Heading into the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it's safe to assume that the vast majority of Dallas Cowboys fans were hoping the team would add a skill position player when America's Team went on the clock Thursday night at No. 12 overall.
Naturally, given his ridiculous talent and local ties, running back Ashton Jeanty was a popular choice. But the Heisman Trophy runner-up was never falling out of the top 10 and was ultimately selected sixth overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
The other preferred choice, of course, was wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who could've combined with CeeDee Lamb to create one of the most dynamic 1-2 punches in the entire NFL.
But the Carolina Panthers threw a monkey wrench into those plans, surprisingly selecting the Arizona superstar at No. 8 overall, which clearly upset Micah Parsons.
Despite the setback, some thought the Cowboys would simply pivot to Texas wideout Matthew Golden, as most viewed the former Longhorn as the next-best player at the position.
But that obviously didn't happen, as Dallas went with Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker. Is it the worst pick in the world? No. Far from it. But one would think the Cowboys could've traded back several spots and still gotten him if that's the route they wanted to take.
Now, at the risk of possibly giving Jerry Jones far too much credit, perhaps the comments he made a few days ahead of the draft played into the decision to draft Booker.
Maybe Jerry Jones' promise of "substantive trades" was part of the Cowboys' decision to draft Tyler Booker
Again, it's not as if Booker was a bad pick. At 6-foot-5 and 321 pounds, the two-time All-SEC selection is pro-ready and should seemingly make for a great addition to the interior alongside fellow guard Tyler Smith and center Cooper Beebe.
Here's the thing, though. The Cowboys still need to find weapons for Dak Prescott as this draft rolls on. And while there will be some solid options in the later rounds, they undoubtedly missed out on several elite playmakers when they opted to take Booker.
But could this pick possibly be what Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office had planned all along?
Now, everything Jerry says has to be taken with a grain of salt, but it has to be noted that just a couple of days back, Jones stated the Cowboys were working on a pair of what he called "substantive trades," which he said could happen before or after the draft.
Nothing obviously happened before the festivities began in Green Bay, but is it possible that Dallas has something in the works that would get the franchise the help it needs in these playmaker positions?
We'll obviously have to wait and see how everything plays out. And again, it's tough to trust anything Jones these days. But Cowboys fans who are disappointed with how Thursday night went are looking for any sort of silver lining, and perhaps this is it.
Never a dull moment in Big D, am I right?