Ranking the Cowboys’ last 10 first-round draft picks

As much grief as the Dallas Cowboys front office gets — and much is deserved — they've actually done a great job in drafting as of late. Much of that is due to the work of Will McClay, who is essentially the team's general manager. Jerry Jones has that title but McClay, who holds the title of vice president of player personnel, refuses to interview elsewhere for any GM jobs. There's a reason for that.

With several holes to fill, there's a concern leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, especially since the Cowboys didn't have a great draft in 2023. Historically, however, they have been able to land playmakers in Round 1 (Round 2 is a different story for another day). Here, we look at the past 10 players selected in the first round by Dallas and rank them from worst to first.

Note: The criteria isn't focused solely on statistics, especially since several offensive linemen don't have that to lean on. Instead, we look at stats, tenure, and importance to the success of the franchise. Future projections matter but won't be given much weight.

10. Taco Charlton, EDGE (2017)

No one can be perfect.

As good as the Cowboys have been in Round 1, they can get in trouble when they focus on a single position. We saw this in 2017 when they used the 28th overall selection on Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Dallas fell in love with his measurables and used them as justification to pass on T.J. Watt — who went to the Steelers one pick later.

Charlton lasted just two years with the Cowboys and had 46 tackles and four sacks. He struggled with consistency and drew the ire of Rod Marinelli who had concerns with his lack of progress. Charlton should also get dinged for coming up with the annoying nickname "Hot Boyz" for the overrated defensive line they featured during his short tenure.

After being released by Dallas, Charlton bounced around the league and was out of football in 2023. Watt, who every fan unanimously asked for at No. 28, is still going strong with Pittsburgh.

9. Mazi Smith, DT (2023)

When the Cowboys selected Mazi Smith with the 26th pick in 2023, an audible groan was heard throughout the fan base. The primary reason for the concern had to do with where Smith played during his collegiate career — Michigan.

Dallas fans have yet to get over the Taco Charlton failure and were worried the same thing would happen with Smith. After one season, it's hard to say this one will end any differently. But we do still have some hope.

Smith made a name for himself with the Wolverines due to his mixture of size (6-foot-3 and 337 pounds) and athleticism. Former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn honed in on the athleticism part and thought losing weight would make Smith more dangerous.

That led to a decision to move him to the 3-tech and have him play at 300 pounds. Smith struggled in this role, finishing with 13 tackles and one sack. With Quinn now in Washington, Smith is expected to move back to the 1-tech and put on more weight.

If he's allowed to play at a comfortable weight — and in a role he knows well — this pick could be salvaged. Until then, the grade is incomplete and it's closer to the "worst" pick than it is to the "best."

8. Leighton Vander Esch, LB (2018)

Another draft pick met with instant criticism came in 2018 when the Cowboys took Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch 19th overall. The Wolf Hunter wasn't criticized for his ability, since he was a three-down linebacker capable of making plays all over the field. Instead, the concern was a lingering neck injury.

Just two years after using the 34th pick on Jaylon Smith, who missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, Dallas again took a flier on an injured linebacker. At least with LVE though, their medical staff cleared him and he was on the field for every game as a rookie. He was also a huge difference-maker that year.

Vander Esch racked up 140 tackles, broke up seven passes, and recorded two interceptions. His great season happened when Smith finally broke out as well.

Unfortunately, their success was short-lived. Smith fell off a cliff once he was paid and Vander Esch started dealing with nagging injuries. He missed seven games in 2019 and six more in 2020 before finally bouncing back in 2021.

Still, the team declined his fifth-year option but re-signed him in 2022. Vander Esch had a resurgence that season with 90 tackles, leading to a two-year extension. Just five games into that extension, he was lost to an injury once again.

Vander Esch suffered another neck injury which forced him to retire at just 28 years of age. He leaves the game with 469 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three picks. He was an underrated defender who always knew where he needed to be on the field. Had he stayed healthy, he would have climbed much higher but that gamble ended up costing the Cowboys in the end.

7. Tyler Smith, OL (2022)

This is when it starts to get tough. The Cowboys have done such a good job in recent years that it becomes difficult to sort through the remaining selections they made in Round 1 — all have been that good.

Tyler Smith comes in at No. 7 due largely to the fact that the rest ahead of him had longer tenures with the team. Having said that, Smith has been a very good player for Dallas and it would be easy to envision him moving up the list before long. But since future projections aren't a major point of emphasis in this ranking, he remains here.

As a rookie, Smith played primarily at left tackle which wasn't the plan. They wanted him to play guard and learn from veteran Tyron Smith but the All-Pro missed the majority of the season due to an injury. He returned in 2023 and Tyler Smith started at guard next to him.

Smith did well in each role, but had one major issue — he was flagged 13 times in 2022 and 13 times in 2023.

He should return to tackle unless the Cowboys land someone in the draft they prefer there. If he cleans up the penalties and proves to be their next long-term answer there, then he could easily improve his stock. If not, his floor is still high which is what you want from Round 1 selections.

6. Byron Jones, DB (2015)

Fresh off a disheartening loss to the Green Bay Packers in the "Dez Caught it" playoff game, the Cowboys wanted to shore up their secondary for another run. They had sunk a lot into the back end of their defense after signing Brandon Carr to a long-term deal and trading up for Morris Claiborne in 2012 but they still had issues. This led to the selection of Byron Jones out of Connecticut at No. 27 overall.

Jones was an athletic marvel who set the NFL Combine record when he leaped 12 feet and 3 inches at the broad jump. That was six inches more than Jamie Collins, who had set the record two years prior. That led to one nickname, "Jumpman," but he also became known as "Senator" due to his professional demeanor and approach to the game.

As a rookie, Jones spent much of his time at free safety but his man coverage skills were far superior to his work in zone. He proved this during a Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots when he drew the assignment to follow Rob Gronkowski.

The All-Pro tight end had four receptions for 67 yards but scored no touchdowns. It was a solid effort from Jones and it proved he belonged.

After three years of playing safety, Jones finally moved to cornerback full-time in 2018 and was special. Jones made the Second-Team All-Pro and was considered one of the best "shut-down" corners in the NFL. He again proved to be an elite coverage corner in 2019 but left in 2020 when the Cowboys didn't extend his contract.

Jones signed a massive five-year, $82 million deal with the Miami Dolphins and in the end, Dallas did the right thing by letting him go. Jones struggled for two years with injuries and inconsistency with the Dolphins and last played in 2021. Still, he was phenomenal in Dallas making him a great pick.

5. Travis Frederick, C (2013)

Dallas was heavily criticized for their moves in the 2013 NFL Draft when they traded down from No. 18 to No. 31. To drop back 13 spots, they received a mere third-round pick (No. 74 overall) which was rather low compensation for such a move. To make matters worse, they took Travis Frederick at 31, which was seen as a major reach. Some even said the Cowboys took a third-rounder at the end of the first.

Maybe the compensation was too low but the Cowboys didn't do terribly as they added Terrance Williams with the 74th pick. Williams gave them 232 receptions for 3,337 yards and 20 touchdowns in six seasons, which isn't bad at all. But the real reason Dallas was happy with this draft was Frederick.

The Wisconsin product started from the moment he arrived in Dallas and gave them 96 starts in six years. An iron man on the field, Frederick didn't miss a game in his first five years and was named to the Pro Bowl four times while netting three All-Pro selections.

Frederick then missed the entire 2018 season when he was diagnosed with Gullain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease. He returned in 2019, made another Pro Bowl, and finished fourth in voting for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. However, he didn't feel he could play up to his standards any longer and retired before the 2020 campaign.

4. Micah Parsons, EDGE (2021)

The 2021 NFL Draft was tough for Dallas fans. They held the 10th overall pick and with a desperate need for help at cornerback, two players were being watched closely — Jaycee Horn from South Carolina and Pat Surtain II from Alabama.

Horn was taken eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers and Surtain went to the Denver Broncos at No. 9. That left Dallas without a defensive back to take and they committed the ultimate sin — they traded with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philly moved from No. 12 to No. 10, where they took DeVonta Smith. The Alabama wideout has been a great addition for the Eagles and the only solace Dallas fans can take is knowing they moved up for Smith to keep the Giants from taking him.

They can also be happy that their pick at No. 12 worked out. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons was the selection and fans were angry at first. The move was graded low since linebackers rarely move the needle but Parsons proved he was no ordinary linebacker.

Parsons moved up to the line of scrimmage early in the season out of necessity and was fantastic. His ability to rush the passer was evident and he continued to be used in that role. He finished his rookie season with 13 sacks and after three years has 40.5.

As one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, Parsons has proven to be a blessing in disguise for this franchise. While Surtain and Horn have been good, they haven't made the impact Parsons has.

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB (2016)

Another pick that wasn't loved right away came in 2016 when Dallas used the fourth overall selection on Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. While he was a beast for the Buckeyes, the Cowboys had just proven any running back could have success behind their line.

DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing in 2014 with 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. He then signed a multi-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles but managed just 702 yards — with 3.6 yards per attempt. Dallas replaced him with Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. Randle wasn't terrible but then got himself released due to off-field issues.

McFadden was then the lead back for the final 10 games and he racked up 1,089 yards and averaged 4.6 per attempt.

While that proved they could make their offense work with any back, the belief was they could be special with Zeke. And they were.

Elliott led the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,631 yards. An injury to Tony Romo meant he and fellow rookie Dak Prescott had to lead the offense and they did exactly that. Dallas was 13-3 thanks in large part to the work Elliott did.

He again led the league in rushing in 2018 when he went for 1,434 yards. That led to a holdout and when Elliott signed a six-year extension worth $90 million, fans turned on him. If we're being honest, they should have turned on Jerry Jones who should have known better than to add so much time to a running back, but Elliott was seen as the greedy one.

It didn't help matters that he began to slow down just one year later, averaging just 4.0 yards per rush and gaining 979 yards in 2020. Elliott was released ahead of the 2023 campaign, which was the first year they could afford to move on financially.

As frustrating as the end of his tenure was, Elliott proved to be a great pick. He ran for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns while gaining 2,336 yards and scoring 12 times as a receiver. He was also an unselfish player who took pride in being able to block. It's unfortunate he's remembered for the foolish extension because he truly was special.

2. CeeDee Lamb, WR (2020)

2020 was a weird year for the NFL. Due to the pandemic, teams had to do a lot of work virtually, including the NFL Draft. This led to some awkward moments as teams were making selections from home. At Mike Vrabel's house, someone was thought to be on the toilet when the camera cut to them. In New England, Bill Belichick left things to his dog. And then there was Jerry Jones — on a yacht in the middle of the ocean.

When the selections were finished, Dallas fans everywhere agreed that Jerry should be put on a boat for every draft.

The Cowboys landed four starters in what many considered one of their best drafts under the Jones family. In Round 1, they took CeeDee Lamb at No. 17. They also added Trevon Diggs at No. 51 and Tyler Biadasz at No. 146. Diggs became a star and was signed to a long-term extension in 2023. Biadasz developed into a solid starting center but left this offseason after signing a multi-year deal in Washington.

As good as those two have been, Lamb is still the top player from this class. The Oklahoma product had 935 yards as a rookie which is the lowest production in his first four seasons in the league. In 2023, he proved to be one of the best in the game when he had a league-leading 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Lamb is already one of the best receivers in Dallas history and the scary part is that he's still growing as a player.

1. Zack Martin, G (2014)

Admittedly, this selection gets bonus points due to how disastrous it could have been.

In 2014, the NFL Draft had one of the most polarizing stars entering the league — Johnny Manziel. The Texas A&M quarterback was a Heisman Trophy winner and had an impressive highlight reel. Incredibly talented with his arm and legs, Manziel was seen as a potential heir to Tony Romo and Jerry Jones even said landing him would be a fairy tale.

Fans were hopeful the two sides could come together and the stars were aligning. Manziel slid past teams needing a quarterback and the Cowboys were on the clock at No. 16. The football world expected the name to be read off the draft card to be Johnny Football but instead, it was Zack Martin, an offensive lineman from Notre Dame.

Martin said he was up to the challenge of proving he was the correct pick and might have been motivated more by the aggravating slights from Jerry Jones. After adding Martin, Jones made it clear he wanted the Texas A&M product but was stopped by his son Stephen Jones — to the relief of everyone in the war room.

Manziel, of course, flamed out and was one of the biggest busts in Cleveland Browns history. Martin, on the other hand, has cemented himself as one of the best guards in the entire NFL. He's entering his 11th season and has nine Pro Bowl and nine All-Pro selections under his belt. He's a dominant force in the run game as well as pass protection and will go down as one of the best picks in team history — especially since it meant they avoided disaster.

More Cowboys coverage