The enigma of the Dallas Cowboys second round draft pick

We will discuss the history of the Dallas Cowboys second-round draft selection being unkind to them and why that needs to change in 2016.

The 2015 NFL season will finally come to a close when the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers square off against each other in Santa Clara, California for Super Bowl 50.

You can say that is the official start of the 2016 off-season, but the majority of the teams in the NFL have already started to prepare for the upcoming free agency and the NFL draft.

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This is the time of year where the evaluation process is extremely important and where decisions can make or break a team in the upcoming season and for years to come.

This is especially true for the Dallas Cowboys who are looking to get back on track after an abysmal 2015 season where many people believed that they would be one of the favorites to be playing this weekend at Levi’s Stadium.

The Cowboys coaching staff were able to meet a lot of the senior prospects that will be available in the 2016 NFL Draft while coaching the North squad for the Senior Bowl, but with that now completed their full attention should be turned to how to go about building a better team for the 2016 season.

Of course, they will first be able to try to fill some of the holes on the roster through free agency that officially starts March 9th, but the best teams in the NFL are the ones that build their roster through the draft.

That brings me to the enigma that has become what I believe a downfall for the Cowboys, their second round draft selections and the lack of production that they are able to provide.

The main focus for most people is properly evaluating players in the first round to make sure that that player hopefully becomes a key piece for the team for years to come, but to me I think the second round selection is just as important.

Here is the breakdown of the Cowboys selections over the past decade:

2015– Randy Gregory

2014– DeMarcus Lawrence

2013– Gavin Escobar

2012– (no selection) used to trade up for Morris Claiborne

2011– Bruce Carter

2010– Sean Lee

2009– (no selection) traded out of second round

2008– Martellus Bennett

2007– (no selection) used to trade back into the first round for Anthony Spencer

2006– Anthony Fasano

Is it just me or did anyone else notice that Sean Lee is the only player drafted in the second round by the Cowboys over the last decade that received a second contract?

Of course, both DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory still the chance to join Sean Lee and hopefully earn a second contract.

I guess you can say that Gavin Escobar still has a chance technically. He is still under contract and entering the final year of his rookie deal, but with the lack of production thus far in his career and the fact that he may not be able to contribute much in 2016 after recovering from a serious knee injury makes it a long shot. It looks as if he’ll be yet another wasted second-round draft pick on a tight end.

If you ask me, this is one of the reasons why the Cowboys have been one of the average teams over the last several years and why they have not been able to get over the hump and back into the playoffs.

The first and second rounds is where teams like to draft players to not only make immediate contributions, but to hopefully become cornerstone players for years to come. That simply hasn’t happened when it comes to the Cowboys choosing who to select in the second round.

This is a trend that absolutely has to change and fortunately the talent that should be available for the Cowboys in the second round in this years draft is a great place to start.

If the Cowboys truly want to climb out of mediocrity, then how they approach the second-round will go a long way in achieving that goal.

It is still way too early in the draft process to determine what players may be available when the Cowboys are on the clock selecting in the second round (34th overall), but there should be plenty of players available to select from that can come in and contribute immediately in 2016.

Here’s to hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself and they can strike gold the second round.

Let me hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below about what you think the Dallas Cowboys should do and how they can avoid making the same mistake once again.

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