Jerry Jones remains the sole decision-maker for the Cowboys—something that was made clear once again in this year’s draft. Selecting 12th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, he picked Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker—a move no one saw coming. But that’s typical Jerry. Notably, he appears to be eyeing Booker as a replacement for retired Hall of Famer Zack Martin. Still, taking an offensive guard with the 12th overall pick raised some eyebrows.

Jones had emphasized during the pre-draft press conference that the offensive line was “more important than the running person.” This selection was part of the first of two trades Jones hinted at when he said a few days earlier, “We’re looking at two things that could happen before or after the draft. Two pretty substantive trades. Been working on [them] today.” The plan had been in motion ever since Zack Martin announced his retirement.

The former HOFer played 11 seasons with the Cowboys, appearing in 162 games—all as a starter. One thing that may have worked in Booker’s favor: his striking physical resemblance to Martin. While Martin measured 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, Booker stood at 6-foot-4, 321 pounds at the NFL Combine.

NFL reporter Pete Prisco also praised the offensive lineman and said, “He is one of my favorite offensive linemen in this draft. He’s a mauler. He is a little limited in terms of athletic ability, but he works for the Cowboys as they try and get better up front.” But Jerry Jones had several other options. He could have gone with Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan. But WR CeeDee Lamb is not on the top of the owner’s mind. He wants to find protection for the quarterback.

“I think at the end of the day, you are trying to pick the best player on the board,” Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said about their draft choices. But fans couldn’t wrap their head around the choices. They trolled the franchise owner.

Fans troll Jerry Jones over first-round pick

Everyone was waiting for the first-round pick. But fans couldn’t digest the fact that Jerry Jones chose an offensive lineman. One fan trolled the owner for being non-serious about the choices and wrote, “Jerry just out here picking names out of a hat.” Another fan commented, “😂😂😂😂😂😂 a Guard at 12!?” laughing at their first-round choice.

Another fan summed up his feelings about the Cowboys owner in 4 words and wrote, “I HATE YOU JERRY.” But Jerry Jones has never explained his stance on such decisions. With the franchise now three decades removed from its last Super Bowl, fans are growing desperate. Yet Jerry Jones continues to make decisions unilaterally. “Lol, unserious franchise,” one fan’s comment perfectly captures the frustration that’s been simmering for years.

Fans have repeatedly asked Jones to apply more logic—or at least explain the reasoning behind his choices—but he rarely, if ever, does. And at 82, that transparency may never come. One fan put it bluntly: “You really need to stop spoiling picks, dude.” Truthfully, a lot of Cowboys Nation seems to feel the same way.

Like it or not, their fate for the 2025 season is now tied to this draft class. Stay tuned for more updates from the NFL Draft.