The bottom line: No one wearing the Blue Star walked off the field Sunday feeling good about themselves.
Of the 11 rookies on the Cowboys' 53-man roster only two had anything positive to point to in the box score. That's not saying much.
The Cowboys' third round pick — linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (Texas) — is out for the season.
The two players Dallas selected ahead of him in the spring barely outplayed Overshown on Sunday.
And at least they suited up and made it out onto the field. At one point, the Cowboys 2023 draft class was being praised.
Three weeks into the season and it isn't looking so good. The rookies' overall grade for the third game comes in at a “C”.
Only kicker Brandon Aubrey and full back Hunter Luepke kept it from being a “D+” instead.
Woeful Wolverines
Last week I said that first round pick Mazi Smith's (defensive tackle) lack of production and diminished playing time is concerning.
I said it was too early to talk “bust” or “Taco Charlton 2.0” too. There is a chance that I was mistaken.
I also may have been too charitable by not mentioning second round pick, and fellow Michigan Wolverines alum, tight end Luke Schoonmaker.
Smith saw only 12 snaps on defense and one on special teams in Sunday's loss. Four other defensive tackles saw more snaps for Dallas than Smith.
Smith now has 40 snaps on defense and one on special teams through three games. He has three tackles — one solo, one for a loss — to show for it.
A first round pick is expected to be on the field a lot more than Smith has been so far.
Passing up on a quality offensive linemen for Smith — especially with the current state of the offensive line — is looking more and more like a major mistake.
Schoonmaker Struggles
Schoonmaker isn't faring much better. He's battled a foot issue from his college days and not made much of an impact.
Schoonmaker saw 19 snaps on offense and another 12 on special teams on Sunday. He had one target with no catches.
The tight end has seen more snaps than Smith — 67 on offense and 40 on special teams — but only has one catch on two targets for the year.
Granted, the catch was for a one-yard touchdown. But still, not the kind of numbers you expect from a second-round pick.
Maybe Dallas should erase any players from Michigan from their draft boards for a while.
Deuce's Disappearing Act
Deuce Vaughn (sixth round, running back) went from Rookie of the Week to the Invisible Man in a hurry. Vaughn saw one snap on special teams for the entire game.
He looked to be getting more into the offense during last week's win over the Jets.
I couldn't find anything regarding an injury, so his lack of production remains a mystery for now.
Fifth rounder Asim Richards (guard) saw four snaps on special teams.
Fourth rounder, Viliami Fehoko (EDGE), fifth rounder, Eric Scott Jr. (defensive back), and seventh rounder Jalen Brooks (wide receiver), did not see action.
The Undrafted Free Agents
With the injuries piling up on the offensive line, T. J. Bass started at guard. He saw 81 snaps on offense and another four on special teams.
The rookie played well overall. But he did get flagged for a holding call that Dallas was able to overcome.
“Aubreymatic” is rolling right along. Aubrey nailed a 49-yard field goal and added two more field goals and an extra point.
Since missing his first kick, an extra-point in wet conditions in New York, Aubrey has been perfect.
He's made six straight point after tries. Aubrey has made all 10 field goal attempts, including one for 55 yards last week.
The Cowboys have issues to work through. Their place kicker isn't one of them.
Rookie Of The Week
It really came down to Aubrey or Hunter Luepke. To be honest Aubrey's kicks, with the lone exception, were point-blank tries.
Luepke saw just eight snaps on offense. He was in the game mostly for blocking duties.
Luepke did get his first NFL rushing attempt and gained nine yards. He also added his first NFL reception.
He gained 12 yards on a nice catch and run for a first down on Dallas' first scoring drive.
On a day that was an absolute disaster for the Cowboys, Luepke provided one of the few bright spots from the rookie class.
