Cowboys owner Jerry Jones makes his thoughts known after losing Tetairoa McMillan to Panthers in NFL draft

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed high praise for former Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. It seemingly fueled speculation that the team targeted the star wideout before the Carolina Panthers snatched him with the No. 8 pick.

Jones serves as both owner and general manager of the Cowboys. Dallas ultimately drafted Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker with the No. 12 selection.

The Cowboys' front office leader made these comments during a press conference at the team's headquarters in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday. It came following the conclusion of the first round.

"We thought he was a great, really outstanding football player," Jones said, via The Athletic's Jon Machota. "We had him very high on the board."

Jones revealed that the Cowboys graded only 12 players as true first-round talents, one fewer than their usual benchmark. He confirmed that Booker was among those 12 players, indicating the team still secured a highly-rated prospect despite missing out on McMillan.

Micah Parsons reacts to the Tetairoa McMillan miss

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Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons made no effort to hide his disappointment about the Panthers' selection of Tetairoa McMillan:

"That was supposed to be our pick," Parsons said on Thursday, via Bleacher Report. "He was supposed to be opposite CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee, I'm sorry, brother."

McMillan was widely projected as a potential top 10 selection, ranking fifth overall on Yahoo Sports' final big board and as its top wide receiver prospect. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound Arizona product left the Wildcats as the program's all-time leader in receiving yards.

The Cowboys' apparent interest in McMillan highlighted their need for receiving help. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, no Dallas receiver topped 650 receiving yards last season. The depth chart features Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo.

Jones also revealed that Dallas nearly traded down from the No. 12 pick, engaging in negotiations until the final minute of their time on the clock.

"Oh yes, there's no question we had a live, live real trade going with a minute left on the clock," Jones said during Thursday's press conference. "Had it fallen right, it might have been the thing to do. They just didn't take the trade that we thought we had to have to not make the pick."

Despite missing out on McMillan, the Cowboys appear pleased with their selection of Tyler Booker. Will McClay, the team's vice president of player personnel, compared Booker to Dallas legend Zack Martin, saying their pre-draft grades were "very similar." Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer called Booker "an immediate starter and a guy who is going to play for a very long time at a very high level."

Dallas still faces pressing needs at both wide receiver and running back heading into Day 2 of the draft.