The Cowboys’ reputation for first-round Draft picks is truly impressive.
Names like Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmit Smith, selected in the first round, left an indelible legacy during the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty in the 1990s and contributed a lot to the team’s success.
However, despite the glorious past in the Draft, these days America’s Team’s performance doesn’t translate into recent triumphs. Although there have been some good rookie picks, the team is struggling to reach the same level of success the’ve enjoyed at the end of last century.
Even with the landing of new talents, the franchise has been failing to get to at least the NFC Championship.
2018: Leighton Vander Esch, beaten by injury
Selected by the Cowboys with the 19th pick, the linebacker brought immediate results to the team’s front seven.
The player was named to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro second team in his first season. With Jaylon Smith signing a contract extension before the following season, the Cowboys had the perfect set of linebackers for the years to come.
Unfortunately, due to neck injuries, the LB had to force a retirement after six seasons in the NFL. He had already been collecting more absences than games.
2020: CeeDee Lamb, one of the best receivers in the league
CeeDee Lamb was selected as the 17th overall pick in 2020, demonstrating his recognition as one of the best college players and a great promises for the NFL.
Over the course of four seasons, he received three Pro Bowl nominations and was named First Team All-Pro once.
In the 2023 season, the WR set the team record for receptions (135) and receiving yards (1,749). He also had eight 100-yard games in the regular season, in addition to seven games with 11 receptions or more.
Last year, Lamb also won Moment of the Year at the NFL Honours ceremony in Las Vegas for his 92-yard touchdown reception against the Detroit Lions.
2021: Micah Parsons, a generational talent
Keeping the tradition of making good picks in the Draft, Micah Parsons was the right choice. He’s one of the best defenders in the league today.
At the age of 24, he’s already racking up awards:
- NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2021)
- 2× First-team All-Pro (2021, 2022)
- Second-team All-Pro (2023)
- 3× Pro Bowl (2021-2023)
In 50 games played, Parsons has 40.5 sacks, 89 QB hits, seven forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered.
2022: Tyler Smith, an adjustable piece
Tyler Smith was drafted in 2022 as pick 24, was shaped and trained to be the future of the team at left guard, but had to adapt to another position when Tyron Smith suffered a serious hamstring injury and the rookie was moved to left tackle.
As soon as Tyron returned in 2023, the sophomore was moved back to left guard. Tyler Smith finished the season as his original position and was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Now that Tyron Smith has gone to the New York Jets, it’s still uncertain whether Tyler will replace his former teammate, but it’s likely that the Cowboys will draft some young talent to develop him for the LT position.
2023: Mazi Smith, a talent in the making
Mazi Smith will be entering his second year in the league and is still in the process of developing.
In 2023, he played 13 games, three of them as a starter. He recorded nine tackles, one sack and three QB hits.
