs. While the Cowboys did make a big move by re-signing Osa Odighizuwa, the position group is very thin outside of the 26-year-old.

Dallas could use a quality 1-technique to be an upgrade over Mazi Smith and play alongside the talented Odighizuwa. Thankfully for the Cowboys, there are plenty of quality 1-techs in this draft class, potentially giving them a chance to upgrade the position on Day 2.

Linebacker
It was very clear this spring that the Cowboys did not think their linebacker group entering free agency was good enough to compete. Dallas made two moves to improve the position, trading for former first-round pick Kenneth Murray Jr. and signing 24-year-old Jack Sanborn.

While these two moves significantly improved their linebacker depth, Dallas could still use another starting-caliber linebacker if a talented player falls to their pick. If the Cowboys do decide to address the linebacker spot on Friday, UCLA product Carson Schwesinger is a name to keep in mind.