The 2025 NFL draft has come and gone, and now, per usual, all of the usual NFL experts and insiders to talk about the draft and criticize or applaud teams for their picks. The Dallas Cowboys have gotten some mixed reviews for their draft selections, but plenty of praise, with Chad Reuter of the NFL giving the team an A- for their overall picks.
While the Cowboys’ pick of Tyler Booker of Alabama in the first round is getting plenty of attention, it’s not just the first-rounders that are turning heads. When it come to the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 draft choices, one lower profile pick is drawing some attention.
Dallas Cowboys Pick Could Be a Hit
In a May 2 feature for Bleacher Report, Brent Sobleski discusses each of the NFL team’s best value selection in the 2025 draft. “Each organization has a philosophical approach that will vary, thus creating a prism in how it views prospects,” he stated in the article. “Once team needs, medical reports and interviews are added to the mix, a front office’s approach will vary greatly.”
So, what makes a great value pick? It’s all about expectations and delivery. “While looking at some of the biggest value selections of the draft, they can often be found at a devalued positions, specifically running back, which featured a strong position class this year,” Sobleski stated. “A couple of other teams benefit from contemporaries not being as high on the quarterback class.”
For the Cowboys, Sobleski loves running back Phil Mafah of Clemson. Who wouldn’t?
“The Dallas Cowboys brought in four different running backs to rework their entire room this offseason,” he noted in the piece. “Clemson’s Phil Mafah was a seventh-round draft pick, but a couple of different aspects must be kept in mind when projecting the rookie in this particular lineup.”
He adds that Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders both have one-year deals for 2025 and that the Cowboys’ latest “draft selections of Jaydon Blue and Mafah could easily become the team’s one-two punch by the end of this season and over the long haul.”
Sobleski also notes that “Mafah played through a shoulder injury, which really limited his effectiveness at points.” When he’s healthy, Mafah is a “hammer between the tackles, which provides a different skill set than anything Dallas’ three other backs can claim. A thunder-and-lighting tandem with Mafah and Blue has legitimate potential to spark the Cowboys’ ground game.”
More Kind Words for Latest Cowboys Player
Mafah’s scouting report from the NFL Draft Buzz also has some shining words for the new Cowboy.
“The William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist saved his best for last, battling through injury to become just the 18th player in Clemson history to record a 1,000-yard rushing season,” the report notes. “Voted team captain by his peers, Mafah showcased his workhorse potential with three 100-yard performances in a four-game stretch midseason, including a punishing 171-yard effort against Louisville.”
The report adds, “His combination of size, power, and unexpected patience has NFL scouts intrigued about his potential as a complementary piece or perhaps even a lead back at the next level.”
