Dallas Cowboys: Lessons From the 2020 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys had an outstanding 2020 NFL Draft, of the level we haven’t seen in years, and there were some lessons to take into the future.

As soon as the Dallas Cowboys selected CeeDee Lamb at seventeen, it was clear this draft would be different from the last ten years. When Trevon Diggs was selected at fifty-one, everyone’s suspicions were confirmed. All the way through the weekend, and even after, the 2020 NFL Draft proved to be different for the Dallas Cowboys.

The first lesson we learned was that the scouting department is really good at evaluating talent. Sure, we don’t know what these guys will be yet, but there was a general consensus about the players they selected. It showed that maybe Jason Garrett and Rod Marinelli had a lot more to do with the past drafts than initially thought.

The second lesson we learned is that Jerry and Stephen trust finally Will McClay and the scouting department. Without being in the same room, more emphasis was placed on sticking to the board and allowing the draft to come to them. While we could discuss the questionable moves both Jerry and Stephen have made, or allowed to be made – this time it was clear, they are willing to trust their people.

The next lesson we learned is that Mike McCarthy and his staff have an idea of what they want this team to look like. Size of players, where they thought they needed help, speed, all of it was certainly part of a plan we haven’t seen in a while. Before it was scheme dictated what the players coming in would look like. This seemed to follow the idea of getting players and allow the scheme to adjust to them. There wasn’t the cookie cutter style player like in previous years.