Dallas Cowboys draft: More second round hits than misses

The Dallas Cowboys will not make their first selection in the upcoming draft until the second round. So how have they fared in that round recently?

The Dallas Cowboys have already made their first round selection in the upcoming NFL draft. His name is Amari Cooper. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver the Cowboys traded for last season, sending their 2019 first round pick to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the four-year veteran.

So unless the Cowboys make a trade to move up in April’s draft, their first selection will actually take place on Day Two of the event, in the second round, 59th overall. But how has Dallas fared in recent years with their second round selections?

Let’s go through each second round pick the Cowboys have made since 2010 and determine if that player has been a hit or a miss so far.

Note: Dallas did not have a second round selection in 2012 due to the a draft day trade made for LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.

2018 – Connor Williams, OG – Texas

Hit or Miss: Too early to tell. Williams was able to start in 10 games for the Cowboys but lost his starting role at left guard to another much stronger former second rounder in Xavier Su’a-Filo. With another offseason to build strength, Williams could push this into a hit very easily.

2017 – Chidobe Awuzie, CB – Colorado

Hit or Miss: Hit. Awuize has been a solid starter during his first two seasons in Dallas. Playing opposite of first-time Pro Bowler Byron Jones in 2018, it seems like only a matter of time before Awuzie joins Jones in the NFL’s version of an All-Star game.

2016 – Jaylon Smith, LB – Notre Dame

Hit or Miss: Hit. It was a massive gamble for the Cowboys to draft Smith back in 2016 due to the career-threatening knee injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. But the team was patient and after spending a year on the sidelines, and another shaking off the rust, Smith seems to have fully recovered and is now a budding superstar.

2015 – Randy Gregory, DE – Nebraska

Hit or Miss: Tentative Hit. Yet another risk taken by the Cowboys in the second round. And for many years, this was an absolute miss due to Gregory’s history of drug abuse and subsequent suspensions. But this past season the talented pass rusher was able to return to the field and appears to be playing at the level Dallas hoped he would back in 2015.

2014 – DeMarcus Lawrence, DE – Boise State

Hit or Miss: Hit. After three up-and-down seasons in Dallas, Lawrence’s production exploded (14.5 sacks) in 2017, a contract year. That performance earned him the lucrative franchise tag last season. Now considered one of the league’s premier pass rushers, Lawrence is expected to sign a monster, long term deal this offseason.

2013 – Gavin Escobar, TE – San Diego State

Hit or Miss: Miss. It’s amazing to think the Cowboys were trying to find a replacement for Jason Witten five years before he actually retired. And many had that same question when Dallas picked Escobar out of the blue with Witten still in his prime. The young tight end wilted in the shadow of the future Hall of Famer and never recovered.

2011 – Bruce Carter, LB – North Carolina

Hit or Miss: Miss. Injuries and inconsistency would never allow Carter to reach his full potential in Dallas. Although Carter possessed the raw athletic ability to be a star, he could never quite put it altogether on the field. Another swing and a miss by Dallas.

2010 – Sean Lee, LB – Penn State

Hit or Miss: Hit. Despite his infamous injury history, Sean Lee is a Pro Bowl-level linebacker when he’s on the field. Unfortunately, a rash of injuries have robbed this former second rounder of a possible Hall of Fame career. It’s sad to think Lee may have played his last game in a Cowboys’ uniform already.