Tyler Booker's first-round selection was a surprise to some who believed he might end up being drafted on Day 2.
The Cowboys never seemed to have a doubt, spending the 12th overall pick on their chosen replacement for the retired Zack Martin. They're getting quite a competitive individual in Booker, who is still simmering over the way his collegiate career ended.
"I love to win and I hate to lose. I lost too much this past year. I lost a lot more than I should have in college, me being at Alabama," Booker said, via the Dallas Morning News. "I left without a national championship and that's something that is going to burn at me for the rest of my life. So I'm going to bring that burn and passion and desire with me to the NFL and transfer that over to wanting to win Super Bowls."
Those words are music to the ears of the Cowboys, a club that hasn't tasted sweet victory in nearly 30 years. Over the last three decades, Dallas' peak has only seen them reach the Divisional Round. They need players who possess a competitive fire like Booker's, and once they discovered it existed within him, they jumped at the opportunity to select him.
Renowned offensive line guru Duke Manyweather has worked out with Booker and sees the same potential in the Alabama product.
"Who you're going to get with Tyler Booker is a leader," Manyweather said Thursday from the OL Mastermind Summit, via the Dallas Morning News. "You're going to get a guy that's going to push the envelope with people. He's going to hold people accountable. There's no gray area with him. He's the same big energy guy every single time.
"So I knew, no matter what, it doesn't matter if he's a rookie or not -- rookies are going to have growing pains and gripes -- I think he's going to be a great complement to that room the way (left guard) Tyler Smith leads. And I think you'll see here, maybe early on, that Tyler Booker is going to be an integral piece, not just as a player, but as a leader in that room and the whole team."
It's not often a rookie arrives and takes command, but Booker seems to be wired differently than the typical rookie. He can't wait to prove himself to his new teammates once full contact arrives because he knows it's the prelude to what matters most: the regular season.
"I'm very excited about training camp and putting the pads on," Booker said. "I'm really excited for the opportunity to get better, because I know there will be things I have to work on and things I have to get better at and things I have to learn. I'm very excited to go through the whole process and learn."
