CFZ 10 years of drafts. best 10 Cowboys picks?

[Scottishcowboy]

I thought I'd switch things up and post something different from the usual.......

Going back to the 2013 draft, who do you think our best 10 picks have been? You decide on your criteria as to what your top 10 looks like. It may just be "best 10 players" however, I've tried to look at draft slot and to a degree, comp pick to come up with my list.

1. Micah Parsons - just because!
2. Dak Prescott - round 4 pick, EVERY team would love this pick in round 4 (please, please don't turn this thread into a Dak-bash).
3. Zak Martin - Best, most reliable player we drafted in forever.
4. Trevon Diggs - All pro in the 2nd round, position of need.....say no more.
5. Tank Lawrence - forget the contract and sack numbers. A super-solid player picked in the 2nd round. Draft "a Lawrence" every year in round 2 and you have a good roster.
6. Travis Fredrick - What a pick.............what a shame his career was so short.
7. Michael Gallup - really solid round 3 pick who just does his job
8. Dalton Schultz - now hear me out! Round 4 pick, playing like a top 5 TE.....and the comp pick may be a 4 if he's gone next year (I'll take that).
9. Anthony Brown - round 6..........again, round 6 draft and he's solid, really solid.
10. Tony Pollard - it's been a slow burn but he's on fire now and will climb my list when he scores 2 TDs in the Super Bowl this year..

so no Zeke? If it was a top 10 best player list, then all day but I've taken account of his draft capital.
No Byron Jones? He was good for 1 year at CB, meh at safety before that.
No CeeDee Lamb? A bit like Zeke, draft slot has him out my list but I'm torn here.
No-one from 2022 draft? For me, too early to add them in but there's optimism.

So where are you all with your list folks?

 

[xwalker]

I thought I'd switch things up and post something different from the usual.......

Going back to the 2013 draft, who do you think our best 10 picks have been? You decide on your criteria as to what your top 10 looks like. It may just be "best 10 players" however, I've tried to look at draft slot and to a degree, comp pick to come up with my list.

1. Micah Parsons - just because!
2. Dak Prescott - round 4 pick, EVERY team would love this pick in round 4 (please, please don't turn this thread into a Dak-bash).
3. Zak Martin - Best, most reliable player we drafted in forever.
4. Trevon Diggs - All pro in the 2nd round, position of need.....say no more.
5. Tank Lawrence - forget the contract and sack numbers. A super-solid player picked in the 2nd round. Draft "a Lawrence" every year in round 2 and you have a good roster.
6. Travis Fredrick - What a pick.............what a shame his career was so short.
7. Michael Gallup - really solid round 3 pick who just does his job
8. Dalton Schultz - now hear me out! Round 4 pick, playing like a top 5 TE.....and the comp pick may be a 4 if he's gone next year (I'll take that).
9. Anthony Brown - round 6..........again, round 6 draft and he's solid, really solid.
10. Tony Pollard - it's been a slow burn but he's on fire now and will climb my list when he scores 2 TDs in the Super Bowl this year..

so no Zeke? If it was a top 10 best player list, then all day but I've taken account of his draft capital.
No Byron Jones? He was good for 1 year at CB, meh at safety before that.
No CeeDee Lamb? A bit like Zeke, draft slot has him out my list but I'm torn here.
No-one from 2022 draft? For me, too early to addarsons them in but there's optimism.

So where are you all with your list folks?

Parsons
Martin
Frederick
Tyler Smith
Dak
Diggs
Pollard
Sam Williams

 

[AsthmaField]

I thought I'd switch things up and post something different from the usual.......

Going back to the 2013 draft, who do you think our best 10 picks have been? You decide on your criteria as to what your top 10 looks like. It may just be "best 10 players" however, I've tried to look at draft slot and to a degree, comp pick to come up with my list.

1. Micah Parsons - just because!
2. Dak Prescott - round 4 pick, EVERY team would love this pick in round 4 (please, please don't turn this thread into a Dak-bash).
3. Zak Martin - Best, most reliable player we drafted in forever.
4. Trevon Diggs - All pro in the 2nd round, position of need.....say no more.
5. Tank Lawrence - forget the contract and sack numbers. A super-solid player picked in the 2nd round. Draft "a Lawrence" every year in round 2 and you have a good roster.
6. Travis Fredrick - What a pick.............what a shame his career was so short.
7. Michael Gallup - really solid round 3 pick who just does his job
8. Dalton Schultz - now hear me out! Round 4 pick, playing like a top 5 TE.....and the comp pick may be a 4 if he's gone next year (I'll take that).
9. Anthony Brown - round 6..........again, round 6 draft and he's solid, really solid.
10. Tony Pollard - it's been a slow burn but he's on fire now and will climb my list when he scores 2 TDs in the Super Bowl this year..

so no Zeke? If it was a top 10 best player list, then all day but I've taken account of his draft capital.
No Byron Jones? He was good for 1 year at CB, meh at safety before that.
No CeeDee Lamb? A bit like Zeke, draft slot has him out my list but I'm torn here.
No-one from 2022 draft? For me, too early to add them in but there's optimism.

So where are you all with your list folks?

This post is a little too positive, it needs to come down.

However, throw in a mention of second round misses, and I’ll allow it.

If you can squeeze in a mention of 27 years, it might get pinned to the top.

 

[Hardline]

Zeke belongs in that list somewhere in that list.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Zeke belongs in that list somewhere in that list.

He really doesn't, not when he cost the 4th overall pick.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Good trivia question: who was the player drafted longest ago by the Cowboys who is still active?

It's a pretty good list but I think Donovan Wilson (6th round 2019) is a glaring oversight.

 

[Hardline]

He really doesn't, not when he cost the 4th overall pick.

His stats and body of work put him there .not draft position.

 

[conner01]

Best picks should be guys who’ve played a few years At least
Micah obvious
Martin obvious
Dak goid QB’s are hard to get
Diggs elite CB
Fred could have been an alltime great
Tank very under rated player here
Zeke he’s not what he once was but he’s had some really good years here
The pollard, smith types just haven’t done enough for long enough to me, though the potential is amazing with both
Honorable mention
Steele
He was a true steal lol
And he was the cheapest of the bunch as for a draft capital

 

[beware_d-ware]

Dak Prescott. Saved us from becoming the Denver Broncos post-Romo.

Zack Martin. Will be putting on a gold jacket one day. Martin has set a generational standard for guards, and he's still an All-Pro today.

Micah Parsons. Playing at a gold jacket level, and longetivity is the only question left. Let's hope his career trajectory continues more like DeMarcus Ware than Aldon Smith.

Travis Frederick. Would have put on a gold jacket, but a freak illness cost him it. His game on the field was Canton worthy for 4 seasons and he wasn't slowing down. Frederick is the Garrett-era Erik Williams.

DLaw. People loved DLaw in 2017-18, ragged on him from 19-21, and now they love him again. But he's just been the same Pro Bowl caliber DE for 6 years straight.

Trevon Diggs. Emerging as a top-five CB in the league. Like most really young guys, longetivity is the question, but the talent is undeniable.

Connor Williams. Believe it or not, he was one of the better guards in the league for his last two years in Dallas, and now he's grading out as the best center in the NFL. Major IOL talent, and just because he didn't peak in Dallas doesn't mean the scouting department missed on him.

Byron Jones. Hit an All-Pro peak in Dallas, hasn't really recaptured that in Miami, but he's playing year 8 in the league and he's never been a worse than average starting CB. We definitely wasted a few of his seasons at FS.

Anthony Brown. He's been a solid player for a very long time now, but he never hit Byron's peak.

CeeDee Lamb. The #1 vs #2 debates are fair IMO. What isn't in question is that he's been a legit starting WR.

Honorable mentions for Tony Pollard, Anthony Hitchens, Gallup, and Chido.

Zeke isn't in the running IMO. For 2 or 3 years, he was straight-up one of the best players in football. But he's been dead weight for at least another 3 and has been actively hurting this team for nearly as long as he helped it. Look at Tony Pollard running these past two weeks... we could have been doing that since 2020.

 

[ghst187]

Real shame about TFred. His loss kinda shook up our OL and we are just now recovering.

 

[Robbieac]

Anyone who puts Zeke on the list should get a lifetime posting ban....

 

[Creeper]

Parsons
Martin
Frederick
Tyler Smith
Dak
Diggs
Pollard
Sam Williams

Yes, I would say Tyler Smith already belongs on that list. He has been outstanding and much better than I thought he would be as a rookie.

Sam Williams hasn't played enough but I think a year from now he will be close to the top of the list.

 

[Scottishcowboy]

Dak Prescott. Saved us from becoming the Denver Broncos post-Romo.

Zack Martin. Will be putting on a gold jacket one day. Martin has set a generational standard for guards, and he's still an All-Pro today.

Micah Parsons. Playing at a gold jacket level, and longetivity is the only question left. Let's hope his career trajectory continues more like DeMarcus Ware than Aldon Smith.

Travis Frederick. Would have put on a gold jacket, but a freak illness cost him it. His game on the field was Canton worthy for 4 seasons and he wasn't slowing down. Frederick is the Garrett-era Erik Williams.

DLaw. People loved DLaw in 2017-18, ragged on him from 19-21, and now they love him again. But he's just been the same Pro Bowl caliber DE for 6 years straight.

Trevon Diggs. Emerging as a top-five CB in the league. Like most really young guys, longetivity is the question, but the talent is undeniable.

Connor Williams. Believe it or not, he was one of the better guards in the league for his last two years in Dallas, and now he's grading out as the best center in the NFL. Major IOL talent, and just because he didn't peak in Dallas doesn't mean the scouting department missed on him.

Byron Jones. Hit an All-Pro peak in Dallas, hasn't really recaptured that in Miami, but he's playing year 8 in the league and he's never been a worse than average starting CB. We definitely wasted a few of his seasons at FS.

Anthony Brown. He's been a solid player for a very long time now, but he never hit Byron's peak.

CeeDee Lamb. The #1 vs #2 debates are fair IMO. What isn't in question is that he's been a legit starting WR.

Honorable mentions for Tony Pollard, Anthony Hitchens, Gallup, and Chido.

Zeke isn't in the running IMO. For 2 or 3 years, he was straight-up one of the best players in football. But he's been dead weight for at least another 3 and has been actively hurting this team for nearly as long as he helped it. Look at Tony Pollard running these past two weeks... we could have been doing that since 2020.

Nice list, appreciate your thoughts.

 

[cowboyec]

my dirty dozen:
travis frederick c wisconsin
zack martin og notre dame
demarcus lawrence de boise st
zeke rb ohio st
dak qb miss st
michael gallup wr colorado st
dalton schultz te stanford
tony pollard rb memphis
ceedee lamb wr ou
trevon diggs cb alabama
micah parsons lb penn st
tyler smith ot tulsa

 

[lukemartin79]

This post is a little too positive, it needs to come down.

However, throw in a mention of second round misses, and I’ll allow it.

If you can squeeze in a mention of 27 years, it might get pinned to the top.

I keep reading on here that the Cowboys are terrible with their 2nd Round draft picks. I understand the disappointment with Joseph, and we all remember Trysten Hill recently too. But other 2nd Rounders were Diggs, Awuzie, Jaylon Smith, Gregory, D- Law, and Sean Lee. They sure weren't misses, lol.

 

[Robbieac]

I keep reading on here that the Cowboys are terrible with their 2nd Round draft picks. I understand the disappointment with Joseph, and we all remember Trysten Hill recently too. But other 2nd Rounders were Diggs, Awuzie, Jaylon Smith, Gregory, D- Law, and Sean Lee. They sure weren't misses, lol.

Wait. Wut?!?

Jaylon Smith wasn’t a miss? Gregory wasn’t a wasted pick either?

What football universe are you living in?

 

[lukemartin79]

Wait. Wut?!?

Jaylon Smith wasn’t a miss? Gregory wasn’t a wasted pick either?

What football universe are you living in?

How can you be a miss if you are a starter for years on an NFL team? You forget those couple years where Jaylon Smith and LVE were the best LB pair in the league. Just because he faded doesn't mean he is a miss, lol.

 

[lukemartin79]

I would put Martin at 1, he's the only certain HOF guy on that list. Parsons is obviously well on his way, but its only been a year and a half. Martin has been top notch for some time.

 

[Robbieac]

How can you be a miss if you are a starter for years on an NFL team? You forget those couple years where Jaylon Smith and LVE were the best LB pair in the league. Just because he faded doesn't mean he is a miss, lol.

Jaylon Smith had one good year. The rest were beyond dismal. He was a wasted pick.

And when was Gregory a starter for “years”?

Unless by “starter for years”, you mean “suspended and unavailable for years”??

 

[AsthmaField]

I keep reading on here that the Cowboys are terrible with their 2nd Round draft picks. I understand the disappointment with Joseph, and we all remember Trysten Hill recently too. But other 2nd Rounders were Diggs, Awuzie, Jaylon Smith, Gregory, D- Law, and Sean Lee. They sure weren't misses, lol.

I agree with you. The Cowboys are probably the best drafting team in the league… and they have been for a while now. This team is loaded with talented, young, drafted players (and UDFA’s). They do a hell of a job.