Just like that, the 2023 NFL Draft is over. Per usual, it didn't go according to plan, the Dallas Cowboys are satisfied with their picks and fans are up in arms that their dream mock drafts didn't come to fruition.
The Cowboys left fans scratching their heads with some of their picks. There was no slam dunk that folks had grown accustomed to in recent years, though Mazi Smith in the first round gave off that energy given the sheer hole he fills in the trenches.
Still, the lack of buzz is no indictment on the class itself. At the end of the day, the draft is one big projection. A true evaluation can't be made until the players take the field for training camp and eventually the regular season.
Desite that, there was a ton to learn from this year's draft. With that, here are our five biggest takeaways from Dallas' performance.
5. Jalen Tolbert will have every chance to prove himself
Unless it was a smokescreen, the Cowboys seemingly had legit interest in drafting a receiver early. Their list of pre-draft visits included first-rounders Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnston, as well as Jalin Hyatt and Jonathan Mingo.
That said, it never seemed like Dallas would prioritize a receiver. After they acquired Brandin Cooks, the value and fit would've had to been perfect. They had chances to draft Cedric Tillman and Marvin Mims in the second round, but opted for Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker instead.
What does this all tell us? That Jalen Tolbert is going to get plenty of opportunities after his redshirt rookie year. The Cowboys WR room is thin behind Cooks, CeeDee Lamb and a hopefully rejuvenated Michael Gallup, but that would chage if Tolbert were to emerge as a viable fourth option.
That's hardly asking a lot for a 2022 third-round pick. Tolbert has worked extensively with Dak Prescott this offseason and looks ready to make a mark as a pro after he spent year one learning the playbook and getting acclimated to the speed of the NFL and coverages.
4. Cowboys are comfortable with their offense
This goes without saying after the Cowboys used three of their first four picks on defensive players. Luke Schoonmaker was Dallas' lone offensive investment through Friday until they drafted North Carolina OT Asim Richards, who projects to convert to a guard in the NFL, with the No. 169 overall pick.
As much as fans would have liked the team to draft a receiver early or wait until before Round 5 to onboard an offensive linemen, the front office has good reason to be comfortable with where the offense is at.
That's not to say they rested on their laurels, but think about how much firepower resides within Dallas' offense.
Dak Prescott is a top-10 QB in the league, and closer to the top five when he's on his game. CeeDee Lamb established himself last year as an elite receiver and hasn't even hit his prime, while Brandin Cooks has seven 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and Tony Pollard is as explosive as they come at the RB position.
Though it has injury concerns, the offensive line is elite at full-strength and Prescott now has three capable tight ends to target.
The offense could've used another playmaker or readymade starter, but it was in a great place entering the draft to begin with.
3. Cowboys identify as a defensive-first team
How can anyone draw any other conclusion? The Cowboys defense played well enough to beat the 49ers in the Divisional Round. It was the offense -- for the second year in a row -- that didn't get the job done on the big stage.
Dallas plugged its most concerning defensive hole by taking Mazi Smith in the first round, but that didn't stop them from selecting defensive players with two of their next three picks in DeMarvion Overshown and Viliami Fehoko.
This comes after the Cowboys traded for Stephen Gilmore and re-signed Donovan Wilson, Leighton Vander Esch, Johnathan Hankins and Dante Fowler.
Once thin at corner, Dallas now has one of the best duos in the NFL in Gilmore and Trevon Diggs. Once thin along the defensive line, Dallas suddenly has ample options on the edge and three viable defensive tackles in Smith, Hankins, and Osa Odighizuwa. Same goes for linebacker with Overshown filling in behind LVE and Damone Clark.
Make no mistake, the Cowboys identity is its defense.
2. Ezekiel Elliott reunion isn't dead yet
Last week, Dak Prescott loudly advocated for Dallas to re-sign Elliott, one of his closest friends on the team. That was always going to hinge on what the Cowboys did (or didn't do) in the NFL Draft. Incredibly, it took until the end of the sixth round for them to take a running back, Kansas State's Deuce Vaughn.
That speaks to their confidence in Tony Pollard (and his recovery) and potentially the spark Ronald Jones, Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis can offer as backups. Either way, the possibility of an Elliott reunion is alive and well following the draft. The selection of Vaughn doesn't change that, and Jerry Jones himself even admitted it post-draft.
If you told us that before the draft -- or even minutes after Zeke got released in March -- we would have called you crazy. That speaks to the unpredictable nature of the draft and how the Cowboys' war room operates.
We wouldn't bet on Elliott returning to Dallas, but fans -- and Prescott -- can at least cling to the hope that it's still within the realm of possibility.
Who would've thought?
1. Dan Quinn's influence is significant
As it should be, right? There was a palpable buzz on Cowboys Twitter whenever Quinn entered the war room. It hinted a defensive player was in the mix, and sure enough Dallas went defense-heavy with their early crop of picks.
Quinn is a defensive mastermind and Dallas' defensive personnel is one of the best in the league, but not even DQ could overcome the team's shortcomings stopping the run. Lo and behold, the Cowboys drafted the top nose tackle in the 2023 class in Mazi Smith with the No. 26 overall pick.
A tight end was a given in Round 2, but Dallas circled back to Quinn's defense in the third round with athletic Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown at No. 90 overall and again in the fourth with San Jose State DL Viliami Fehoko.
Quinn's been floated as Mike McCarthy's potential successor if the Cowboys come up sort in the playoffs again. That feels like a given at this rate (if McCarthy is canned, obviously), because Quinn's DNA is all over Dallas' 2023 class.