The Dallas Cowboys own the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If you remember, that is exactly where they selected Micah Parsons back in 2021. While this class isn't nearly as stacked as Parsons', Dallas is well-positioned to add a premier talent in round one.
Multiple draft analysts have first-round grades on fewer than 10 players this year. In addition to Parsons, the top 13 picks in 2021 featured Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Penei Sewell, Patrick Surtain II, DeVonta Smith and Rashawn Slater.
Ironically, wide receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback represent the Cowboys' three biggest needs this offseason. The hope is some of those holes will get plugged in free agency, but fans should expect most of the heavy lifting in terms of improving the roster to done in the draft.
The general public is in lockstep that Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the most likely selection for Dallas in round one.
Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network just released his Mock Draft 2.0 and he has the Cowboys going in a different direction, albeit not one fans will approve.
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Jeremiah has the Cowboys selecting Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen at No. 12, coining him an ideal replacement for Osa Odighizuwa, who could command upwards of $25 million on the open market as one of the top available defensive tackles.
While Nolen has the potential to be one of the best players in the class, 12th overall feels extremely rich, especially when Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is sitting right there.
Jeremiah has Nolen No. 26 in his most recent 2025 prospect rankings, while draft expert Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Nolen No. 29. Prospect rankings hardly dictate where a player should or will get drafted, but taking the 26th-best player in the class with a top-15 pick would be a desperate attempt to replace Odighizuwa, assuming he leaves.
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McMillan, though, is widely considered a top-10 player in the draft. Over the last two seasons, the Arizona phenom led the FBS with 2,721 receiving yards and 42 catches of 20 or more yards. He added a ho hum 174 catches and 18 touchdowns to boot.
At 6-foot-5, McMillan is your prototypical X receiver. He pairs that height with terrific length that makes him a headache cover along the boundary. As someone who dominates at the catch point, can win jump balls and has a broad catch radius, McMillan's entire physical profile is the ideal complement to CeeDee Lamb, who can play inside and out and lines up all over the line of scrimmage.
Outside of Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter or Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham enduring an unprecedented slide, McMillan falling to No. 12 would quite literally be the DREAM scenario for Dallas.
Passing on McMillan for a still-developing Nolen who may need a year or two before he finds his stride in the NFL would be a franchise-altering mistake. If McMillan is there at 12, the Cowboys should run the pick to the podium.