The Cowboys brain trust raved about first-round pick Tyler Guyton on Thursday night after making the Oklahoma offensive tackle the 29th overall pick in the 2024 draft.
But team owner Jerry Jones did a fair bit of gushing over a player still on the board, too, perhaps tipping his hand as to who he and the team are eyeing when the second round gets underway Friday evening.
When asked toward the end of the press conference at the conclusion of Day 1 about Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, Jones didn’t hesitate.
“In my 30 years, I thought it was the best interview that I’ve ever interviewed with a player,” Jones said of Brooks.
The brash businessman’s well-known hyperbole aside, that’s saying something, considering how many countless prospects he’s sat down with over the course of his ownership.
“He’s outstanding,” Jones went on about the Longhorns ball carrier who most have pegged as the top back in the draft class. “He’s just outstanding. He’s a great football player. We’ve got him high, high, high.”
If not for an ACL tear suffered in November, Brooks would have likely already been drafted, despite an overall depression in the running back market in today’s NFL and a growing tendency to not draft them early.
“I got to sit with him as well,” Stephen Jones added. “I think he’s working his tail off to get that knee [healthy], you know? He’s good friends with our guy [former Texas teammate and current Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion] Overshown.”
Overshown, the team’s third-round pick last year, sat out his rookie campaign with his own ACL injury.
“I think they’re taking notes on each other’s knees and how they’re coming along. They’re competitive like that,” Stephen went on. “But like Jerry said, he’s one hell of a football player… After visiting with him, you’re betting on him.”
Betting on Brooks to end up with a star on his helmet, though, may be a dicey wager. He’s currently listed by ESPN as the 11th-best prospect remaining; The Athletic ranks him 19th, and NFL.com has him 25th.
The Cowboys are currently slated to have the 24th pick once the second round gets underway.
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The Joneses’ fawning over Brooks could, of course, be a smokescreen designed to camouflage their true intention about who they’re targeting with the 56th overall pick or even a bit of chum thrown into the water to stir up some trade offers.
As the team’s VP of player personnel Will McClay quickly reminded everyone before the lovefest got too out of hand, Brooks is “one of several great players that are still left in this draft.”
But the conviction in Jerry’s voice when he recalled his interview with the 20-year-old Texas native was evident.
The Cowboys like Brooks. Whether that turns into something more will be a story to watch Friday night.
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