The Dallas Cowboys would have drafted Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan No. 12 overall if he was available, but they astutely pivoted to Alabama guard Tyler Booker. The pick wasn't well received initially, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with drafting Zack Martin's replacement.
Time will tell if Booker was the right pick, but Dallas already looks smart for passing on one of the highest players on their board: Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart. It stands to reason that Stewart was in play at No. 12, but he went five picks later to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Cowboys already look better off without Stewart, who is blowing off the second phase of Cincinnati's offseason workouts due to a "disagreement over contract language in his rookie deal," per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz.
Booker, meanwhile was among the first draftees to sign his rookie contract. The two sides agreed to a four-year, $22.5 million deal with a $13 million signing bonus just days after the draft concluded.
Cowboys look smart for drafting Tyler Booker over Shemar Stewart
Stewart obviously is not fully to blame here. The Bengals are notoriously stingy at the negotiation table. However, this is a headache that Dallas does not need with first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer looking to establish a leadership and energetic culture.
It is unclear who else the Cowboys had their eye on at No. 12 aside from McMillan. However, they did extensive homework on Stewart leading up to draft night. Here's what Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said of the team's interest in Stewart.
"Aside from Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and vice president of player personnel Will McClay meeting with Stewart at his Pro Day event last month, Dallas has shown a good amount of interest in the Texas A&M product during the draft process."
"Also one of the team’s 30 allocated facility visits, the Cowboys have done a lot of homework on what they would potentially be getting with one of the more athletic defensive ends in the draft."
It sounds like Stewart was a real consideration at No. 12. The Cowboys have a long history of selecting players they host for a 30 visit, so he was seemingly in play.
Fortunately, they opted for Booker and bolstered their pass rush in the second round in the form of Boston College star Donovan Ezeiruaku, who is considered one of the biggest steals of the draft as various experts expected him to go in round one.
None of this means Stewart won't become a good player in the NFL. But again, another contract dispute is the last thing Schottenheimer needed as the front office works to get All-Pro Micah Parsons locked up.
Just imagine the outrage if Booker was skipping OTAs instead of getting valuable reps with the first-team offense.