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Dallas Cowboys May Regret NFL Draft 'Infatuation'

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated May 1, 2025 4:11 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys checked a lot of boxes during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Jerry Jones and Co. landed some potentially major upgrades along both lines of scrimmage through the first two rounds before spending the rest of the weekend mining quality depth at key positions of need such as running back, linebacker, and cornerback, looking to both jumpstart the ground game and upgrade what became one of the more inconsistent defenses as it battled through myriad injuries last season.

However, there is one pick that Cowboys may look back on as being a gamble from this year’s class.

Dallas Cowboys’ Most Questionable NFL Draft Choice Revealed

While Donovan Ezeiruaku and Tyler Booker have immediate starter upside for the Cowboys and could be significant upgrades, not every pick arrives in Dallas with such lofty expectations.

CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards put together a list of each team’s most questionable selection during the draft, including the Cowboys’ fifth-round choice, former Florida linebacker Shemar James.

“James lacks the ideal mass to play in the box,” Edwards writes for CBS. “And struggles to consistently deconstruct blocks. His missed tackle rate was too high. Dallas has an infatuation with those athletic linebackers with streamlined frames, which has likely contributed to its run-defense issues. Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker going No. 12 overall was a bit of a surprise after how poorly he tested but the tape validates where he was taken.”

Whether Booker lives up to his billing as a top-15 pick clearly carries more weight both in terms of evaluating the Cowboys’ draft class and the offense’s trajectory, but given the needs on defense, Dallas is going to need for James to develop into a more complete player and in a hurry to justify selecting him at all.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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