Rookie battleground: Cowboys vs. Vikings breakdown for draft picks/UDFAs

Each week we dive into each team’s rookie class and compare how they stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Booker (OG) First Round Tyler Booker’s night in Detroit was the game of a rookie guard doing his job while the […]

Each week we dive into each team’s rookie class and compare how they stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com)

Dallas Cowboys

Tyler Booker (OG)

First Round

Tyler Booker’s night in Detroit was the game of a rookie guard doing his job while the waves kept coming. On the road in a loud building, he logged every snap and held his own. He was charged with zero sacks or penalties and just two pressures allowed across 82 reps, even as Dallas as a team took five sacks and managed to log just 91 rushing yards.

For Booker, the season arc is encouraging. Booker’s PFF profile has him tracking as a run-game hammer. He’s at 71.5 overall which is 25th among guards this season, but his 78.0 run-block ranks 11th. At the unit level, Dallas remains solid by blocking standards. They’re at 65% as a team Pass Block Win Rate (13th) and 71% Run Block Win Rate (16th), so hovering middle of the rankings.

The immediate problem is Minnesota, and their numbers are louder than their headlines. The Vikings are third in team Pass Rush Win Rate (44%) and 11th in Run Stop Win Rate (31%), and they’re one of the league’s best no blitz pressure defenses. Personnel-wise, the waves come from everywhere. Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson are both at 5.5 sacks this season, while Jalen Redmond and Andrew Van Ginkel are both over five sacks each. It’s a deep, interchangeable front that stresses communication more than it asks one star to win every snap.

Grade: 71.5

Donovan Ezeiraku (DE)

Second Round

Ezeiruaku arrives in Vikings week with a rookie résumé that finally looks loud in the right places. The counting line is trending up with two sacks, one forced fumble, nine tackles for loss and 34 total tackles. He’s also at 30 quarterback pressures, third-most on the team, and leads the Cowboys defense on PFF in defensive grade at 79.5, that’s a solid start for the young Boston College defensive standout.

On paper, Minnesota protects well at the tackle spots but still takes too many hits. Brian O’Neill charts at 19th in offensive tackle Pass Block win-rate at 92%, and a PFF offensive grade of 80.3 which ranks 12th among tackles. Christian Darrisaw, on the opposite side, ranks 50th on PFF among tackles. Yet the Vikings as a team have been sacked 3.62 times per game with a 11.7% quarterback sack rate, which sits in the bottom five of the league. So the picture of good edges, inconsistent interiors, and young QBs who can hold the ball too long is something for Ezeiruaku to key in on.

Ezeiruaku’s personal tackling has mostly held up with only eight missed tackles this year, so the emphasis is converting his pressures into finishes. With the Vikings allowing the third-most sacks on the season (47), Ezeiruaku should have a chance of adding to his sack totals.

Grade: 79.5

Shavon Revel Jr. (CB)

Revel had his roughest Sunday yet in Detroit. The Lions found him early, then kept coming. He surrendered a touchdown on a broken play, struggled finishing in run support, and never quite reset the momentum of his day. It wasn’t all doom, but the tape reads like a first-year corner still recovering from injury. He’s been a tick late at the top of routes, angles that turned five-yard stops into eight, and tackling that needs a smidge of tightening up.

Minnesota’s pass game has been choppy overall. It’s third-least in passing yardage and a sack problem that won’t quit, but the receivers are still blue-chip. Justin Jefferson leads the team with 64 catches for 810 yards and two touchdowns, Jordan Addison ranks second with 37 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns, and T.J. Hockenson is third with for 370 yards and three scores. Add a young quarterback who holds the ball a tick too long and you get the weird split that matters for a corner.

Grade: 35.8

Shemar James (LB)

Fifth Round

James saw just six defensive snaps in Detroit and lived on special teams, which is exactly where he’s likely to stay this week against Minnesota unless injuries force a shuffle. The tackling form betrayed him when he did get on the field with high pads, flat angles, and a tendency to tackle by barging the player rather than wrapping up. Expect him to handle coverage duties while he spends the week sanding down those fundamentals.

Grade: 41.1

Trikweze Bridges (CB)

Seventh Round

Bridges is ticketed for special teams again just like in Detroit. Expect only emergency snaps at outside corner if needed. Quiet is good, a flag-free, field-position night is the assignment.

Grade: 44.1

Alijah Clark (DB)

UDFA

Clark will mirror the workload on special teams like last week and only jump in at safety if injuries pile up.

Grade: 72.7 (ST Grade)

Jaydon Blue (RB)

Fifth Round

Inactive

Grade: 50.0

Ajani Cornelius (OT)

Sixth Round

Inactive

Grade: N/A

Jay Toia (DT)

Seventh Round

Inactive

Grade: 29.9

Phil Mafah (RB)

Seventh Round

Inactive

Grade: N/A

Minnesota Vikings

Donovan Jackson (OG)

First Round

Jackson has settled in at left guard as a true every-down rookie, and the profile is taking shape. His blocking win-rate tables lists him at 75% in Run Block Win Rate, which is tenth among inside offensive linemen, but he’s not charted in pass blocking. This matches the Vikings’ unit as a whole where they sit first in the league in Run Block Win Rate, but 24th in Pass Block Win Rate. Basically, Minnesota is getting the run tracked on schedule, but pass protection is woeful when the pocket has to hold.

PFF has Jackson around a 60.4 overall grade with a 67.8 pass-block and 58.9 run-block, all middle-of-the-pack, with two sacks and 19 pressures allowed with four penalties. It’s a very normal rookie arc here.

Jackson’s pass sets are already viable on standard downs, and when Minnesota leans into the run game, his combos inside show the pop coaches want.

Grade: 60.4

Tai Felton (WR)

Third Round

Felton’s rookie season in Minnesota has been very limited so far. The box score is tiny with only two receptions for 19 yards on the year with a very light target rate. He’s essentially the WR4 which is tough given Hockenson’s role on the offense taking targets also. He’s still learning the pro tempo behind Jefferson, but his traits do offer something if given the chance.

Felton has vertical speed and runway acceleration, threatening cushions on clear-out and post routes, and he settles cleanly in soft spots on short routes. Minnesota has sprinkled him into bunch formations to free his release, and when he’s targeted, the ball skills look comfortable.

Grade: 63.7

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (DE)

Fifth Round

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has eased into the Vikings’ rotation and looks like a rookie who understands the assignment. The box score is modest with one sack, a handful of tackles, and a tipped pass, but the flashes have matched the scouting report.

Usage tells you how the staff sees him. Minnesota has kept him in the rotational area of their roster and asked him to hold the edge on stretches and survive double-teams on duo plays. If the Vikings keep him around the 15–25 snap mark and pair him with interior penetrators, the stat line will creep forward without asking him to be something he isn’t yet, and the tape will keep reading like a fifth-rounder turning into a fixture.

Grade: 55.4