Cowboys Winners And Losers in Final Full 9-Prospect NFL Draft Haul

FRISCO — Hours separated the Dallas Cowboys from their first selection of the NFL Draft on Thursday when all the "experts'' make their final pitches on who the Cowboys would take with the No. 12 pick. 

CowboysCountry.com's prediction? As much as they might like a receiver, we knew Dallas would entertain a trade-back.

And the Cowboys did that, turning down a Houston Texans offer.

We also knew that there was some affinity for two wide receivers: Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden. 

We would later learn, via a source, that the team's "ideal'' at 12 was Tet ... but he went ahead of where Dallas picked.

And then we wondered about offensive line ... a smokescreen?

It's all educated guesswork, as exemplified by Albert Breer, who stated that he believed that Dallas was considering the two pass catchers and a lineman flying under the radar. 

“I think this pick will be either Golden, McMillan or North Dakota State OG/C Grey Zabel," Breer said on a recent episode of The MMQB NFL Podcast.

Breer touched specifically on Zabel during the episode, "I could see him going as high as No. 12 to Dallas."

We refuted part of that immediately. Dallas would "stick and pick'' Grey Zabel, who is 6-6 and 315 but was a one-year starter in a smaller college at North Dakota State?

Zabel went later. Good for him. Golden went later, too. Good for him.

The Cowboys complete haul of picks? Here you go ...

Round 1 Pick 12 (12) G Tyler Booker  - Alabama

Round 2 Pick 12 (44) EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku - Boston College

Round 3 Pick 12 (76) CB Shavon Revel Jr. - East Carolina

Round 5 Pick 12 (149) RB Jaydon Blue - Texas

Round 5 Pick 16 (152) LB Shemar James - Florida

Round 6 Pick 28 (204) OT Ajani Cornelius - Oregon

Round 7 Pick 1 (217) DT Jay Toia - UCLA

Round 7 Pick 23 (239) RB Phil Mafah - Clemson

Round 7 Pick 31 (247) DT Tommy Akingbesote - Maryland

Staying put to draft a lineman without reeling in additional picks will not land well. Dallas has gotten cute with some picks before, but the options they have heading into draft day make it decision a relatively clear one. 

Winners and losers thoughts?

1 - It's taken too many years. But yes, in Blue, Dallas might've finally drafted a starting running back. That's a winner.

2 - Hey, at least the Sanders Family Circus isn't setting up its tent here, right? Shedeur goes to the Browns. That makes Dallas a winner.

3 - Couldn't they have traded down a little and still gotten Booker? That's a mini-loser because doing so would've been an even bigger winner.

4 - The "Explosive No. 2 Receiver'' Void remains. Until we hear about a trade for a veteran stud, that's a loser.

5 - This was a "Schotty'' Draft, with the new head coach's fingerprints all over it. We reported that this week Brian Schottenheimer "pounded the table'' for the idea of drafting quality people and not leaning too much into "character risks.''

That's a winner.