We are less than two months away from the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine has just about reached its conclusion. The Dallas Cowboys and the 31 other NFL teams were in attendance to watch the prospects put their athleticism and strength on display.
With the upcoming draft in mind, four of our writers tackled some pre-draft questions with a little less than two months to go until the big day.
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1)As things currently stand, if the Cowboys decide to stay at pick 12, who is your dream fit for them to select?
David Howman
In my opinion, the Cowboys desperately need more weapons for Dak Prescott. I’d be pretty content with either of the draft’s top two receivers in Tetairoa McMillan or Luther Burden, and think both would be an excellent complement to CeeDee Lamb. I suspect Burden is more realistic at 12, and I’d be plenty happy if he was the pick
Brian Martin
I have two favorites for the Cowboys at No. 12, EDGE Mike Green and OL Armand Membou. I like the idea of Green playing opposite Micah Parsons and the RG/RT position flex Membou would add to the Cowboys OL
Mike Poland
I got asked this question in the mailbag a few weeks ago and my answer still remains the same. If the Cowboys stay at 12 and pick wide receiver Luther Burden from Missouri then that’s a fantastic pick. The Cowboys have no WR2 on the roster and fans had a brief look at this offense without CeeDee Lamb on the field last season. Without Lamb, this offense was lacking and Brandin Cooks is now a free agent which means there’s a huge hole in the roster. Wide receiver isn’t as deep as previous years, so take a position of need where the supply is low and fill the rest of your needs down the line.
Matt Holleran
Dallas’ number one priority this offseason should be adding more talent to their offense to get Dak Prescott back playing at an MVP level. If they want to do that, selecting Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at pick 12 may be the fastest way to do so. Egbuka may not have the upside of a Luther Burden or Tetairoa McMillan, but he is NFL-ready and could immediately contribute to Dallas’ offense faster than the other two.
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2) Who are two mid-round prospects you would like to see the Cowboys target?
David Howman
Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel and Texas S Andrew Mukuba. Noel was an elite deep threat receiver for the Cyclones and he’d add another dimension to this offense, especially when thinking about how Brian Schottenheimer used Tyler Lockett – a similar body type to Noel – to open up the Seahawks offense. Mukuba was one of the very best coverage safeties in college football and I can’t for the life of me figure out why he isn’t getting more love, but he’d be a star for Matt Eberflus in this scheme.
Brian Martin
CB Jacob Parrish, WR Jaylin Noel, RB Jordan James, TE Luke Lachey, EDGE Oluwafemi Oladejo, LB Chris Paul, OT Charles Grant are a few mid-round prospects I like for the Cowboys off the top my head.
Mike Poland
Some mid-round guys that look good are all players at positions with a lot of depth. The main guy on offense is running back Devin Neal from Kansas. He’s one of the best change-of-pace backs in the draft and has huge home-run ability. He has little tread taken off his tires and has shown to be productive with 34 total touchdowns the last two years. At this stage he’s a consensus fourth-round prospect, that’s not due to his talent but a testament to the position’s depth. On defense go watch the tape on defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott. He has a great blend of pass rush talent and run stopping ability. He has a great first step and spent his time in Tennessee ruining the oppositions offense. He was used in rotation last year and played 225 total defensive snaps but still racked up 27 pressures and five sacks, both second-most for the Volunteers.
Matt Holleran
Similar to Mike, Devin Neal, out of Kansas, is one of my favorite mid-round prospects in the draft. Neal would bring some much-needed explosiveness to Dallas’ offense and would be a great complement for Rico Dowdle if the Cowboys decide to bring him back. Another one would be Penn State linebacker Kobe King. The 22-year-old would be a perfect fit in Matt Eberflus’ defense and would fill a big hole the Cowboys currently have at the linebacker position.
3) Overall, how confident are you in the Cowboys having a successful 2025 draft?
David Howman
I am supremely confident in the Cowboys having a great draft this year. Will McClay isn’t perfect but he’s one of the most consistent talent evaluators in the NFL and the odds of a good draft go way up the higher you pick. The Cowboys are likely to be picking between several really good options at 12, and I trust McClay to make the right choice.
Brian Martin
My confidence is pretty high the Cowboys can have a successful 2025 draft. This draft class may not have a lot of blue-chip talent, but it is deep and several positions of “need” for the Cowboys.
Mike Poland
Two reasons why Cowboys fans should be optimistic and confident for this year’s draft- Will McClay and a new coaching staff. Why those reasons? Will McClay is a very smart guy and he clearly understands football. He has a way of keeping the front office, coaching staff and scouting department all on the same path, something that’s not easy to do. We can say the past few drafts haven’t been amazing, but there have been some great successes in that time, some of them in the later rounds where you need your scouting team to be on form. As for the new coaching staff being a reason for a higher than normal confidence level in this year draft, well that’s simply a train of thought that Jerry Jones will want this draft to be super successful so he can hold his arms up and tell the world “told you so”. By not taking risks in the draft and being very clear at taking top talent with few red flags means Brian Schottenheimer gets a decent haul of rookies to play with, helping him secure more victories. In doing so Jerry can come out and tell the press he was right in the hire of Schottenheimer and look like the smart cookie.
Matt Holleran
I still have very high confidence that Will McClay and company can put together a successful 2025 draft class. Despite some shaky draft classes in the past two years, McClay and the Cowboys have shown enough competence in drafting to give them the benefit of the doubt, especially in the first round. This year’s draft class being deeper rather than top-heavy is a benefit to the Cowboys, and I believe it will lead to them having a very successful draft.
