FRISCO, Texas — Tyler Guyton has officially landed in Dallas and made his way to his new digs at Cowboys' world headquarters, and he's beaming with enthusiasm as he prepares to get to work for the NFL team he was raised to be a lifelong fan of — by virtue of his father being one himself.
With the 29th-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was Guyton getting the phone call.
"I looked at my phone and it read 'The Star', and my heart stopped beating," said the former Sooner. " … This means everything. There's no better way this could have played out. We've been rocking the Star our whole life and going to Cowboys games here and there, when we can, but now the real thing is here.
"I feel like everything is falling in line with The Man Upstairs, and we're all excited. Before I saw [the Cowboys] on the clock, I prayed about it."
It was all Guyton and his family, who consisted of his father, mother, brothers and friends who flew in with him from South Texas, could do to contain their emotion — pleasantly failing to do so — as they exited the aircraft in Dallas and went on to the team's warehouse where he was greeted with raucous cheers as he high-fived nearly every employee and got to help manufacture his very own No. 60 Cowboys' jersey.
From there, the Texas native was escorted to The Star in Frisco, and that's where the emotions and tears truly began to flow, as things went from surreal to very, very real.
Guyton admittedly has some learning to do to reach the All-Pro level of the man standing to his right on the Cowboys' offensive line, Tyler Smith, but his athleticism is borderline outrageous for a human being that stands nearly 6-foot-8 and weighs in at just under 325 pounds; and that has helped him become one of the best pass protectors in this draft class.
And speaking of Smith, who received a first-round call from the Cowboys only two short Aprils ago but who quickly ascended to becoming one of the best linemen in the entire NFL, he and Guyton are already off to a fast start.
They spoke after the call was made, and the rookie offensive tackle is ecstatic in knowing he'll be playing beside a talent like Smith.
"I sent him a text last night," said Guyton. "I am excited about that. He is a dog. He is a ferocious offensive guard."
As is Zack Martin, a future first ballot Hall of Fame [right] guard whose brain Guyton is champing at the bit to pick on a daily basis.
"I'm fully open to learning everything [from how to take care of my body to the playbook]," said Guyton. "I'm a blank canvas and ready to find my way. … Just being in the room with greatness like [Zack Martin] is everything to me. Being able to pick his brain, if you listen to how that sounds — he's an amazing player.
"He's a legend in Dallas. Being on the same line as The Gob, I'm about to cry right now."
To help facilitate the osmosis, the Cowboys have intentionally placed Guyton's locker directly next to Martin's, and when the former saw this was the case, he nearly fainted from the sheer magnitude of it all hitting him in real time:
He's a Cowboy, and an NFL legend is his neighbor.
And now it's time to work.
"Putting on my Star, strapping up and whooping somebody's ass on the field," he said. "That's what I'm most excited about. This is kind of like a fever dream."
Having spent plenty of time at right tackle for Oklahoma, he made it known he actually "likes playing left tackle more", and as far as those saying he didn't begin playing football until his senior year in high school, well, that's not entirely true.
Guyton explained he played football most of his life, and that tracks when considering his father's love of the sport, but that he took a hiatus in high school to try his hand at basketball, then going on to train heavily for an attempt at going pro in that sport.
It wasn't until football coaches at Manor High School (Manor, Texas) stopped him in the hallway one afternoon and said to him, "Ty, you need to play football again," as he explains it.
He'd take their advice and, a few short years later, he's the first-round pick of his family's beloved team, in a storybook fashion that will quickly flip the page to the next chapter — effective May 8-10, when rookie minicamp begins.
Guyton also took snaps at tight end during his football journey, an added nod to his athleticism, and isn't shy about letting head coach and offensive playcaller Mike McCarthy know he's an option in surprise TE packages as well, of course declaring eligible ahead of time.
"Hey, line me up!" he shouted. "I am not dropping the pass! I'm putting that out there right now, I'm not dropping the pass!"
Duly noted.
There's plenty to root for with Guyton, from his family's lifelong adoration of the Cowboys to seeing that manifest into the ultimate dream for the gleeful but imposing 21-year-old who has a serious mean streak when it's time to get down to business.
His demeanor off of the field is one of humility, hard work and thankfulness, but the one he wraps himself in during games is that of visceral brutality — perfectly similar to Tyler Smith, who is quite literally the same in both capacities.
Guyton says his best attributes aren't tied to his skill set, though.
"[It's] my heart and my mind," he said. "I really love football, deep down to the core. I have a mentality of trying to dominate, and that's what I'm bringing to Dallas."
The NFL is a league that speeds up time for all involved and, as such, Guyton will blink one day and a decade will have passed. So while it's all about enjoying and focusing on where his feet are right now, his answer to the question of what he ultimately wants Cowboys' fans to remember him for is telling of his mindset.
"That [I] left it all on the field," he said. "That I left it all out there and worked [my] ass off, and that [I'm] a good man. That he helped us win a Super Bowl. … Man, I'm ready to put the pads on right now. I want my playbook right now."
His wish of getting to work will be granted in a few days, but his first, and most important one, is already realized: a young boy from South Texas who prayed daily for a chance to play for the professional team in North Texas.
Again, eerily similar to his new partner-in-crime, Tyler Smith.
God's Plan, it appears.
