- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 130,913
By Jon Machota 55m ago
This is a popular time of year to look back at previous drafts and gauge how NFL teams have performed recently. Over the last 10 years, the Cowboys have been excellent at drafting offensive players. Defensively, there have been some notable misses.
With the 2020 draft less than three weeks away, we’re taking a look back at the Cowboys’ 10 best and 10 worst draft picks of the last decade. We posted the 10 best picks since 2010 on Monday. Today, we focus on the 10 worst.
By design, this list of draft misses only includes players selected within the first four rounds. It’s great if a team hits on a pick in the final three rounds, but it’s much less likely than hitting on one within the first 100 to 150 picks. The higher the pick, the greater the expectations.
Here are Dallas’ 10 biggest misses of the last decade.
10.) Ryan Switzer, WR. Switzer, a fourth-round pick in 2017, only played one season in Dallas, catching six passes for 41 yards and returning one punt for an 83-yard touchdown. He was primarily used as the team’s punt and kick returner during the 2017 season. Switzer was traded during the following year’s draft to the Raiders in exchange for pass rusher Jihad Ward. Having Switzer on this list is a pretty good indicator that Dallas didn’t have a large number of significant draft misses over the last 10 years.
9.) David Arkin, OG. The 110th overall pick in 2011 never played in a game in his three seasons with the Cowboys. He bounced around from guard to center but never found a role on a rebuilding offensive line. Arkin, who was released by Dallas in the middle of the 2013 season, played one game for the Dolphins in 2013 and two games for the Rams in 2014. He has not been on an NFL roster since being cut by the Rams following the 2016 season.
8.) Charles Tapper, DE. He played in only two games for the Cowboys after being selected with the 101st pick in 2016. Tapper was waived by Dallas before the start of the 2018 season. He was signed by the Jets to a reserve/future contract in January. The Cowboys had an outstanding draft in 2016, landing Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith and Maliek Collins with their first three picks. But taking Tapper at the top of the fourth round is a miss considering Dallas wanted a quarterback, and Dak Prescott was still on the board. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Prescott was still available 34 picks later.
7.) Matt Johnson, S. There was a time when the former Eastern Washington standout had a shot to compete for a starting spot in Dallas. The coaches thought highly of his ability to hit and make plays on the ball. But hamstring and foot injuries prevented his professional career from ever getting off the ground. The 2012 fourth-round pick never played an NFL game. He was released by Dallas before the start of the 2014 season.
6.) Chaz Green, OT. He was drafted in the third round in 2015 to instantly become Dallas’ swing tackle and eventually replace Doug Free as the starting right tackle. That plan never really got off the ground. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they were able to sign their current starting right tackle, La’el Collins, after this draft as an undrafted free agent. The low point for Green came at Atlanta in 2017 when he filled in for an injured Tyron Smith at left tackle. Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn recorded six sacks in the game, five of them coming against Green.
5.) Trysten Hill, DT. It’s always difficult to put someone on a list like this after only one season. The Cowboys didn’t have a first-round pick last year after it was traded to the Raiders for Amari Cooper. That puts even more attention on Hill because he ended up being Dallas’ top pick in the draft class, No. 58 overall. His rookie year did not go well. Hill played in only seven games, recording five tackles. The Cowboys lost Maliek Collins to the Raiders but signed Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe this offseason. How do those moves and a new coaching staff impact Hill and the defensive tackle position? At the very least, the Cowboys are looking for more than seven games in Year 2.
4.) Randy Gregory, DE. When Gregory plays, he shows flashes of his first-round talent. However, the multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy are why he fell to the 60th overall pick in 2015. Gregory still has time to get his playing career back on track. He’s only 27. But Dallas was hoping for more than seven sacks in five years when it took a chance on Gregory coming out of Nebraska. Some notable pass rushers to come off the board in the next two rounds: Frank Clark, Danielle Hunter, Trey Flowers and Za’Darius Smith.
3.) Gavin Escobar, TE. No matter how significantly they invested, the Cowboys just couldn’t get consistent production from a second tight end during Jason Witten’s time in Dallas. They used their 2013 second-round pick on Escobar, and they never came close to getting the return on that expenditure. In four seasons, he started seven games and finished with a total of 30 receptions for 333 yards and eight touchdowns. Escobar bounced around to several teams after leaving the Cowboys, but he never caught another pass in an NFL game. He played last year for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football league.
2.) Morris Claiborne, CB. Considering what Dallas gave up to get Claiborne with the sixth overall pick in 2012, the argument could be made for this to top the list. The Cowboys went into that draft with the 14th overall pick. They traded it to the Rams, along with pick No. 45, to move up eight spots and solidify the back end of their defense. After the draft, Jerry Jones said if the Cowboys had not traded, they would have used their second-round pick on a Utah State linebacker named Bobby Wagner, who went to Seattle at pick No. 47. Claiborne averaged 8.6 starts per season during his five years in Dallas, recording four interceptions. Wagner, a five-time first-team All Pro, was recently named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team.
1.) Taco Charlton, DE. Here are some of Dallas’ first-round picks during the last decade: Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Leighton Vander Esch. So, naturally, the only two misses are going to top this list. Charlton, the 28th overall pick in 2017, didn’t even make it through his rookie contract. He was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins last season. He and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli never seemed to be a great fit. Charlton started only seven games and was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. He finished his time in Dallas with four sacks in 27 games. Charlton had five sacks in 10 games with Miami last year. This miss really stands out because the Cowboys didn’t get anything in return, and there is a glaring hole at the position on the current roster.
This is a popular time of year to look back at previous drafts and gauge how NFL teams have performed recently. Over the last 10 years, the Cowboys have been excellent at drafting offensive players. Defensively, there have been some notable misses.
With the 2020 draft less than three weeks away, we’re taking a look back at the Cowboys’ 10 best and 10 worst draft picks of the last decade. We posted the 10 best picks since 2010 on Monday. Today, we focus on the 10 worst.
By design, this list of draft misses only includes players selected within the first four rounds. It’s great if a team hits on a pick in the final three rounds, but it’s much less likely than hitting on one within the first 100 to 150 picks. The higher the pick, the greater the expectations.
Here are Dallas’ 10 biggest misses of the last decade.
10.) Ryan Switzer, WR. Switzer, a fourth-round pick in 2017, only played one season in Dallas, catching six passes for 41 yards and returning one punt for an 83-yard touchdown. He was primarily used as the team’s punt and kick returner during the 2017 season. Switzer was traded during the following year’s draft to the Raiders in exchange for pass rusher Jihad Ward. Having Switzer on this list is a pretty good indicator that Dallas didn’t have a large number of significant draft misses over the last 10 years.
9.) David Arkin, OG. The 110th overall pick in 2011 never played in a game in his three seasons with the Cowboys. He bounced around from guard to center but never found a role on a rebuilding offensive line. Arkin, who was released by Dallas in the middle of the 2013 season, played one game for the Dolphins in 2013 and two games for the Rams in 2014. He has not been on an NFL roster since being cut by the Rams following the 2016 season.
8.) Charles Tapper, DE. He played in only two games for the Cowboys after being selected with the 101st pick in 2016. Tapper was waived by Dallas before the start of the 2018 season. He was signed by the Jets to a reserve/future contract in January. The Cowboys had an outstanding draft in 2016, landing Ezekiel Elliott, Jaylon Smith and Maliek Collins with their first three picks. But taking Tapper at the top of the fourth round is a miss considering Dallas wanted a quarterback, and Dak Prescott was still on the board. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Prescott was still available 34 picks later.
7.) Matt Johnson, S. There was a time when the former Eastern Washington standout had a shot to compete for a starting spot in Dallas. The coaches thought highly of his ability to hit and make plays on the ball. But hamstring and foot injuries prevented his professional career from ever getting off the ground. The 2012 fourth-round pick never played an NFL game. He was released by Dallas before the start of the 2014 season.
6.) Chaz Green, OT. He was drafted in the third round in 2015 to instantly become Dallas’ swing tackle and eventually replace Doug Free as the starting right tackle. That plan never really got off the ground. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they were able to sign their current starting right tackle, La’el Collins, after this draft as an undrafted free agent. The low point for Green came at Atlanta in 2017 when he filled in for an injured Tyron Smith at left tackle. Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn recorded six sacks in the game, five of them coming against Green.
5.) Trysten Hill, DT. It’s always difficult to put someone on a list like this after only one season. The Cowboys didn’t have a first-round pick last year after it was traded to the Raiders for Amari Cooper. That puts even more attention on Hill because he ended up being Dallas’ top pick in the draft class, No. 58 overall. His rookie year did not go well. Hill played in only seven games, recording five tackles. The Cowboys lost Maliek Collins to the Raiders but signed Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe this offseason. How do those moves and a new coaching staff impact Hill and the defensive tackle position? At the very least, the Cowboys are looking for more than seven games in Year 2.
4.) Randy Gregory, DE. When Gregory plays, he shows flashes of his first-round talent. However, the multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy are why he fell to the 60th overall pick in 2015. Gregory still has time to get his playing career back on track. He’s only 27. But Dallas was hoping for more than seven sacks in five years when it took a chance on Gregory coming out of Nebraska. Some notable pass rushers to come off the board in the next two rounds: Frank Clark, Danielle Hunter, Trey Flowers and Za’Darius Smith.
3.) Gavin Escobar, TE. No matter how significantly they invested, the Cowboys just couldn’t get consistent production from a second tight end during Jason Witten’s time in Dallas. They used their 2013 second-round pick on Escobar, and they never came close to getting the return on that expenditure. In four seasons, he started seven games and finished with a total of 30 receptions for 333 yards and eight touchdowns. Escobar bounced around to several teams after leaving the Cowboys, but he never caught another pass in an NFL game. He played last year for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football league.
2.) Morris Claiborne, CB. Considering what Dallas gave up to get Claiborne with the sixth overall pick in 2012, the argument could be made for this to top the list. The Cowboys went into that draft with the 14th overall pick. They traded it to the Rams, along with pick No. 45, to move up eight spots and solidify the back end of their defense. After the draft, Jerry Jones said if the Cowboys had not traded, they would have used their second-round pick on a Utah State linebacker named Bobby Wagner, who went to Seattle at pick No. 47. Claiborne averaged 8.6 starts per season during his five years in Dallas, recording four interceptions. Wagner, a five-time first-team All Pro, was recently named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team.
1.) Taco Charlton, DE. Here are some of Dallas’ first-round picks during the last decade: Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Byron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Leighton Vander Esch. So, naturally, the only two misses are going to top this list. Charlton, the 28th overall pick in 2017, didn’t even make it through his rookie contract. He was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins last season. He and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli never seemed to be a great fit. Charlton started only seven games and was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. He finished his time in Dallas with four sacks in 27 games. Charlton had five sacks in 10 games with Miami last year. This miss really stands out because the Cowboys didn’t get anything in return, and there is a glaring hole at the position on the current roster.
