It’s NFL Draft week, which means insiders are leaving no stone unturned to gather intel before Thursday night. The Dallas Cowboys have a long history of drafting players they host for 30 visits, so fans have a good idea of who they will target this weekend.

Unlike last year, when it seemed obvious they would take Tyler Guyton in the first round, Dallas could go many different directions with the No. 12 overall pick.

While edge rusher and cornerback are both possibilities, it really seems like the front office wants a new starting wide receiver. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden out of Texas have been heavily linked to the Cowboys in the weeks leading up to draft night.

While McMillan and Golden are the prohibitive favorites, Jerry Jones throwing fans a curveball is always a possibility. Marshawn Kneeland (2024 second-round pick) and Luke Schoonmaker (2023 second-round pick) are two recent examples of surprise picks.

The Cowboys could have a similar trick up their sleeve Thursday night.

Cowboys may take a massive gamble with the No. 12 pick

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is hearing that North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel could be in play for Dallas at No. 12.

“The name that a couple of people brought up to me here as a potential curveball is North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel,” Breer writes. “Yes, this would be a little early for Zabel. But he’s considered a pick that’s safe like Duke C Graham Barton was a year ago, and Barton had a very solid rookie year for the Buccaneers. Everyone seems to like Zabel, and I’d bet he won’t make it out of the teens, so this isn’t too much of a reach.”

Zabel was not one of the Cowboys’ reported 30 visits. That doesn’t mean the team didn’t meet with him, however. As far as offensive linemen, they’ve met with Missouri’s Armand Membou, Texas’ Kelvin Banks, Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea and Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers.

A left tackle at North Dakota State last season, Zabel is expected to play guard in the NFL. The Cowboys have signed a plethora of depth pieces this offseason, but they’ve yet to find a clearcut replacement for Zack Martin, who announced his retirement.

Zabel would check that box as a plug-and-play pick at right guard. A mauler in the run game, Zabel fits Brian Schottenheimer’s vision for the offense. He would help anchor the interior offensive line alongside All-Pro Tyler Smith and budding second-year pro Cooper Bebee.

While left tackle is a big question mark after Tyler Guyton’s rollercoaster rookie year, the idea of having the three interior positions locked in for the foreseeable future is very tempting. The only drawback is Zabel could likely be had in a trade-down scenario.

Furthermore, you have to wonder what drafting an OL in round one would do to Dallas’ hopes of finding a WR2. Assuming McMillan, Golden, Luther Burden and Emeka Egbuka are gone by No. 44, the team will have to catch lightning in a bottle to find a WR2 on day two or three.

Needless to say Zabel is one of the most polarizing picks the Cowboys can make at No. 12.