Tag: 2023 rookie class

Cowboys rookies rank dead last among 32 teams in 2023 production

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys rookie class of 2023 had the lowest impact of any team’s first-year players; kicker Brandon Aubrey’s contributions didn’t count.

It was a strong year for the rookies… unless those rookies happened to be wearing a star on their helmets.

ESPN has ranked every NFL team for the performance of its 2023 rookie class, and the Cowboys are bringing up the rear.

The expectations of most national outlets were modest (at best) back in the spring after the three-day draft, but the Cowboys rookies failed to meet even those C-grades over the course of the regular-season campaign and finished 32nd- worse than every other team in football in terms of production.

The network used a Sports Info Solutions metric called Total Points, which starts with Expected Points Added (EPA) and gives individual value to every player on every scrimmage play. Further adjustments were then made based on the importance of certain positions and other tracking metrics.

Dallas’s most recent draft class was mostly forgettable in hindsight, though a few undrafted free agents did prove to be valuable additions to the roster. And it’s worth noting that kicker Brandon Aubrey- the NFL’s points leader in 2023- did not count in these rankings; the league does not consider him a rookie thanks to his USFL experience.

According to Aaron Schatz:

“Based on Total Points, the best Cowboys rookies were undrafted guard T.J. Bass, who occasionally played when veterans were injured, and undrafted fullback Hunter Luepke. First-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith played as part of the defensive line rotation in every game but disappointed by not being as stalwart against the run as advertised. Second-round tight end Luke Schoonmaker had only eight catches for 65 yards.

“Meanwhile, third-round linebacker DeMarvion Overshown missed the entire season with a torn ACL, and fourth-round edge rusher Viliami Fehoko didn’t play a single snap, spending half the season as a healthy scratch and the other half on injured reserve with a knee issue.”

A look at the regular season’s snap count percentages paints a bleak picture, with only a few select Cowboys rookies getting anything more than a quick sniff of the field.

Rd Player Off% Def% ST%
1 Mazi Smith 0 28.41 4.74
2 Luke Schoonmaker 31.08 0 49.66
3 DeMarvion Overshown 0 0 0
4 Viliami Fehoko 0 0 0
5 Asim Richards 3.29 0 8.80
6 Eric Scott Jr. 0 0 0
6 Deuce Vaughn 5.15 0 7.00
7 Jalen Brooks 6.50 0 18.51
U T.J. Bass 28.97 0 20.54
U Earl Bostick Jr. 0 0 0
U Jalen Cropper 0 0 0
U David Durden 0 0 0
U Princeton Fant 0 0 6.77
U Durrell Johnson 0 0 0
U Hunter Luepke 12.92 0 61.17
U John Stephens Jr. 0 0 0
U Tyrus Wheat 0 2.90 44.47

Those numbers hurt to look at, especially in light of the gloomy missed-opportunity cloud hanging over Cowboys Nation this week.

For all the bashing of Smith and the questions about why he slimmed down over the season instead of bulking up, he played just over a quarter of the defense’s snaps. Schoonmaker saw a fair bit of action but certainly didn’t leave fans wowed. Neither highly-touted Deuce Vaughn nor versatile offensive lineman Asim Richards topped 100 total snaps on the season; Jalen Brooks was perhaps a pleasant surprise with his special-teams presence.

As Schatz points out, Dallas got more bang for their buck out of several undrafted free agents, with Bass, Luepke, and defensive end Tyrus Wheat all logging meaningful snaps.

But it’s the zeroes that stand out on that grid, with eight of the 17 rookies who made it to the end of the season never even getting on the field.

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There’s an argument to be made that rookie success may have helped drive teams toward better seasons. C.J. Stroud was certainly instrumental in getting Houston to the AFC playoffs; the Texans ranked No. 1 on ESPN’s list. And the Rams might not have made it to the No. 2 spot in the rookie rankings- or the NFC bracket at all- without Puka Nacua’s splashy season.

Overall, seven of the top 11-ranked teams on ESPN’s list made the postseason. But meager rookie play didn’t necessarily doom teams; the Dolphins and 49ers are right there with the Cowboys in the bottom five in terms of their rookie production.

Cowboys fans may well have been spoiled by the team’s recent plug-and-play contributors. Tyler Smith, Jake Ferguson, DaRon Bland, Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and Tyler Biadasz all made immediate impacts as rookies, and that’s just within the Mike McCarthy era. So perhaps an off year was just inevitable.

In the end, the Cowboys’ latest premature postseason exit certainly can’t be blamed on lack of rookie impact, just like hitting the jackpot on a draft class doesn’t automatically translate to a successful season. But ESPN’s list drives home the notion that the draft definitely matters, and identifying true NFL-ready talent will always help alleviate some of the state-of-the-franchise questions, no matter how the season ends.

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Where does the Cowboys’ draft class stand ahead of cutdown day?

Questions surrounded the 2023 class yet as cutdown day approaches things look promising for each member’s chances. From @ArmyChiefW3

It has been said one must wait three years in order to properly gauge how well a team’s draft class fared. Growth is part of the process, but immediate impact by special players reinvigorates fanbases and quickly changes the season’s outlook. Take the rookie seasons of QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott for obvious examples.

While the three-year mark is a nice guideline, it is far from a rule and honestly, a lot less fun. Gauging a player with draft grades sets a baseline of expectations which are fun to track throughout a player’s career.

While immediate impact is always desired, having the patience to trust the developmental program may be the most beneficial support a young player can have. So where do the players from the Cowboys 2023 draft class currently stand before rosters are trimmed to 53?

WATCH: Cowboys rookie Deuce Vaughn gets first look at NFL uniform

From @ToddBrock24f7: Vaughn and Luke Schoonmaker were chosen for the NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere as among the league’s most marketable first-year players for 2023.

They have yet to take an actual snap in an NFL game, but Cowboys rookies Luke Schoonmaker and Deuce Vaughn have already gotten a taste of the VIP treatment.

The tight end and running back draft picks were among a group of 45 newcomers to take part in the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles over the weekend. The annual event, now in its 29th year, is staged by the marketing and business licensing arm of the players association and is meant “to educate rookie players about the business aspects of football and help them launch their endorsement careers.”

This year, players had the chance to connect with corporate partners like Fanatics, EA Sports, Pepsi, and DraftKings with an eye toward building relationships and creating marketing opportunities. Panini America, the event’s presenting sponsor, also got the rookies to sign their first batch of football cards to be released in their first year in the pros.

One of the highlights of the weekend was a group photo shoot, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

For sixth-round selection Deuce Vaughn, the event also gave him his first look at his official Cowboys uniform.

There’s no guarantee that Vaughn will keep the No. 42 jersey or even make the final Cowboys roster, but the NFLPA inviting him to the Rookie Premiere is a clear sign that the diminutive running back is seen as one of the most marketable first-year players for 2023.

According the players association, “players are selected for the Rookie Premiere based on factors such as college performance, draft status, position, and marketability, all of which affect trading card value.”

Schoonmaker, the Michigan tight end taken in the second round, was also included in the weekend’s activities, and it seems as though he and Vaughn already have a head start on bonding as first-year Cowboys teammates.

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