There have been seven NFL drafts since the unmitigated disaster that was the Dallas Cowboys taking Michigan’s Taco Charlton with the 28th overall pick of the 2017 Draft.
Between 2018-2022, with the lone exception of 2019, when Dallas traded the pick to obtain Amari Cooper, the Cowboys had a great run in the first round.
- 2018 Leighton Vander Esch LB
- 2020 CeeDee Lamb WR
- 2021 Micah Parsons LB
- 2022 Tyler Smith OL
Injuries prematurely ended Vander Esch’s career, but those were four solid first-round selections. The same, at least so far, cannot be said of the last two first-round picks Dallas has made.
Mazi Smith, another defensive lineman from Michigan, had a very disappointing rookie season.
Some of that can be blamed on an inexplicable forced weight loss prior to the season. His second year showed some improvement and he did start all 17 games.
Still, he has not lived up to the kind of expectations that comes with being a first-round pick.
Last year’s first rounder, Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, also failed to impress in his rookie year.
Penalties, mistakes in run blocking and pass protection, and a fumble recovery turned into a fumble lost, made his highlight reel unwatchable.
What both Smith and Guyton share is that both were “reach” picks, players that would have been available in the second round. A terrible mistake considering better players in areas of need were passed up.
That has to change on Thursday when Dallas makes the 12th overall pick.
The good news is: the number 12 is a very good omen for the Cowboys.
That was the number worn by Roger Staubach during the Cowboys’ glory days of the 1970s. The 12th overall pick in the draft has worked out well for Dallas too.
A Trio At 12
In the Cowboys’ previous 64 drafts, they officially became an NFL franchise after the 1960 draft and did not participate in that draft, they have had the 12th overall pick just three times.
- 1987 Danny Noonan NT
- 1991 Alvin Harper WR
- 2021 Micah Parsons LB
Overall, they’ve done a nice job with these three picks.
Noonan was a draft selection of Tex Schramm and Tom Landry and lasted five-plus years on the team. In his two seasons under Landry, Noonan became a full-time starter in his second year.
He would record 8.5 of 15 total sacks in Dallas during those two seasons in 27 games. He added a safety and a 17-yard interception for a touchdown in 1988.
Noonan missed nine games in 1989, Jimmy Johnson’s first year as head coach, but still started in five of the seven he played in and collected a sack.
In 1990, he started 15 of 16 games and had 4.5 sacks, but in 1991 he only started three of the 15 games he suited up for and had just one sack.
Noonan played two games for Dallas in 1992 as a starter, then finished the year in Green Bay. He was out of football after the 1992 season.
Harper, a draft pick of Johnson’s, was a key piece in the Cowboys’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins over the Bills.
In four years in Dallas, he had 2,486 yards and 18 touchdowns. But after his best year in 1994, Harper decided to chase the money.
He played two seasons in Tampa Bay and another for the Redskins in 1997.
After being out of the NFL in 1998, Harper returned to the Cowboys for two games in 1999. But the magic was gone.
He had two targets without a catch and was out of the NFL for good after the 1999 season.
Parsons is Jerry Jones’ lone 12th pick. In four seasons, he is proving that Jones got this one right.
What The Cowboys Should Do
The Cowboys, barring a trade beforehand, will go on the clock with the 12th pick on Thursday night in Green Bay.
What should they do with it?
Let’s try drafting an offensive playmaker, Mr. Jones. No matter how the first 11 picks pan out, there should be a game-changer on the board when Dallas’ turn comes up.
And that’s assuming Dallas doesn’t take a swing and move up.
Which is what they absolutely should do if Ashton Jeanty gets past the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.
What The Cowboys Will Do
My biggest fear is that Stephen Jones may have said the quiet part out loud when he talked about trading down.
Because that worked out so well in 2004 with Julius Jones and last year with Tyler Guyton, right?
My second-biggest fear is that they will reach for a third straight year, bypassing a player who could make an immediate impact. If this pick is another offensive or defensive lineman…
Let’s just say if this happens, you’ll hear a wail on Thursday night that would make a banshee recoil in terror.