Longtime franchise owner Jerry Jones doesn’t mind declaring where he believes the Dallas Cowboys stand, a truth at most any point in the NFL calendar.
Jones said on Tuesday he’s especially proud of the success of the Cowboys in the draft as the franchise prepares for the 2025 edition on Thursday night.
“We’re one of the best drafting teams in the NFL. I’ll say that,” Jones said. “We are.”
The Cowboys are still waiting for 2023 first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith (26th overall) to live up to his lofty draft status, and Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (29th overall in 2024) made a marginal impact last season.
Dallas switched head coaches, elevating offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to replace Mike McCarthy. The continuity in place was a reason Jones said he selected Schottenheimer. Vice president of player personnel Will McClay, who holds significant weight in the Cowboys’ draft room, required no introduction to the first-time head coach.
“Schotty knows what he wants,” McClay said. “It’s been a seamless sort of process. There’s a consistent way that we do it that doesn’t change.”
Schottenheimer participated in the open dialogue of the pre-draft process as an assistant coach and his main takeaway remains the same.
“At the end of the day, you want conviction,” Schottenheimer said.
With the No. 12 pick, the Cowboys are targeting the “best player on the board,” according to vice president Stephen Jones. He said the franchise is collectively committed to avoiding forcing a player who “scratches an itch” or feels a team need.
Jones said the financial commitment the Cowboys made in 2024 to quarterback Dak Prescott doesn’t disqualify prospects at the quarterback position in the 2025 draft because “players get hurt.” But the move is a longshot after Dallas traded a fifth-round pick for Patriots backup quarterback Joe Milton and a seventh-rounder on April 3.
How the draft plays out dictates which direction the team will take, Jones said.
Vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys were shocked to have a chance to select Micah Parsons (12th overall in 2021) and were convinced they would be going with a pass rusher when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb dropped to Dallas at No. 17 in 2020.
“What you don’t want to see yourself doing is picking a player who is quite a bit down the line, a round down,” Stephen Jones said. “Great things happen when you (trust) things like that. You’ve got to stay true to where these grades are and what these players are.”
