Cowboys stacked 2023 class proves they own undrafted free agency

The 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone and while the Dallas Cowboys' class has received mixed reviews from analysts, there's a lot to like about it. The selections of Mazi Smith, Luke Schoonmaker and Deuce Vaughn in particular stick out, but overall the team got more athletic and addressed all of their biggest current needs.

Teams have been busy claiming undrafted free agents in the wak of the draft. The frenzy is still going on days after the event, and Dallas has wasted no time adding players to their 90-man offseason roster.

The Cowboys have a sterling reputation when it comes to signing undrafted free agents. Tony Romo and Miles Austin are perhaps their greatest finds. In terms of the current roster, right tackle Terence Steele is a former undrafred free agent.

As of this writing, the Cowboys have agreed to terms with 12 players who went undrafted. An impressive eight of those were ranked in The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler's top 300 prospect list.

That speaks to Dallas' track record of finding great value post-draft and their 2023 class is further proof they own the UDFA cycle.

Meet the Cowboys' 2023 undrafted free agent class

• Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State

• Isaiah Land, LB, Florida A&M

• Tyrus Wheat, DE, Mississippi State

• David Durden, WR, West Florida

• Myles Brooks, CB, Louisiana Tech

• Earl Bostic Jr., OT, Kansas

• Jose Barbon, WR, Temple

• Princeton Fant, TE, Tennessee

• T.J. Bass, OG, Oregon

• Durrell Johnson, DE, Liberty

• D'Angelo Mandell, CB, BYU

Luepke and Land are the clear standouts of the class and have a strong chance of making the 53-man roster.

In Luepke's case, you can argue he'll be the third running back/fullback on the roster behind Tony Pollard and Deuce Vaughn. Even if Dallas keeps Ronald Jones to have to a vet in the room, Luepke has a better-than-puncher's chance of making the team.

It's clear the Cowboys coveted Luepke as they gave him a sizable $200,00 in guarantees. The former Biston entered the pre-draft process as a fullback and scored a relative athletic score of 9.55, which ranked 24th out of 506 FBs that have tested since 1987.

Elsewhere, Myles Brooks out of LA Tech had a draftable grade from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. He notched eight pass breakups last season and totaled nine interceptions in his collegiate career. The Cowboys didn't draft a corner, so Brooks seemingly has a realistic pathway to make the team.

T.J. Bass, meanwhile was the No. 278 player on PFF's big board. He allowed one sack for the Ducks in 2022 over 462 pass-block snaps. He has 34 career starts at left tackle and left guard and even made five starts at right tackle.

Land was a Senior Bowl standout and arguably the best FCS defender in 2021 when he won the Buck Buchanan Defensive Player of the Year award with 19 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss. He'll reunite with former Florida A&M teammate Markquese Bell, whom Dallas signed as a UDFA last year.

The Cowboys' entire draft, scout and talent evaluation team deserves a huge pat on the back for assembling another strong UDFA class. Look for multiple of these players to be in the mix for a roster spot during training camp.