The Cowboys’ 2025 draft class has some promising names near the top, but the back end of that group is already feeling the squeeze.
Dallas checked in at No. 24 in ESPN’s rankings of players age 25 or younger, a spot that says plenty about the team’s uneven drafting in recent years. CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Smith, two of the NFL’s best at their positions, were not even eligible for the list because they’ve aged out of the criteria. And even if they had counted, the Cowboys still would have landed in the bottom half of the league.
There is good news in the 2025 class. Tyler Booker and Donovan Ezeiruaku have drawn encouraging early reviews, and if Shavon Revel, Jaydon Blue, Shemar James, and Phil Mafah take a step in Year 2, this group could end up looking strong. But not every rookie is in the same spot.
Ajani Cornelius and Jay Toia, both Day 3 selections, may already be fighting for their roster lives before their second training camp even gets rolling.
Toia’s path is especially tricky because the defensive tackle room around him has changed fast and gotten a lot deeper. He was the first of Dallas’ three seventh-round picks last year and made the 53-man roster as a rookie, but that was before the front of the defense was reshaped. Micah Parsons was still on the roster, Kenny Clark had not yet arrived, and Toia was the only interior defensive lineman left from that pre-Parsons trade roster.
Since then, Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas, and Mazi Smith were traded, Perrion Winfrey was released, and the Cowboys brought in Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Otito Ogbonnia, and Jonathan Bullard. On top of that, fourth-round pick LT Overton is expected to get plenty of work inside, likely as a 4i.
At 6-foot-2 and 342 pounds, Toia still has the kind of size that gives him real nose tackle upside. The problem is the numbers game. Todd Archer’s ESPN 53-man projection had Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otito Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, LT Overton, and veteran Tyrus Wheat making the cut, which left Toia out.
Even with some natural growth, he has a steep climb ahead. Right now, the practice squad looks like his clearest route to staying in the organization.
Cornelius is in a similar spot on the offensive side. The sixth-round pick from Oregon played in one game as a rookie, and that came only on special teams. He also made the 53 last season, but the tackle picture has changed since then.
Dallas drafted Penn State’s Drew Shelton in the fourth round in April, and Shelton worked as the second-string left tackle during minicamp. Third-year tackle Nate Thomas also has experience on both sides. That leaves Cornelius, at best, fifth on the tackle depth chart.
The Cowboys may also choose to carry an extra interior offensive lineman after second-string center Matt Hennessy went on season-ending IR with a neck injury. Archer’s roster projection reflected that possibility, with the final offensive line spot going to third-year guard Trevor Keegan.
Cornelius does not have much room to make mistakes in camp. If he can show some versatility, that would give him a much better chance to survive the cut.
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