Blogging The Boys
Each week we dive into each team’s rookie class and compare how they stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com)
First Round
Booker’s night in Vegas looked like vet-caliber guard play from a rookie. Dallas didn’t hide him, and he didn’t need hiding. He kept the right B-gap drama-free while the Cowboys controlled the tempo and Dak carved out a huge performance. The box score backs the narrative as Dallas allowed just one sack for one yard and churned out 114 rushing yards on 31 attempts, part of a 381-yard, 24-first-down outing in a 33–16 win.
ESPN’s win-rate board slots Booker among the league’s better interior run blockers with a 76% run-block win rate, top-10 at his position, while the Cowboys’ line sits 10th in pass-block win rate (66%) and 13th in run-block win rate (72%), context that matches what the tape keeps showing with Booker. PFF has him at 77.2 with a run-block grade near, the best among all rookie guards, and a 61.6 pass-blocking grade which ranks second. That’s a pretty encouraging rookie guard profile.
The Philadelphia test is different for Booker as this is less of a one-man wrecking ball like Vegas, and more wave after wave. The Eagles aren’t the league’s top pass rushing team this year, with a pass-rush win rate is at 36%, which ranks 19th. But they win with depth and interior push. Jaelan Phillips still threatens edges with speed-to-power, Jalen Carter can dent pockets from 3-tech, and Jordan Davis ranks top-10 in defensive tackle run-stop win rate at 40%. The checklist for Booker is protect Dak Prescott from Carter’s relentlessness, and bring the same firm run blocks that showed up in Vegas so Dallas can stay ahead of the sticks.
Grade: 70.1
Second Round
Ezeiruaku’s Vegas tape looked great as a run defender. He threatened the corner early to set the table, then mixed in speed-to-power and a tight inside counter once the right tackle started oversetting. His best reps showed up on pressure downs where he played with disciplined rush lanes and a late pressure that forced throws that missed the target.
The encouraging thing about Ezeiruaku is that the motor never dips and the fourth quarter looked like first quarter, which is how those pressures start turning into drive-enders.Philadelphia is a different exam. Quarterback Jalen Hurts turns bad gap integrity into explosive plays. Expect chips and an RPO game that tests edge discipline.
Grade: 79.7
The Cowboys finally got their long-armed rookie corner on the field at last. Activated from NFI ahead of the Raiders game, Shavon Revel made his NFL debut 429 days after his ACL tear. Dallas kept him on a pitch count and things all looked fine. He’s a press-friendly outside corner built for modern condensed splits. Physical at the line, patient feet, and can disrupt the route....
