Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears debate between Tetairoa McMillan, Matthew Golden for Dallas Cowboys

From the outside, there is not much debate about which position the Dallas Cowboys have the most interest in Thursday night. A wide receiver is desperately needed. Someone to help out Dak Prescott and play alongside CeeDee Lamb.

Where there might be some debate is exactly who will wind up being the selection at No. 12. Arizona‘s Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden of Texas appear to be the two popular names just hours before the draft begins. ESPN’s Marcus Spears believes Dallas needs to bring at least one of them in.

“If you have a guy and he’s there and you’ve been convicted and you think he can come in and immediately impact your offense then you take one of those two guys,” Spears said. “I don’t like saying who’s better because who’s better is in the eye of the beholder and who you think fits the best. But they need someone opposite of CeeDee Lamb that can make defenses play you differently.”

Ryan Clark then broke down what each McMillan and Golden can bring to the table. With McMillan, Dallas would get somebody with a bigger body to make contested catches. His volleyball background is noticeable on the football field.

Quite different than Golden, who ran at 4.29 40-yard Dash at the NFL Combine and would be easier to move around formations. At one point, Spears compared him to current New England Patriots star Stefon Diggs.

“It’s what you want,” Clark said. “You expect that guy will get one-on-one matchups. Do you want the big guy, the big body, 50/50 ball catcher, the YAC dude or the guy that can create those dynamic plays with his speed? And also, Matthew Golden can run every route on the route tree and he has sort of an ability to move differently in the formation that I think will help CeeDee Lamb find favorable matchups too.”

Once the draft gets started, almost anything can happen. Maybe there is a world where neither McMillan nor Golden is still on the board. The Cowboys would likely have to move on to a different plan, looking somewhere other than receiver.

But if at least one of the two receivers is available, Spears says Dallas needs to pull the trigger. Either one will be able to find a role in head coach Brian Schottenheimer‘s offense to bring a new dynamic ahead of an important 2025 season.