Why Cowboys 2023 NFL Draft class can make them look like absolute geniuses
Although I secretly enjoy it and even partake in it, there's something ridiculous about this yearly exercise of NFL fans and media members to try to put a grade on any team's draft class based only on a player's expected draft position and where he was actually selected. The Dallas Cowboys' 2023 draft class, for […]
Although I secretly enjoy it and even partake in it, there's something ridiculous about this yearly exercise of NFL fans and media members to try to put a grade on any team's draft class based only on a player's expected draft position and where he was actually selected.
The Dallas Cowboys' 2023 draft class, for instance, has been criticized for this. Using data from Arif Hassan and Grinding the Mocks (a fantastic website that uses thousands of mocks and the "wisdom of the crowds" study approach to predict the NFL Draft), Warren Sharp found that the Cowboys "overdrafted" seven of their eight draft picks.
According to the data from the tweet above, only RB Deuce Vaughn was drafted earlier than expected by the Cowboys. Everyone else had a higher projected draft position. One of their sixth-rounders (CB Eric Scott Jr.), who they traded up for, and their seventh-round draft pick (WR Jalen Brooks) were expected to go undrafted.
Many take that type of stuff and run with it to say the team's picks sucked. We do it every year, constantly ignoring the fact that these teams look at the players through a different lens than the media does and that they have so much more information than we do. The Cowboys trading up for Eric Scott Jr. should tell you something.
Even in the first round, many criticized the Cowboys' selection of Mazi Smith arguing the team could've picked him later in the draft, which is bananas to me. Two defensive tackles were already off the board by then and it was the 26th pick of the first round already. And hey, Patrik Walker reported the Kansas City Chiefs tried to trade up for him. That kills the entire narrative about him being overdrafted.
This isn't to throw out the "they know more because they work for an NFL team" theory, which sucks because of endless dumb decisions made by teams in the past. But to argue a player was a bad pick based just on your favorite analyst's draft board is unfair considering the simple reality of things: You don't know who's the top name on the team's board and what they know about other team's intentions.
And now for one final take…
The Cowboys 2023 Draft class can make Will McClay and Co. look like geniuses
To be totally fair, McClay's department has nailed the NFL Draft for several years now. Just last season, the Cowboys rookies played the fourth-most combined snaps in the entire league. Since Mike McCarthy arrived in 2020, Cowboys rookies have played the second-most snaps in the NFL, per the Dallas Cowboys PR team.
Here's another stat for you: Since 2010, Dallas is tied with the San Francisco 49ers for a league-leading nine draft picks who have earned a combined 16 first-team All-Pro selections.
The team has consistently hit first-round picks and has found significant contributors in Day 2 and 3 of the Draft. Their undeniably impressive track record in the Draft considered, the fact they took these guys earlier than expected tells us their process is unique enough to be considered a major edge for years to come.
They trust what they do. And at least based on past performance (we won't know how this rookie class will actually work out), what they do works.
In a few years from now, chances are we're talking about some of these guys as steals of the 2023 NFL Draft.
