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'That's something I don't want to do' - Cowboys first-round draft pick Tyler Booker has crystal clear plan for rookie minicamp

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated May 2, 2025 2:36 PM ET

The truth is Dallas Cowboys' first-round draft pick Tyler Booker won't get to show what he does best until late July when pads come on in training camp at Oxnard, California.

The offensive guard out of Alabama was picked by Dallas primarily because of his physical ability to maul people in the trenches and in his own words, take away the love for football from his opponents' eyes. Without pads and live contact, it's difficult to display that on the practice field.

But that doesn't mean rookie minicamp is unimportant for Booker, who has a crystal clear path for the weekend ahead.

"I just really want to have a mastery of the playbook," Booker told DallasCowboys.com's Tyler Yarrish. "I don’t want to slow down the room or the offense just because I’m a rookie—that’s something I really don’t want to do. So over rookie minicamp and rookie development, I want to develop a real mastery of the playbook so I can play confidently and play fast."

That mastery will be crucial for Booker to fulfill what Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, VP of player personnel Will McClay and VP Stephen Jones all suggested following the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft: Booker is in line to be a Day 1 starter at right guard.

"When we looked at him, we felt he’s an immediate starter—a guy who’s going to play for a long time at a very high level," Schottenheimer said about Booker after the pick was made.

Following Zack Martin's retirement, it appeared backup Brock Hoffman—who filled in for Martin in 2024 and played quality football—was on track to take the job but the addition of a first-round offensive lineman changes that.

The Cowboys compared Booker's pre-draft grades to Martin's in 2014 and the front office feels there's similarity in their leadership as well. We're still a very long way from watching Booker do his thing on the playing field but the process for him to succeed begins now through rookie minicamp.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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