The Dallas Cowboys have been doing their thing this offseason with trades and smart re-signings. However, they have built one of the NFL's better rosters over the years based on nailing one area.

For as much vitriol as the Cowboys have gotten for not being big players in free agency, they have been excellent at picking first-round talent, and Pro Football Focus recently highlighted their proficiency in doing so since 2014.

Another team with just one obvious whiff among their draft picks, the Cowboys have had a remarkable strike rate over this period despite some selections that raised eyebrows at the time. They have also seemingly gotten a little lucky with players turning out to be something different or more than they bargained for. Tyler Smith was seen as a very raw offensive lineman and was expected to be the team’s starting guard before injuries forced Dallas to ask him to man the left tackle spot all season as a rookie. He earned a 73.3 overall PFF grade and was right around league average among starters at left tackle. Micah Parsons was drafted as an off-ball linebacker before Dallas discovered that it had stumbled into the second coming of Lawrence Taylor as an edge rusher. Last season, his first as a full-time edge defender, Parsons led the NFL with 90 pressures in the regular season before adding 16 more across two playoff games. 

Byron Jones was taken in 2015. While he only produced two interceptions in his five years with the Cowboys, Jones had 43 pass breakups. His best season was in 2018 when he was selected to the Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro after a career-high 14 pass breakups and had a coverage grade of 83.3 per PFF.

Ezekiel Elliott was selected as the fourth overall pick in 2016. He would lead the NFL in rushing that year and once again in 2018 and led the league in yards per game in 2017. Elliott finished fourth in rushing, fourth in rushing touchdowns, second in all-purpose yards, and first in 100-yard games in 2019 which was the first year of his six-year $90 million contract. 

The last three years were tough for him in Dallas before his departure, but Elliott was a definite first-round hit.

After the debacle of Taco Charlton in 2017, the Cowboys took linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in 2018, and many weren't pleased about it. However, he was named a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro as a rookie. Vander dealt with nagging over the next two seasons, but the last few have seen Vander Esch be a solid contributor to the Cowboys' defense.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb came in 2020, and he was an instant impact player. Despite quarterback Dak Prescott missing 11 games, Lamb had 935 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He had 1,102 yards in his second year and made the Pro Bowl. In 2022, Lamb produced 107 receptions for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns and garnered his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro honor.

Micah Parsons, what can be said that hasn't been said already?

Parsons produced 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and three pass breakups as a rookie in 2021 while being named Defensive Rookie of the Year, making the Pro Bowl, and receiving first-team All-Pro honors. He repeated his dominance last season as he received Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors due to 13.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three pass breakups, and a touchdown. 

Tyler Smith, much like Vander Esch four years before him, didn't appease many folks when he was selected. Yes, he had some struggles, especially with penalties (committed 13 last season). However, Smith looked like a very solid left tackle by season's and even logged 121 snaps at left guard with speaks to his versatility. 

The praise for the Cowboys in this area can go back to 2011. That year left tackle Tyron Smith was taken in the first round. His injury history is well documented. However, Smith has made eight Pro Bowls and been named an All-Pro four times in his career, and he's still a force when he's on the field. 

In 2013, the Cowboys selected center, Travis Frederick, with the 31st overall pick. In his first five seasons, he was named to the Pro Bowl four times and was an All-Pro on three occasions. Unfortunately, he missed the 2018 season after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. He would return in 2019 and make another Pro Bowl but he retired in March 2020.

Right guard Zack Martin came a year after Frederick, and he will go down as one of the best draft picks in Cowboys history. Martin has been named to eight Pro Bowls and garnered All-Pro honors eight times as well (six first-team selections, two second-team selections) in nine seasons. The only reason he hasn't gone nine for nine is an injury-plagued 2020 campaign in which he missed six games. 

The Cowboys get criticism for a plethora of things, but for nearly a decade and a half, it hasn't been first-round picks.