The draft is the No. 1 way to rebuild, reload, or revamp an NFL roster. If teams want to sustain success, it is crucial to make the most of their draft picks year after year. The Dallas Cowboys recent, and future, drafts are even more important than usual, as the Cowboys attempt to fill out and improve their lineup without much cap space based on last year’s franchise tag and the expected follow up in 2021.
The Cowboys 2019 and 2020 drafts, after just a few short seasons, are shaping up to be very different hauls. Of course, some players may continue to develop, but for the most part, we’ve seen enough to determine who is a positive value and which picks were potentially wasted.
2019 Draft
| Round | Player | Position |
| 1 (27 ovr) | Traded for Amari Cooper | WR |
| 2 | Trysten Hill | DT |
| 3 | Connor McGovern | OL |
| 4 | Tony Pollard | RB |
| 5 | Michael Jackson | CB |
| 5 | Joe Jackson | DE |
| 6 | Donovan Wilson | S |
| 7 | Mike Weber | RB |
| 7 | Jalen Jelks | DE |
The earlier the draft pick, the more crucial it is that the club hits on that pick. The Cowboys created excellent value by acquiring Amari Cooper for what ended up being the No. 27 overall selection.
However, when it comes to the picks after that, the picks that Dallas actually made, the class is pretty hit or miss, with four of eight players drafted never seeing the field before departing Dallas.
With no true first-round pick, the No. 58 overall pick became more important for the Cowboys, and the team used it on UCF defensive tackle Trysten Hill. Many viewed this pick as a reach at the time and Hill has had limited results through two years. Hill certainly looked improved from his rookie year, but his sophomore season ended with an ACL-tear after just five games.
Connor McGovern was forced to fill in along the line this year after missing his entire rookie year with an injury, but he has not locked in a sure-fire starting job entering his third season.
Snagging Tony Pollard in the fourth round was one of the bright spots from this Dallas draft class. The elusive Memphis prospect has proved more than capable of being a change-of-pace back behind Ezekiel Elliott, and he shined in the lone game Elliott missed in 2020.
Sixth rounder Donovan Wilson has a case for best selection by the Cowboys. Wilson barely saw the field in his opening year, but took over the Cowboys starting safety position midway through 2020 and never looked back. Wilson was a takeaway machine in the second half of the year for the Cowboys, and will likely start at one of the safety spots again in 2021.
As previously mentioned, the four remaining Cowboys selections didn’t contribute at all, and none are with Dallas just two years after being drafted.
When assessing just the Cowboys draft selections and not the trade for Amari Cooper, it was a forgettable haul. Pollard and Wilson are solid young players, but too many picks were wasted for this to be the draft Dallas was hoping it would.
2019 was the last draft under head coach Jason Garrett, and the good news is that Mike McCarthy’s first shot at the draft process with Dallas is shaping up to be noticeably better than Garrett’s last.
2020 Draft
| Round | Player | Position |
| 1 | CeeDee Lamb | WR |
| 2 | Trevon Diggs | CB |
| 3 | Neville Gallimore | DT |
| 4 | Reggie Robinson II | DB |
| 4 | Tyler Biadasz | C |
| 5 | Bradlee Anae | DE |
| 7 | Ben DiNucci | QB |
Coming off a disenchanting draft in 2019, McCarthy and company needed to make a splash in their first draft calling the shots in Dallas and the initial impression is that they did just that. The Cowboys were able to acquire multiple players they had their eye on, and Dallas was able to get a few of the players later than some experts thought.
While wide receiver was a sneaky need for Dallas, one would be hard pressed to find pundits saying it was the most pressing. Dallas likely never imagined a prospect the caliber of Lamb would fall to No. 17, and Lamb was just too talented for the Cowboys to pass up. Lamb’s production slowed as the year progressed, but the main cause was the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott. With Prescott under center, Lamb was on pace for one of the most productive rookie receiver ever, and it’s clear his dynamic receiving abilities have translated to the next level.
The selection of Lamb showed the Cowboys front office wasn’t scared to take the best player available, regardless of position.
A player many thought the Cowboys were considering in the first round, cornerback Trevon Diggs, managed to stay on the board until the second Dallas selection. Diggs was thrown straight into the deep water, matching up man-to-man with opposing teams best wide receivers week-after-week. Of course there were ups and downs, as cornerback is one of the hardest positions in the league, but Diggs showed off his coverage and ball skills, convincing many he will be a longtime starter in the Dallas secondary.
Neville Gallimore’s snap counts increased as the season went along and the Cowboys lost defensive tackles to injury (or to the waivers in Dontari Poe’s case). The former Sooner will obviously need to improve his consistency, but showed flashes of ability to break through the line that you want out of a defensive tackle prospect.
One of Dallas’ two fourth-round picks, Reggie Robinson II didn’t do much as a rookie. Many had high hopes for the versatile newcomer. Ultimately Robinson only played in only five games, and saw no defensive snaps, while many fans wondered why the coaching staff didn’t give him a chance late in the year. He was moved to safety by defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and neither he nor secondary coach Mo Linguist is returning to the team in 2021. Robinson could return to corner.
Tyler Biadasz saw action at center after an injury to veteran Joe Looney. He played relatively well as one of the only rookie centers to play in 2021, earning first-team all rookie honors from PFF. He however didn’t play down the stretch even after returning from IR.
Another Cowboy who fans were clamoring to see more of was fifth-round pick Bradlee Anae. A pass-rushing machine at Utah, it was a surprise to many that Anae was on the board as long as he was. Year two will be big for Anae as he tries to work his way into the edge rotation.
The Cowboys final pick, Ben DiNucci, might never see the field again in Dallas, but fans are still trying to forget his attempted sidearm pass in the Week 8 loss to Philadelphia.
Overall, the effectiveness of McCarthy’s first draft with Dallas will take more time to determine, but it was a promising start for the majority of the 2020 Cowboys draft class.