1 day Ago By Athlon Sports
When the Dallax Cowboys selected Alabama mauler Tyler Booker in this NFL Draft, they didn’t just fill a need — they made a statement.This was about a commitment to a new identity. This was about tone.
This was about toughness. zzz becoming the bully as opposed to getting bullied. As we wrote back on April 22,, Booker represents the exact pivot this franchise needed — from finesse to force.
From being the team that got pushed around in the postseason to the one doing the pushing. And now that projection has become reality.The Cowboys had a HOF-sized hole at right guard amidst Zack Martin's retirement was never going to be filled by a bunch of bottom-barrel un-restricted and un-drafted free agents.
Booker is the most physically dominant offensive lineman in the entire class. A relentless, tone-setting people-mover with 324 pounds of bad intentions. His lateral agility may not be elite, but that’s not what this pick was about.
It was about violence. It was about an edge. It was about finally drafting a player who plays with the exact chip the Cowboys have lacked in their biggest games against playoff-caliber opponents.
But most importantly it was about the person behind the player and Tyler Booker's reputation of leadership at a program like Alabama should speak for itself. This was Schottenheimer's 'perfect pick' for two reasons we beat to a pulp all off-season:1. physicality2.
characterBooker now joins a front five anchored by Tyler Smith and Cooper Beebe — two other violent maulers who major in moving people against their will. Tyler Smith's all-pro resume combined with Beebe and Booker's reputation has the makings of the most physically dominant interior offensive line in the entire national football league. This wasn’t a luxury pick.
This was a culture pick. The Cowboys under Brian Schottenheimer are looking to play a very different brand of football. Related: From Scalpel to Sledgehammer: Cowboys Changing IdentityRelated: Schotty’s Fingerprints Push Cowboys Quiet Change.
