Cowboys insider casts doubt on Jerry Jones' pick for "Zack Martin replacement" in NFL draft

Jerry Jones elected to use the Dallas Cowboys' first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to potentially find "Zack Martin's replacement" following his retirement. The franchise selected Alabama Crimson Tide offensvie guard Tyler Booker at 12th overall. This may appear to be a solid strategy, but some around the league are questioning if it was the right choice for their current situation.

In a recent article with The Athletic, Cowboys insiders Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf analyzed the Cowboys' results in this year's draft. The Booker pick was one that they went into specific detail on, explaining that they believe Dallas would have been better off targeting a different position.

The piece outlined:

"The offensive line needed help, but it just didn't seem like a bigger need than wide receiver, running back, or cornerback ... What about trading back, gaining a Day 2 pick, and potentially still getting a quality first-round player at a position of need? Dallas didn't like that plan more than sticking with the safe pick."

They went on to explain that just because they could have potentially maximized their return by going in a different direction with the 12th overall pick, Tyler Booker still makes sense as a logical replacement for Zack Martin at right guard. The All-Pro announced his retirement during the offseason, so Jerry Jones apparently placed a massive priority on filling the hole.

Jerry Jones may have settled for Tyler Booker

Tyler Booker

The same article in The Atheltic outlined that the Dallas Cowboys may have had a different preference with the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They explained that if Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan were avilable for them, they would have taken him.

McMillan went a few picks earlier at eighth overall to the Carolina Panthers, which apparently resulted in Jerry Jones pivoting to go in a different direction. The Cowboys insiders suggested that they could have gone with either Emeka Egbuka or Matthew Golden instead, which would have filled their need to upgrade their wide receivers.

The Cowboys have been seeking a reliable second option to line up across from CeeDee Lamb, but ended up passing on the position during the draft. They instead went with what was described as a "safe pick" in Tyler Booker, the most logical prospect to potentially replace Zack Martin. He has big shoes to fill following the Cowboys legend's retirement, but apparently Jerry Jones believes in the solution.