The Dallas Cowboys have once again altered their draft haul with a trade. With three weeks remaining before the 2025 draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Dallas engineered a trade for backup quarterback Joe Milton, adding him to the room in an effort to stabilize the position's depth long-term behind Dak Prescott. Giving up a fifth-round pick and bringing in a seventh in addition to the player, the club's expected spend from the draft has once again shifted slightly.
Thanks to the CBA the amount of bread going in the bellies of each pick is already mapped out. But as always, cash isn't king when it comes to the NFL salary cap.
Each player in the top several rounds will receive a signing bonus that is allocated across the four years of the rookie deal. In addition, because of the rule of the Top 51, the full amount of the cap hit isn't just stacked on top of what the veterans are costing. The league minimum (or just above it) gets subtracted from each new player's cap impact, because they essentially push a lower-paid player on the offseason 90-man roster out of the Top 51 calculation.
Dallas will need just over $4 million of cap space to pay their rookies in 2025. Here's a look at the details, courtesy of Over The Cap.
Cowboys Total Rookie Pool
The Cowboys land in the middle of the pack as far as how much money they'll dole out to their rookie class, ranking 14th highest of the 32 teams. Dallas' pool sits at $11,632,376 for the group of 10 picks. Three teams who pick after them (Dolphins, Seahawks, Ravens) are spending more on their class based on having a higher total pick value throughout the draft.
The smallest rookie pool belongs to the Minnesota Vikings, at $5.6 million. The Vikings are missing second, fourth and seventh-round picks. The largest belongs to the Cleveland Browns, with the No. 2 selection and two third rounders, at $16.75 million.
The NFC East pecking order is New York, at $14.7 million, Dallas at $11.6 million, the Philadelphia Eagles at $9.3 million and the Washington Commanders at $6.5 million.
Trades that move Dallas up or down in any round will alter this some, but for now this is where they sit.
Contract Details for each Cowboys pick
The Cowboys' 10 picks have a total contract value of $65.3 million across the life of their four-year contracts. The team will have a fifth-year option for their first rounder, allowing them to add an additional year of service during a window following the pick's third year in the league.
1.12: Total contract is worth $19.38 million, signing bonus of $10.7 million
2025 Cap Hit: $3,523,851
2.44: Total contract is worth $9.2 million, signing bonus of $3.3 million
2025 Cap Hit: $1,668,348
3.76: Total contract is worth $6.17 million, signing bonus of $1.1 million
2025 Cap Hit: $1,122,360
5.149: Total contract is worth $4.55 million, signing bonus of $351k
2025 Cap Hit: ...
