Re-grading the Dallas Cowboys 2017 draft: Looking back
For the Dallas Cowboys, this is one of the most unimpressive drafts of Will McClay’s tenure.
The Taco Charlton pick set the entire draft in motion on a course that could not be corrected. That’s not to say Dallas failed on all of the picks.
Jourdan Lewis, Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods, and Noah Brown were all solid draft selections to the extent that all players received contract extensions or offers from other teams.
Dallas has done a much better picking the best player in recent drafts. The need-based approach pigeonholed them into making decisions that other teams wouldn’t.
The final grade for Dallas was far from a thing of beauty, but it was a fair grade based on the lack of return on investment and, again, the sunken opportunity costs in their draft picks.
The final grade of a D is suitable for this draft. It would be hard to find anyone who would give Dallas anything higher.
They were borderline at a C grade, but there were no curves, and I didn’t consider any of the incompletes.
This draft did impact the team in 2017. The Cowboys finished 9-7, and a part of it was due to the lack of resources they typically rely on from the draft.
Next. Cowboys could still use a veteran WR in 2023. dark
Luckily, Dallas has been on fire in the draft, and 2017 should be considered a blip on their radar.