Cleanup on aisle 11.
Micah Parsons’ instant reaction to the Cowboys taking Alabama guard Tyler Booker with the 12th overall pick on Thursday night in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft was, shall we say, tepid.
Parsons, who was on a stream with Bleacher Report, made a face when the pick was announced and started to shrug his shoulders before quickly resetting, realizing the optics were not ideal.
He clarified that he reacted that way because he was hoping the Cowboys would draft a defensive player, not because he was against Booker, a guard, being taken.
“Hold on, hold on. I am excited about this pick,” Parsons said on the stream. “This guy is a beast. He is a beast. And I look at him and Tyler Smith, guard on guard with Zack Martin leaving. This is one of them picks, I mean, wow. He is a beast. He is a beast.
“I just wanted to see that on my side of the ball. But this guy is a beast. I’m not mad at the pick. I get — look. That’s the type of excitement I had when I was a Cowboy. That’s what I’m talking about!”
While the Cowboys had needs at running back, wide receiver and cornerback, replacing Martin — a future Hall of Famer who retired this offseason — looked like the motivation behind taking Booker.
“Our grades are very similar to what we had with Zack,” Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay told reporters at the team’s post-draft presser on Thursday. “And then some of the character traits, there are a lot of things that are very similar. He’s his own individual, but he’s a grown-ᴀss man like Zack is. So you put someone in there that makes us a stronger, more physical team.”
The 6-foot-5, 321-pound Booker played left guard at Alabama and will likely have to switch to the right side in the NFL.
“I’m just going to get to work,” Booker told reporters. “Wherever you put me on a football field, I’m going to be ready to get after it. I’m going to be ready to go. It doesn’t matter if I’m at left guard, right guard, right tackle, center, slot receiver, running back. It don’t matter. I’m going to give you my all.”
