Re-grading the Dallas Cowboys 2016 draft, seven years later

Round 4, Pick #101 – Charles Tapper

Charles Tapper is the biggest bust from the Dallas Cowboys’ 2016 draft. Selected with the one hundred and first overall pick, Tapper was a failed attempt to bolster the Cowboys’ 25th-ranked pass rush coming off the 2015 season.

Coming out of college, Tapper showed flashes of potential greatness paired with speed as he ran a 4.56, 40-yard dash at the combine. That speed showed up on film in his last year in school as he tallied seven sacks and ten tackles for loss in a scheme that wasn’t designed for him to make plays.

With a vast upside, Dallas expected Tapper to compete and beat out their fifth-round selection from 2015, Ryan Russell. The Cowboys felt that Tapper wasn’t used correctly in college, and they could bring out the best in him. Unfortunately, that thought was short-lived, as Charles did not play a single snap in 2016 and only suited up for two games in his career and was not named the starter in either game.

In 2018, the Dallas Cowboys released Tapper from their practice squad, and he never played another down in the NFL. His last attempt at keeping his career alive was with the New York Jets in 2020, where he was eventually waived and released.

Individual Grade: F