We’ve long sung the praises of Will McClay and the scouting prowess of his player personnel department as the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the better drafting teams over the last decade. It can be debated over how good this team is at drafting, but it’s hard to argue with the impressive résumé they’ve put together throughout the years. It’s a good thing too, because this team doesn’t use free agency very much as all their focus turns to the draft.
The Cowboys are a good drafting team, and they are particularly efficient at making great selections on Day 1. Recently, Pro Football Focus identified their best and worst drafting teams over the last 10 years when it comes to their selections in the first round.
“The Cowboys seem to draft extremely well when they don’t reach to fill a need. They wanted a cornerback in 2021, but the top two were taken before their pick rolled around, so they “settled” for Micah Parsons, one of the best edge rushers in the game. CeeDee Lamb is another home-run pick, while Tyler Smith looks like an excellent selection on the offensive line even though he was seen as a raw prospect at the time.”
There aren’t many blemishes on the Cowboys’ first-round résumé. Yes, we know all about Taco Charlton, and it’s not off to a great start for Mazi Smith, but all seven of their other first-round selections over the last 10 years (remember, no pick in 2019 because of the Amari Cooper trade) have turned out to be All-Pros. When you say it that way, it’s easy to put the Cowboys atop the list and you’d be hard-pressed to find another team that is even close.
One team that is not close is the Philadelphia Eagles. PFF lists them in the “WORST” category. At first glance, this didn’t seem to pass the eye test because as much as we don’t want to admit it, it feels like the Eagles have drafted well recently. First-round players like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, and DeVonta Smith all seem like pretty good selections.
Unfortunately, for the Eagles, that’s where the goodness stops. If this study covered just the last few years, Philadelphia would grade out better, but since it goes back a decade, it’s hard to ignore some of the huge missteps this team has made in the first round.
Passing up on Justin Jefferson to take Jalen Reagor? Ouch! Trading up to select tackle Andre Dillard who only started nine games during his four years with the team. That’s not good. And we will never forget the good ol’ Carson Wentz whifferama.
Fortunately for the Eagles, their recent first-round selections have improved. That’s a good thing for them considering they’ve had a lot of draft capital to use early on. The Eagles are also big players in trades and free agency, so they have no problem looking elsewhere when the draft doesn’t pan out. It’s still fun to see them at the bottom and it explains why they are more frequent dabblers in the other roster-building methods.
We are just a few weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and hopefully, the Cowboys can once again come out of Day 1 with a huge score. If history is an indicator, the odds are in their favor.
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