Ranking the Dallas Cowboys' Best Draft Picks of the Last Decade

5. DaRon Bland, CB (2022)

Not much fanfare followed the selection of Fresno State cornerback DaRon Bland. Chosen at No. 167 overall, Bland was buried on the depth chart as a rookie but found himself moving up when Anthony Brown was sidelined with an injury.

Bland took the opportunity and ran with it.

He appeared in all 17 games and made eight starts for Dallas. He proved to be quite the ball hawk, finishing his rookie season with 54 tackles, seven pass defenses, and five interceptions. As good as that performance was, it was nothing compared to what Bland had in store for his sophomore campaign.

After starting the season as the third cornerback, Bland moved to CB2 when Trevon Diggs tore his ACL ahead of Week 3. Working with Stephon Gilmore, he continued to take the ball away at an impressive rate. This time, Bland had nine interceptions but also returned five of them for touchdowns.

He set an NFL record in the process, becoming the first player to record five pick-sixes in a single season. He’s also pulled down more picks than any other player since being drafted. Not bad at all for a guy who had to start his collegiate career at Sacramento State.