1. Trysten Hill, DT
Over the past 10 years, the Cowboys have actually been pretty solid in the NFL Draft. They believe in developing their own talent and that has worked since they’ve generally targeted and selected players who fit their system very well.
Having said that, there have been some whiffs. None were worse than when they took Taco Charlton over T.J. Watt back in 2017. There aren’t enough therapy sessions in the world to get over the hurt from hearing the selection announced while Watt sat there, but at least the Cowboys moved on quickly.
Another whiff, albeit not as bad as the Charlton one, came in 2019. That was the same season they were without a first-round pick thanks to the trade for Cooper, and they decided to go ahead and light their Round 2 pick on fire as well.
In desperate need of a safety, Dallas elected to skip on Juan Thornhill and Taylor Rapp in favor of USF defensive tackle Trysten Hill. The pick was immediately lauded since Hill barely saw the field in his final collegiate campaign due to his inability to get along with his coaching staff.
Since coming to the NFL, the questions about his maturity only intensified. He reportedly fell asleep during a meeting with Isaiah Thomas and found himself suspended in 2021 for throwing a punch at John Simpson after a loss to the Raiders.
Even with the issues, Hill has somehow survived for three seasons. The reason for that isn’t due to anything he’s shown, however, since he’s barely seen the field.
Over the past three years, Hill has never played more than seven games in a single season and has appeared in just 18 overall. He’s also barely made an impact with 27 tackles and a half-sack to his name.
The reason he has stayed despite the lack of production — or dependability — is the issues Dallas has had at defensive tackle. They swung and missed on both Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy in 2020 and in 2021, as they were using a patchwork line again due to injuries.
Looking ahead to this coming season, Dallas has high hopes for second-year players Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna. They also have Neville Gallimore on the verge of breaking out and drafted John Ridgeway this year.
Throw in Carlos Watkins and it feels inevitable that Hill will run out of time to prove himself.