Cowboys
The Cowboys used the No. 12 overall pick on first-round G Tyler Booker, a sizable investment for a guard. Booker would likely have gone in the first round regardless, but what really drew Dallas to him was his leadership acumen. The team is envisioning Booker as a future core leader in the locker room, sooner rather than later.
“To be the leader of this [rookie] group, I take a lot of pride in that,” Booker said via Patrik Walker of the team website. “I’m just a natural-born leader, so with my fellow rookies, I’m excited to continue to learn and grow with them.”
Booker discussed his final season at Alabama and how it helped prepare him for the next level.
“This last year helped me a lot,” Booker said. “Not just as a football player, but as a man. Going into [last] year with a lot of uncertainty and having to weather the storm, and then just not having the success that I wanted, that I was the same person every day. Even when we were losing the games that we shouldn’t have lost, I was the same person. I was the same Tyler Booker, every day. That taught me how to be resilient even more than I already was. I feel like this last year, that last year at Alabama added more to who I am as a man.”
Giants
Giants GM Joe Schoen admits that the team was aware a trade could happen, leading to Travis Hunter being selected with the second pick and allowing Penn State DE Abdul Carter to fall into their lap at No. 3.
“One and two did go as we expected, and we had caught wind probably a week before the draft that Travis Hunter was going to go number two and it’s probably not to the Cleveland Browns. So, were we positive which team that may be? No. We didn’t know but had a pretty good idea of who it was based on previous conversations. It’s rare, but unfortunately that’s what you get when you’re picking three,” Schoen said, via the team website. “So, hopefully we’re not picking up there again, but the way the draft played out and the type of player that Abdul is and the fact that we were able to get him at three and the impact that he could make on our team, you couldn’t pass on a guy like that. Abdul’s demeanor, play style, the toughness, the physicality, just the play speed, he jumps off the film. Then his ability to affect the passer, whether it’s bending around the edge or up and under or stunts and games, he’s got versatility. So, whether it’s on the ball, off the ball, spying the quarterback, rushing the passer, we’ll be able to use him in a variety of ways.”
“We were fired up when we found out that Hunter went number two,” Schoen added. “Again, it had been a couple weeks building that we had heard Travis was going to go number two, whether it was Cleveland or somebody else. So, you had kind of went through all these scenarios with Abdul Carter as your potential pick based on some further research that we did later in the process. The Monday before the draft when we had some meetings and we came to the conclusion that if Abdul was there, he’d be our guy. How could you not be excited about getting that guy?”
Giants
Giants rookie G Marcus Mbow says that he is ready to play any of the five positions along the offensive line in New York and plans to contribute wherever he is needed.
“I feel like I’ll be able to succeed at all five positions,” Mbow said, via the team website. “Been working them all, and they all feel pretty good, so I’m excited to see where they want me. Kind of just excited to see where I’ll be playing at. Looking forward to hearing from the o-line coach and head coach to see where they want me. Putting people on the ground, winning reps, and demoralizing people. It’s always fun. It’s definitely part of the reason I love the game. I’m excited to be around all these guys. I’ve seen a lot of these guys, whether it was when they were in college or throughout the league watching film, hearing about them through the grapevine, and I’m excited to get around them and just see what it’s like.”
“Really athletic player, has some position flexibility from tackle to guard,” GM Joe Schoen said about Mbow after the draft. “We think he can play both. Smart guy, finishes on film. You see him running down on the pulls and stuff. Super athletic. Excited about him. Marcus Mbow, he’s a guy that we were a little bit surprised that he was there when we picked. We really liked his film. When you take these guys, sometimes you get texts from around the league from other personnel people or general managers if you took a guy they were going to take, and he’s one that there were a lot of texts, just the value where we got him.”
“He did a good job playing tackle,” HC Brian Daboll added. “He’s athletic. He can bend. I think he’s got, like Joe talked about, some position flexibility to move inside if we need him to. We’ll start him out at tackle is the plan, but I think once you get to those type of down the line linemen, if you will, the position flexibility is important, but we’ll start him out at tackle.”
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