RADIO
Who will the Dallas Cowboys target in the 2025 NFL Draft. John Johnson breaks down which players they should select in all seven rounds in this 2025 NFL mock draft.
The Dallas Cowboys had a disappointing season in 2024, by their (regular season) standards anyway. This was in part due to the injury to their quarterback, Dak Prescott, who suffered a partial hamstring avulsion in Week 8 and missed the rest of the season.
Nonetheless, former head coach Mike McCarthy was fired and replaced with Brian Schottenheimer. Owner, team president, and general manager Jerry Jones raved a bit about how he was some kind of god at finding good head coaches. It was odd.
Still, the team has made some great draft picks in recent seasons, so it's hard not to think they'll have some luck in this year's draft. So let's break down a mock draft for the Cowboys, including all seven rounds, ahead of the 2025 NFL season, and how each pick would help improve their squad.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
- 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
Round 1, 12th Overall: Tyler Booker, IOL, Alabama
The Cowboys have a way of making boring offensive line picks in the first round of the NFL Draft. There are probably a billion mocks sending Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to Dallas, but I doubt he falls that far, with both the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders picking ahead of the Cowboys. Dallas selected offensive guard Zack Martin in the first round as well.
He may be the greatest guard in NFL history, so they know what they're doing here.
I love this rep
Danny Stutsman jumps into the run lane
Tyler Booker casually blocks two guys simultaneously
Two damn good prospects https://t.co/7N48xFTpfN pic.twitter.com/7N8zvlA9lS
— Hail Mary Sports (@hailmarysportss) March 12, 2025
Dallas should understand that this is a very deep running back class, and that Prescott really isn't and won't be as mobile as he used to be. Strengthening weaknesses on the offensive line should always be a priority for a team with a highly paid QB. It's not like his injury was due to poor offensive line play.
Alabama Guard Tyler Booker (#52) is an easy 1st round grade and my OG1 in this draft class
-immovable anchor
-patient hands
-Vice grip strength
-Strong displacer in the run game
-hits like a freight train on down blocks pic.twitter.com/lkGvJzSutA— Drew (@IronCityFilm) February 23, 2025
He should immediately anchor the interior OL for many years, be a big factor in both the pass and run game, and stabilize the offense and keep it functional. They can get another running back later, or just kick that can down the road and roll with RBs Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, as weak of a run game as that gives them.
The Cowboys selected former RB Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth-overall pick and handed him a massive contract, and that didn't pan out. It seems odd that many don't believe they expressly want to avoid that mistake again.
It's arguable that it would help their run game even more to pick a similarly talented RB later in the draft, or in another season's draft, with the offensive line being so much stronger.
Round 2, 44th Overall: Tyleik Williams, DL, Ohio State
The kings of boring draft picks strike again by taking a defensive lineman with the second pick in the draft. Run defense has long been a problem for the Cowboys. It was something they were supposed to address when they took defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the first-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, despite reports claiming they were keenly interested in tight end Sam LaPorta. Imagine that.
The Dallas Cowboys are ALL IN 🔥🔥
• Worst run defense in the NFL
• Most PPG allowed in the NFL
• Allows the 24th most yards per game
• Worst 4th down defense
• BY FAR the worst RB room in the NFL
• Bottom 30 in Red Zone Scoring %
• 3 STRAIGHT BLOWOUT LOSSES AT HOME pic.twitter.com/OWZTAGCa8K— FergSZN (@FergSZN) October 17, 2024
At least they're not spending a first-rounder on him this time, but Williams would immediately plug the holes along the defensive line. The team mostly has their pass-rusher positions set, and though the loss of DeMarcus Lawrence hurts, the more pressing concern is against the run.
Ohio State DL Tyleik Williams (#91) with the textbook drop leg technique to hold off the double team, sheds the LT block to make the run stop. His flexibility at his size (6-3, 327) is remarkable. pic.twitter.com/rSHp4uUiLl
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) January 21, 2025
He's a fantastic athlete, and he plays with the strength of someone his size but with the fluidity and quickness of someone smaller. He should immediately be a force at the next level, and could develop into a dominant run-stopper along the interior, forcing opposing teams to challenge Dallas through the air more often, which would allow more time for the pass-rush to get home.
Not that that's been a problem so far, but it would help if teams couldn't phase linebacker Micah Parsons out of games in the playoffs, partially by having consistent success with the run. It's been an issue.
Round 3, 76th Overall: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
I'm lower on Henderson (fantasy football-wise) than most other analysts, but with a good offensive line, he should be able to thrive. Perhaps Dallas will see the light and understand that the combination of the aforementioned backs, Sanders and Williams, won't be good enough, and one of them can serve as the secondary back to Henderson, who would likely get a leading role.
TreVeyon Henderson is rising up boards. Here he showcases his elite pass protect skills set.
Currently Henderson comes in as RB3 in my model for 2025 class.
pic.twitter.com/5bDMxsTPL4— Elite Drafters (@Elite_Drafters) March 17, 2025
RB3, yikes. But Henderson is a great pass-protector, and selecting him would afford even more time for Prescott to go through his reads and make throws on pass plays. Henderson is also good as a pass-catching back. This pick makes a lot of sense.
Round 5, 145th Overall: Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
The Cowboys take an "I Can Fix Him" attitude here with Bond, who not only isn't a very good WR prospect, but also lacks self-awareness. He was roundly mocked when he boasted that he could break the 40-yard dash record at the combine, only to run it in 4.41 seconds.
Isaiah Bond, screen merchant. pic.twitter.com/CwH5EMmcZt
— Boorish (@Boorish_Sports) March 5, 2025
Too many times, people see one good route from a receiver and assume he's a good route-runner. Bond isn't, but he has the physical tools to be good. At least supposedly. Either way, I don't know that Dallas wants to continue trotting out the likes of Jalen Tolbert as their WR2, and if Bond developed into anything consistent and didn't stay as just a screen merchant, he could help them in that area.
Skepticism aside, Dallas really needs a receiver opposite of CeeDee Lamb to help the passing game be more productive against teams with good defenses.
Round 5, 171st Overall: Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech
More depth at pass-rush is never a bad thing, and Powell-Ryland could help provide some. The Cowboys will be missing out on this class, which is pretty stacked at the position, but they had other needs to address.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland has some serious juice off the edge pic.twitter.com/ijRnIHLU0N
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 27, 2025
He could develop into a nice rotational piece when the Cowboys' more experienced rushers need a breather, or fill in in case of injuries.
Round 5, 174th Overall: Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech
Strong would reunite with Powell-Ryland, his teammate at VT. He'd just be a depth piece, like his former teammate, but Dallas has developed their CB prospects nicely, and anyone who can hold their own against receivers well enough and contribute in the run game would be a welcome addition to Dallas' defense.
Virginia Tech DB Dorian Strong deserves some more love.
Quick, fluid, instinctive corner that can really run who is also competitive as a run defender. I think he shows that in Mobile next week. pic.twitter.com/uzrtB1qfSj
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 22, 2025
Round 6, 204th Overall: Woodi Washington, CB, Oklahoma
The Cowboys could take a dart throw here to aid the position after the loss of Jourdan Lewis, who left the team for the Jacksonville Jaguars after the 2024 season.
Texas had Oklahoma badly out-leveraged on the first snap but this was a great indicator that all was not right with JT Sanders.
Good slip by Woodi Washington, also. pic.twitter.com/LPDKNapoZR
— Captain Bruisin, cruise director (@Ian_A_Boyd) October 9, 2023
Round 6, 211th Overall: Cameron Rising, QB, Utah
Former and long-time Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, and it doesn't seem like QB Trey Lance will ever be worth starting in an NFL game. He's so bad that Dallas should immediately look to replace him in the draft, and they could take a shot on Rising.
✍️ Ute fans show up and show out ✍️
By a landslide, Cameron Rising’s game-winning 2PT conversion for @Utah_Football was voted the @76 #FanFueledMoment. pic.twitter.com/NYW5mFNnGX
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) October 21, 2022
A productive college QB with a ton of experience and some rushing upside would be a perfect QB2 for Dallas.
Round 7, 239th Overall: Jared Penning, OL, Northern Iowa
He's the brother of New Orleans Saints OL Trevor Penning, notably. But it's never a bad thing to load up on OL depth in the later rounds. The Cowboys would probably feel as if they haven't done enough of that if they selected all the picks I have them mocked for, to be honest.
Round 7, 247th Overall: Trey Rucker, S, Oklahoma State
Safety isn't their biggest position of need, nor is it the most valuable position, so they wait until their last pick to take one from Oklahoma State. Rucker is a solid tackler who would bring some more boom to the defense as a rotational piece.
— Trey Rucker (@trey_ruck) February 18, 2025
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
More Fantasy Football Analysis
