Should the Cowboys avoid drafting defense in the first round?

The front office of the Dallas Cowboys have done a tremendous job of drafting players in the first round but it hasn’t all been good. The last ten years have produced players such as wide receivers Dez Bryant and CeeDee Lamb. Lineman Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Frederick were also big hits here in Dallas.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott also lands on this list as a first-round hit but if you haven’t noticed, there seems to be an omission of certain players.

The players I am eluding to are Leighton Vander Esch, Taco Charlton, Byron Jones, and Morris Claiborne. All four defensive players drafted in the first round the last ten years have had some kind of issue here in Dallas.

Byron Jones is arguably the best of the defensive bunch but by the time the Dallas Cowboys figured out which position best suits him, he departed via free agency as the Cowboys didn’t want any part of paying him top dollar. He was also ranked as the worst starting cornerback by football outsiders this past season. This reinforces my idea that Dallas inflates the value of their players.

Leighton Vander Esch has been solid when on the field but injuries have kept him out for 13 games in his young career. To compare, Sean Lee also missed 13 games at the same point in his careers and has not shaken the injury label.

Morris Claiborne was supposed to be the lockdown corner Dallas envision when they traded their top two picks to jump up in the draft and select him out of LSU. His career was also marred by injuries but was pretty pedestrian when he did see game action. He is currently a reserve corner for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Then there is Taco Charlton who might go down as the biggest draft bust in Dallas Cowboys history. Charlton had trouble cracking the rotation and was eventually released before his rookie contract was completed. He is also a rotation player for the Chiefs which seems to be a popular destination for Dallas Cowboys’ castoffs.

Those defensive players give me cause for concern regarding the Dallas Cowboys’ ability to correctly project defensive prospects as of late.

When the team has such a high success rate in drafting offensive players in the first round but an abysmal track record regarding defensive players makes me feel like the team might be better suited selecting an offensive player first.

I did some digging and the Cowboys have had success finding defensive contributors after taking an offensive player in the first round. Just this past year, the Cowboys took Ceedee Lamb when they knew they needed defensive help but still ended up with cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore.

Both of those defensive players look to be big contributors on defense this upcoming season. The same thing happened in 2010 when Dallas took Dez Bryant first they ended up with Sean Lee. The 2016 draft netted the Cowboys Zeke in the first round but they also drafted Maliek Collins and Anthony Brown later in the draft.

It is almost as if Jerry and Stephen Jones decide on the first pick then allow the scouts to take control after that. It makes me question my “want” of either cornerback Caleb Farley and Patrick Surtain II.

If that is still the case, everyone needs to get acquainted with Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater, Oregon Tackle Penei Sewell and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts as those three feel like the only realistic offensive options heading into the draft.