The 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone. Fans and media alike across Cowboys Nation had a wide spectrum of feelings on whether it was a quality draft or not, but there’s no question they filled some needs. Needs the Dallas Cowboys have had a tough time filling in the past.
Some expected a big time pass catcher early while others felt they should take the falling studs like Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. or Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith. No matter, everyone can agree the Dallas Cowboys front office took an approach they hadn’t taken in quite some time.
As a matter of fact, it’s been well noted by now that first round selection Mazi Smith DT out of Michigan is the first interior Defensive Lineman the team had drafted in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991.
However, the last time the Dallas Cowboys selected an interior Defensive Lineman with their first selection of the draft is much more recent history.
Today we will look at and re-grade the selections made in the Dallas Cowboys 2019 Draft.
Of course, re-grading has the benefit of using hindsight to determine if the pick was a quality hit or miss. So, in an attempt to be fair, grading will be determined by the player’s performance in comparison to where he was selected in the draft.
We will eliminate the idea of who was left on the board to be taken simply because at the time, if it had been known player x taken three picks later was going to make the All-Pro team then he would’ve been a first round selection instead of, let’s say, a third. You with me?
One more thing. You might find it interesting how many things the 2019 and 2023 class have in common. Even if they aren’t necessarily things that matter in terms of making the team better.
Alright. Let’s grab our red marker and re-grade the 2019 Cowboys Draft Class.
One thing the 2019 and 2023 draft have in common for the Dallas Cowboys is both saw picks traded away in exchange for Wide Receiver help. During the 2018 season the Cowboys sent their first round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper while the team swapped a 2023 fifth round pick for Brandin Cooks.
Remember, we are only grading the Dallas Cowboys selections, so the Cooper trade won’t be graded. However, back to comparisons between 2019 and 2023, the Cowboys were set to have the 27th overall pick that year, the same as they were set to have this year. Though, the 2019 team traded the pick away and the 2023 team pick moved up a spot due to the Dolphins forfeiting their pick. What are the odds? The last two times the Dallas Cowboys had the 27 overall pick, neither time did they pick in that spot.
The next comparison is where the Cowboys first pick comes in. We noted earlier the Cowboys hadn’t drafted a DT in the first round since 1991 prior to taking Mazi Smith in 2023. However, the last time the Dallas Cowboys took a DT with their first pick of the draft was 2019 when they took Trysten Hill out of Central Florida.
Taken at pick 58 in the second round (another similarity to the 2023 Cowboys draft positioning) Hill was largely a disappointment. His rookie year he saw action in seven games, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but he found his way on the field in even less action the following two seasons. Logging snaps in only five games in 2020 and six in 2021. He showed flashes here and there, but certainly nothing spectacular.
2022 went better for Hill, sort of. He certainly saw the most action he’d seen in his career, appearing in 13 games. However, once again only seven of those were with the Dallas Cowboys before he was released from the team. Hill found his way on with Arizona where it was much of the same. Overall, the Dallas Cowboys have known they need better play in the middle of the defensive line, but missed big time with Trysten Hill. Injuries, suspensions and inconsistency plagued Hill his whole tenure in Dallas.
DRAFT GRADE: C –
Connor McGovern was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys out of Penn. State and is probably one of the more complex grades to give.
McGovern was a third round selection at pick 90. Though he did not register any snaps his rookie season he did start 29 games over the next three seasons including being a week 1 starter in 2022.
Connor McGovern had a very up and down time with the Dallas Cowboys.
His first opportunity to play real snaps came at the unfortunate expense of future Hall of Famer, Zack Martin, after he went down with an injury. Connor McGovern filled in nicely and actually had himself a good back half stretch of the season.
He followed up a decent 2020 with a stellar 2021 Thursday night opener against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Zack Martin was once again sidelined, this time under COVID protocol mandated by the league. McGovern proved himself to be a quality fill in.
However, the remainder of the season would be a struggle for McGovern. With the return of Martin to the lineup he was relegated to logging snaps only as a lead blocker in the Cowboys Jumbo packages.
It wasn’t until the team decided to bench starting Left Guard Connor Williams did McGovern return to the lineup. Unfortunately things didn’t work out at that time. McGovern couldn’t match his level of play on the right side and Williams was inserted back at LG a month later and remained for the season.
In 2022, Connor McGovern was a saving grace of sorts. Maybe he didn’t quite play to the level he had at Right Guard, but as the teams starter on the left side, he was a much improved player from his previous attempts in that spot. As a matter of fact, McGovern turned out to be one of the more consistent pieces on the 2022 Dallas Cowboys offensive line.
Overall, McGovern had a nice tenure with the Dallas Cowboys before signing a deal with the Buffalo Bills this offseason. He wasn’t great. He wasn’t awful. He gave you some starts over three seasons. He was quite a standard third round pick.
DRAFT GRADE: B
Unlike Hill and McGovern, the grading book on Tony Pollard isn’t quite closed yet. Of course, we will give him a grade, but it’s exciting to think he could improve the grade we’ll be giving him today as he takes over as the lead back for the Dallas Cowboys following Zeke Elliott’s departure.
A forth round pick out of Memphis, things didn’t quite go Tony Pollard’s way his rookie season. The team was still leaning quite heavily on Elliott who by all means had a wonderful season with nearly 1,800 scrimmage yards and 14 TDs. Pollard contributed with 562 total yards and three scores. A solid rookie season for a mid round pick, but it’s also when the whispers began to creep that perhaps Pollard should share more of the work load.
The following season was the forgettable 2020 campaign. However, those whispers grew louder when Pollard got the start in place of a banged up Elliott against San Francisco. Pollard totaled 132 yards with a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. From then on, everyone wanted more Pollard and when 2021 rolled around they’d get…well, ever so slightly more.
2021 would be the season everyone knew the Joneses and Cowboys coaching staff were making a mistake with their usage of Pollard and Zeke. At this point, there was really no longer any excuse for Zeke getting 115 more touches than Tony, yet Pollard had a mere 233 fewer scrimmage yards than Elliott for the season.
Pollard was dominating Zeke in every matric. He was the more explosive and more efficient player. However, the team was slow to react for reasons you can discuss at the water cooler. The team would find more balance between the two in 2022.
Pollard still ended up with 12 fewer touches on the 2022 season, but accumulated 400 more yards than Zeke. The roles had changed. Pollard had become a home run hitter the staff couldn’t turn a blind eye to. Pollard racked up 1,000+ rushing yards and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
After an injury ended his season in the Cowboys playoff loss to the 49ers, the team signed him to the one year franchise tag. It’s possible 2023 could be his final season in Dallas, but no matter, being a forth round pick it feels his grade could only go up.
DRAFT GRADE: A
Remember the time the Dallas Cowboys drafted Michael and Joe Jackson in the same round, seven picks apart? That wasn’t awkward at all. They went to the same school (Miami) and played on the same defense, so I’m sure they heard it all.
Nonetheless, neither player made much of a contribution. Mike (CB), pick 158 in the 5th round, never saw the field for the Dallas Cowboys and was released from the practice squad in October of his rookie season.
Mike bounced around from Detroit to New England and finally logged some significant time on the field in his second year with Seattle.
It was actually a really solid breakout season in his forth year. Mike Jackson started all 17 games, grabbed an INT, forced a fumble, recovered two more and had a nice pass break up to keep Deebo Samuel out of the endzone in the Seahawks loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card round. Mike Jackson re-signed a one year deal with Seattle in April.
Defensive End Joe Jackson was somewhat the same story, but the opposite. Whereas Mike saw no playing time until he was released, Joe played significant snaps week 1 of his rookie year against the Giants.
However, outside of one other game where he logged 20 snaps, we never really heard from Joe Jackson again. He bounced around on several practice squad’s including the Browns, Chiefs and Panthers. Ultimately Joe Jackson was released from Carolina in May of 2022 and remained a free agent for the season. He did, however, collected 1.5 sacks in his time with Cleveland.
DRAFT GRADE: D+
Is it just me or have the Dallas Cowboys had some shocking good draft hits in the 6th round in recent history? Safety Donovan Wilson out of Texas A&M is just one of a laundry list of players taken in the sixth who have made contributions to the team.
Before we get to Dono, let’s recap that list. Obviously the most recent picks (Deuce Vaughn and Eric Scott Jr.) are unknowns, thought Vaughn is the consensus favorite pick amongst fans. Devin Harper from the 2022 class also has a chance to collect more playing time this season, but to be fair lets begin in 2021. The Cowboys did not have a six round pick in 2020, 2015, or 2014.
* = Still with Dallas Cowboys
2021 – DB Izzy Mukuamu (19 games played*)
2019 – S Donovan Wilson (51*)
2018 – WR Cedrick Wilson (53)
2017 – S Xavier Woods (92)
2016 – CB Anthony Brown (94*), S Kavon Frazier (60)
2013 – LB DeVonte Holloman (9 – Retired due to injury)
2012 – TE James Hanna (78)
2011 – WR Dwayne Harris (109)
This not only tells us the Cowboys have been highly efficient drafting in the sixth round, but it also tells us they have targeted defensive backs and pass catchers.
Donovan Wilson may very well be the best out of the group above and he’s improved his game each and every season. In 2022 he posted over 100 tackles to go along with seven TFLs, five sacks and an INT. He made solid to great contributions at every level of the defense and many feel had an argument to be a Pro Bowler.
Dan Quinn and the Dallas Cowboys saw the value of Dono and gave him a beautiful new contract for three years, worth $21 million.
DRAFT GRADE: A-
The final two picks for the Dallas Cowboys from the 2019 draft include a pair of selections who never made it onto the field.
Running Back Mike Weber figured to perhaps get his shot while waiting on the team’s practice squad, but that opportunity never came. Rather, his contract expired after the season’s end and he was not brought back.
Over the 2020 seasons Weber would be picked up, placed on a practice squad, released again, and so forth. He spent time with the Chiefs, Giants and Packers, but the moment just never came to suit up for a regular season game. He was a free agent in 2021 and 2022.
The Dallas Cowboys second pick in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft is a similar story to Weber, along with many other late day three selections.
Jalen Jelks was a relatively promising young player. He tested well at the combine, showing athleticism and had good size as well (6’5″ 256lbs).
Part of the issue was he began his rookie campaign on the IR. The Cowboys activated him in August of 2020 where he’d be cut after the preseason. On the same day the Cowboys claimed Jelks off waivers to return, he’d also be added to the NFL Exempt list and signed by the Carolina Panthers.
From there, life was short lived in any destination Jelks landed. He went from Carolina to Cleveland to Washington within a three month span. Washington placed him on IR during camp in 2021 and is currently a free agent.
DRAFT GRADE: D+
Not hitting on any seventh rounders shouldn’t be held against any team when figuring their overall draft grade. However, with no first round pick the team badly needed to hit on their first selection in the second round and that certainly did not happen. McGovern’s 2022 was solid, but the true saving grace to this draft fall on the gems Dallas found on day three with Pollard and Dono.