When it comes to rules of engagement, most brains focus on conflict resolution. But when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys it’s more about whether or not the club will engage in a free agency discussion with, or draft, a specific player.
By this point, fans have reached the acceptance level of the 12 steps when it comes to Dallas’ offseason. The bargaining is over and admitting it is what it is will be paramount to getting excited for the upcoming season. That excitement will be boosted exponentially at the end of the month when the Cowboys do their one really good offseason process, the draft. The Cowboys have been able to identify top targets and routinely come away with great draft hauls because they follow a set of rules. Those rules, the Cowboys 10 Draft Commandments, hone in on the pre-draft thinking of the org in how they build their boards and who gets shoved down.
One Commandment in particular eliminates prospects from Dallas’ process, at least for the first few rounds. “Thou shalt not covet small-school players.”
Dallas will rarely pick a player from a school that doesn’t engage in big-time competition. Player personnel director Will McClay was very frank about needing prospects who have walked through in the fire. The glitz and glamour of playing in the Cowboys’ bubble, on top of the tall task of NFL competition, requires a certain level of fortification.
Dallas leans heavily on prospects who played at Power 5 conference schools, and will only consider prospects from Group of 5 conferences if they like what they see pre-draft, up close and personal.
Looking over The Draft Network’s Top 100 prospects, there’s a myriad of names Cowboys fans would love to see in Dallas. But they most likely aren’t in the cards.