Brian Schottenheimer says Cowboys will target “best player available” with the 12th overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft

Modified Apr 01, 2025 13:16 GMT

NFL: Dallas Cowboys-Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer Introductory Press Conference - Source: Imagn — Brian Schottenheimer says Cowboys will target “best player available” with the 12th overall pick in 2025 NFL Draft - Image Source: Imagn

The Dallas Cowboys will be keeping all their options open ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. After a disappointing season, Dallas will have the 12th overall pick later this month. The Cowboys have several needs on both offense and defense, which makes them an intriguing team at 12th overall.

Ahead of the draft, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke at the owner's meetings and said they will keep all their options open.

Expand Tweet

He said:

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

“Yeah, again, the starting point would be the best player available. You know, you're always looking for game changers when you're picking 12, like, we don't want to ever pick 12 again.

"Alright, let's be honest. We don't want to pick that high. But you're looking for guys that influence the game. How do you influence the game? You rush the quarterback, and you get sacks, strip sacks, fumbles, whatever it is, you score touchdowns.”

As Schottenheimer said, the Cowboys are looking for a game-changer at 12th overall and will look at offense or defense.

In CBS Sports' Garrett Podell's latest mock draft, he has the Cowboys selecting Texas Longhorns receiver Matthew Golden at 12th overall. Former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum's latest mock draft has the Cowboys selecting Tetairoa McMillan, a receiver out of Arizona.

Dallas Cowboys' owner discusses the NFL Draft

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is also keeping the team's options open ahead of the NFL Draft.

The Cowboys could look to add another weapon on offense or get a star defensive player to pair with Micah Parsons.

Ahead of the draft, Jones said the team is keeping its options open:

Expand Tweet

“We’ve got a lot of options. The Combine emphasized that there are key players at key areas — RB, DL, outside pressure players. So frankly, this is good time to be where we are."

Dallas has 10 total picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including the 12th overall pick as well as three picks in the fifth round, but the Cowboys don't have any in the fourth round.

The Cowboys' full picks in the 2025 NFL Draft are as follows:

Round 1, Pick 12
Round 2, Pick 44
Round 3, Pick 76
Round 5, Pick 149
Round 5, Pick 171
Round 5, Pick 174
Round 6, Pick 204
Round 6, Pick 211
Round 7, Pick 239
Round 7, Pick 247

The 2025 NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

Know More

Dallas Cowboys Fans! Check out the latest Cowboys Schedule and dive into the Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Rajdeep Barman