We are so close to finding out what the Dallas Cowboys will do with the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
It has felt for a long time that this team will target a wide receiver, with Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Texas' Matthew Golden sticking out as the clear favorites. As we've gotten closer to Thursday night, though, more and more names have entered the mix to be chosen by Dallas in the first round.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that North Dakota State offensive lineman Gray Zabel could be a surprise Cowboys target. The league is high on Zabel, who played left tackle last season but projects to play guard in the NFL. That is obviously a need for Dallas.
In that same vein, the Cowboys stirred up more draft drama on Monday when it was reported that they met with Alabama guard Tyler Booker.
Cowboys meeting with OL Tyler Booker changes everything before NFL Draft
Booker is an official 30 visit, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys have a long history of drafting players they invite for 30 visits, so Booker is firmly in the mix to join America's Team.
The question is where Dallas would draft Booker.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic projected Booker to the Raiders in the second round at No. 37 overall in his final seven-round mock draft. Booker is Brugler's top ranked guard and No. 24 overall prospect on his big board. Similarly, Daniel Jeremiah of The Athletic has Booker as his No. 17 overall prospect.
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It seems like a long shot that Booker will fall to Dallas at No. 44. He would be an A+ pick in that scenario, but again, it's highly unlikely. The 12th pick, meanwhile, feels like a major reach, which makes you wonder if the front office is mulling a potential trade back.
Jeremiah thinks that is definitely in play.
“I think they need to upgrade that receiver room for sure. The expectation, though, in talking to folks around the league in regards to the Cowboys is they've done a lot of work on the interior offensive linemen," Jeremiah said, via Brandon Loree of Blogging The Boys.
"I think they said the other day at the press conference they would be more likely -- I don't know if it was Stephen, but somebody in their press conference said they would be more likely to trade back than to trade up, which when I hear they've done a lot of work on interior offensive linemen, I'm hearing they want to trade back.”
Depending on how far Dallas moves back (hypothetically, obviously), they could net as much as another second-round pick. A fourth-round pick is the likely outcome if they only move down one or two spots, but anything more than that should fetch them at least a third-rounder.
That is very intriguing, especially since they don't have a fourth-round pick and have multiple positions to address. Brian Schottenheimer's vision for the offense is also a perfect fit for Booker, who wants to dominate his assignment on every snap.
Having said that, Booker does not play a premium position and isn't an elite athlete. He would be a home-run pick at No. 44, but the first round? Even in a trade down scenario, Dallas should just take a wide receiver.