I think it’s fair to say the Dallas Cowboys have drafted well enough over the last 10 years to avoid being called a disaster.
I also believe it’s fair to say some of their misses have been brutal, and I’m not talking about random late-round picks nobody remembers. These are the kind of draft mistakes that have stuck with me for years.
These are the types of picks I had to talk myself into on draft night, only to look back later and realize Dallas got almost nothing out of them.
We will be looking at the 10 biggest draft mistakes the Dallas Cowboys have had over the last 10 years, and I’m ranking them by draft value, lack of production, and how much the misses hurt Dallas moving forward.
I did not include the 2025 draft class because it’s still too early, and I’m not going to force recent names too high just to say I did.
I think the biggest problem has been that when the Cowboys miss early in the draft, they miss hard.
10. Viliami Fehoko Jr., DE, 2023 Fourth Round, No.129 Overall
Let’s not pretend a fourth-round miss is supposed to crush a franchise.
I still think it belongs on the list because Dallas has spent a lot of picks trying to build out the defensive front, and when those mid-round swings don’t hit, the depth starts getting exposed in a hurry.
That is how I look at Viliami Fehoko Jr.
Dallas used pick 129 on him in 2023, and he never became part of the plan. That is not the kind of return I want when the team is trying to find cheap, useful defensive line help.
Nick Herbig went to the Pittsburgh Steelers three picks later at 132.
9. Reggie Robinson II, CB, 2020 Fourth Round, No.123
Dallas got almost nothing out of this pick.
I can live with a fourth-round miss, every team has them, but when you’re drafting for depth at corner, and the player barely gives you anything, I have a hard time calling it anything but a miss.
That is where Reggie Robinson lands. He was taken with a fourth-round pick in 2020, and the Cowboys did not get any value in return. That may not be franchise-changing, but it is still a wasted pick.
Safety Jaylinn Hawkins went 11 picks later to the Atlanta Falcons, and safety L’Jarius Sneed was picked at 138 by Kansas City. These two players have a combined 18 interceptions since being drafted.
8. Josh Ball, OT, 2021 Fourth Round, No. 138
This one stands out to me more because the Cowboys draft offensive linemen well.
Dallas took him as a developmental tackle, and I can see what they were thinking. Normally, this is the type of pick they turn into a useful backup or future contributor.
When the Cowboys miss an offensive line pick, I notice it more because that has traditionally been one of the front office’s strengths.
Trey Smith went to the Kansas City Chiefs at 226.
7. Neville Gallimore, DT, 2020 Third Round, No. 82
I don’t want to overdo this one because Nevelle Gallimore was not a complete zero for the Cowboys.
I also don’t want to act like he gave Dallas what a third-round pick is supposed to give.
He had moments and flashed here and there, but if I’m using a Day 2 pick on a defensive tackle, I want more than occasional flashes. I want a player who becomes part of the foundation, and Gallimore never really got there.
Jonathan Greenard (90) and Alex Highsmith (102) were selected after the Neville Gallimore pick.
6. Luke Schoonmaker, TE, 2023 Second Round, No. 58
I don’t know if anyone will hate seeing Luke Schoonmaker on this list.
He may not be the worst player on this list, but I expect a lot more from a second-round pick than the modest production from one of the oldest prospects in the 2023 draft.
When Dallas used a second-round pick here, I wanted a player who would move the offense forward. A player who I could point to and say, yeah, that guy changed the offense.
We haven’t seen enough of that from him.
Several players were picked after Luke Schoonmaker, who could have made a difference, starting with De’Von Achane picked at 84.
5. Nahshon Wright, CB, 2021 Third Round, No. 99
I think this one gets worse when I look at the context.
Nahshon Wright had a good season last year in Chicago, but I think the Dallas Cowboys dropped the ball on this one. Dallas went into the draft needing help at corner.
The only issue is he never saw the field. He just never became a contributor in Dallas, and that is why I have him this high.
It’s not only the pick missed for the Cowboys, but the Cowboys were trying to solve a problem, and they did for another team years later.
Not too many good defensive players were selected after Wright, but some offensive studs went a few picks later.
4. Mazi Smith, DT, 2023 First Round, No.26 Overall
This is where the list gets serious for me, because once we start talking about first-round picks, I stop giving much grace.
I’m not saying I need every first-rounder to be a superstar, but I do need a first-round defensive tackle to be a difference maker or at least a reliable starter.
Mazi Smith was none of that. It may have been a coaching issue, but nevertheless, he didn’t pan out.
Dallas used the 26th pick on him, and I still look at that spot and know the Cowboys could have had so much more.
Bryan Breese, Joey Porter Jr., Nolan Smith, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, just to name a few, were selected after Mazi.
3. Kelvin Joseph, CB, 2021 Second Round, No. 44
I felt like this one really needed to work, and it did not.
Kelvin Joseph was a second-round corner who was more worried about his rap career as “Bossman Fat” than playing football.
After being drafted, he was meant to stabilize a defense that needed help in the secondary. That type of draft investment should bring in a football player more worried about being a real contributor than a musician.
The Cowboys never got that.
That is why I have him in my top three. Second-round misses hurt, but they hurt even more when the need is obvious, and the player gives up.
The players that could have been: Asante Samuel Jr., Azeez Ojulari, Nick Bolten, and Creed Humphrey.
2. Trysten Hill, DT, 2019 Second Round, No.58
I remember this being one of those picks where I tried really hard to see the traits that warranted him being selected this high.
At the end of the day, just like with Kelvin Joseph, a second-round pick has to turn into more than this.
Trysten Hill never became the player Dallas needed him to be. After years of fans wanting the Cowboys to draft a defensive tackle high in the draft, we got Hill, who was disappointing to say the least.
Missing out on a premium pick is disappointing because it leaves you so little to work with after expecting a contributor.
1. Taco Charlton, DE, 2017 First Round, No 28
This is numero uno for me, and I think it is for several fans who expected a better pick.
Taco Charlton is the biggest Dallas Cowboys draft mistake of the last 10 years because everything about this pick makes it worse.
He was a first-round edge rusher, I guess that counts for something. He just wasn’t the correct edge rusher the Cowboys should have picked.
This is a premium position, and when Dallas used the pick on him over T.J. Watt, I think I died a little inside.
I know that is the part fans will never get over, and I don’t blame anyone for feeling that way. When you whiff on a first-round pass rusher and watch a star go almost immediately after, that is the kind of draft mistake people talk about for years, and have.
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