Dallas Cowboys: Re-drafting first-round picks from last 5 years
The Dallas Cowboys have had hits and misses in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But who would they take if they got a redo for the last five years?
Though they have often been maddeningly inconsistent and, frankly, fruitless in the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys have been quite successful over the years. And a big reason for their relative success has been their ability to win via the NFL Draft. In both the early and later rounds, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and his son, Stephen Jones, have been hit in the draft.
Whether it’s home-runs like Dak Prescott, a fourth-round pick, or wins like Jaylon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence in Round 2, this team has been terrific at building their roster via the draft. But at the same time, they’ve been somewhat hit-or-miss, especially in the most recent drafts, with their first-round picks.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cowboys are in a position where they need to hit on their first-round pick, sitting at No. 17 overall. But before we get there, let’s look back at the last five first-round picks for the Dallas Cowboys and who they should’ve selected instead as we re-draft for America’s Team. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned for 2020 with the hindsight from these picks.
2019 NFL Draft, No. 27 overall
Actual pick: Traded for Amari Cooper
Re-draft pick: Traded for Amari Cooper
In the middle of the 2018 season, the Dallas Cowboys offense was largely in bad shape — at least in terms of the passing attack. The only consistent weapon in the passing offense was Cole Beasley and, while he was a fine player, he’s not supposed to be a No. 1 target at wide receiver. Thus, the Jones family got aggressive and traded their first-round pick for Amari Cooper.
When the trade was made, people were putting Dallas on blast for the lack of value that they got. Many couldn’t believe that the organization gave up a Round 1 pick for a player who had been struggling to find his footing or consistency as a top wide receiver for the silver and black.
But if we’re looking back at what the Cowboys did with their first-round pick in the 2019 draft, my guess is that they would trade it for Cooper 99 times out of 100. He played nine games with Dallas that season and still led the team with 725 yards and six touchdowns while sparking the offense to make it to the Divisional Round.
Cooper again led Dallas in receiving this past season with 79 receptions, 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns, despite playing through injuries for part of the year. This offseason, he signed a five-year, $100 million deal to stay with the Cowboys. And while there was plenty of talent in the 2019 draft class, it’s hard to imagine they’d have found someone who would’ve had the same large immediate impact Cooper has.