Why do you think Dallas is so bad at drafting DLinemen?

[Whyjerry]

This baffles me. I know Jerry is a world class dummy but Dallas has been terrible at drafting on the DL. In my opinion here's why?

1. Position has been a focus historically especially DT

2. Dallas thinks they are too smart and often go for the projectable athlete rather that productive college stars

3. Dallas does too many small school guys. Draft SEC DLinemen and see what happens

4. Culture is not built on toughness and DL needs to be tough

5. Coaching carousel has been a hot mess

6. Just plain stupidity from Jerry as he will always choose flash over the sure thing

What do you guys think?

 

[75boyz]

This baffles me. I know Jerry is a world class dummy but Dallas has been terrible at drafting on the DL. In my opinion here's why?

1. Position has been a focus historically especially DT

2. Dallas thinks they are too smart and often go for the projectable athlete rather that productive college stars

3. Dallas does too many small school guys. Draft SEC DLinemen and see what happens

4. Culture is not built on toughness and DL needs to be tough

5. Coaching carousel has been a hot mess

6. Just plain stupidity from Jerry as he will always choose flash over the sure thing

What do you guys think?

Great post that sums up how this major team deficiency has contributed to team failure on the line of scrimmage for decades now.

Bravo to ya brother.

Oline scouting/development is currently in a steady and deep decline as well.

 

[TheDuke]

1. They’ve relied to much on coaches opinions in the draft and prioritizing scheme fit. (Charlton over Watt)

2. Their defensive schemes the last 10-15 years have not been conducive to player development along the dline.(insistence on 1 gap 3 tech DT’s. Maliek Collins, Trystan Hill, Neville Gallimore)

3. Poor player evaluation.

 

[gimmesix]

This baffles me. I know Jerry is a world class dummy but Dallas has been terrible at drafting on the DL. In my opinion here's why?

1. Position has been a focus historically especially DT

2. Dallas thinks they are too smart and often go for the projectable athlete rather that productive college stars

3. Dallas does too many small school guys. Draft SEC DLinemen and see what happens

4. Culture is not built on toughness and DL needs to be tough

5. Coaching carousel has been a hot mess

6. Just plain stupidity from Jerry as he will always choose flash over the sure thing

What do you guys think?

We've drafted two defensive tackles in the first two rounds since the 2005 draft, when Parcells not only drafted Marcus Spears in the first, but Chris Canty in the fourth and Jay Ratliff in the seventh, after getting DeMarcus Ware in the first. The picks we used were 58 in 2019 (Trysten Hill) and 26 in 2023 (Mazi Smith).

In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles have drafted two DTs in the top 13 in the past five years (Carter and Davis). Before that, they took Fletcher Cox at 12 in 2012.

The Washington Commanders took Jonathan Allen at 17 in 2017 and DaRon Payne at 13 in 2018. Since then, they've missed on Phidarian Mathis at 47 in 2022 and seemed to have done OK with Jer'Zhan Newton at 36 in 2024.

The New York Giants did well with Dalvin Tomlinson in 2017 (the lowest draft pick among the absolute success stories at 55) and then found a star in Dexter Lawrence at 17 in 2019.

So I would say that the main problem is investment. To hit on top DTs, you've usually got to do it inside the top 20 picks of the first round or get lucky in the second.

As far as DEs go, yes, Taco was a miss but Parsons was a find and DeMarcus Lawrence was a solid pickup. I'm not going to go through the other teams' drafts like I did for the DTs, but I'd bet our success rate is similar to theirs depending mostly on the draft position.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Dallas has been terrible at drafting on the DL.
What do you guys think?

I went back 15 years:

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick
2014	DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	2nd	34
2015	Ryan Russell	DE	5th	163
2016	Maliek Collins	DT	3rd	67
2016	Charles Tapper	DE	4th	101
2017	Taco Charlton	DE	1st	28
2018	Dorance Armstrong	DE	4th	116
2019	Trysten Hill	DT	2nd	58
2019	Joe Jackson	DE	5th	165
2020	Neville Gallimore	DT	3rd	82
2020	Bradlee Anae	DE	5th	179
2021	Chauncey Golston	DE	3rd	84
2021	Quinton Bohanna	DT	6th	192
2022	Sam Williams	DE	2nd	56
2022	John Ridgeway	DT	5th	178
2023	Mazi Smith	DT	1st	26
2023	Viliami Fehoko	DE	4th	129
2024	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	2nd	56
2024	Justin Rogers	DT	7th	244
2025	Donovan Ezeiruaku	DE	2nd	44
2025	Jay Toia	DT	7th	217
2025	Tommy Akingbesote	DT	7th	247
2026	Malachi Lawrence	DE	1st	23
2026	LT Overton	DL/DE	4th	137

And if you separate them by premium picks:

1st round: Taco Charlton, Mazi Smith, Malachi Lawrence

2nd round: DeMarcus Lawrence, Trysten Hill, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku

3rd round: Maliek Collins, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston

 

[Hardline]

Most of the time they don't pick low enough in the first round of the draft to get the top DL prospects.
The Aaron Donalds of this world don't fall to the 20's

 

[MarcusRock]

I went back 15 years:

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick
2014	DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	2nd	34
2015	Ryan Russell	DE	5th	163
2016	Maliek Collins	DT	3rd	67
2016	Charles Tapper	DE	4th	101
2017	Taco Charlton	DE	1st	28
2018	Dorance Armstrong	DE	4th	116
2019	Trysten Hill	DT	2nd	58
2019	Joe Jackson	DE	5th	165
2020	Neville Gallimore	DT	3rd	82
2020	Bradlee Anae	DE	5th	179
2021	Chauncey Golston	DE	3rd	84
2021	Quinton Bohanna	DT	6th	192
2022	Sam Williams	DE	2nd	56
2022	John Ridgeway	DT	5th	178
2023	Mazi Smith	DT	1st	26
2023	Viliami Fehoko	DE	4th	129
2024	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	2nd	56
2024	Justin Rogers	DT	7th	244
2025	Donovan Ezeiruaku	DE	2nd	44
2025	Jay Toia	DT	7th	217
2025	Tommy Akingbesote	DT	7th	247
2026	Malachi Lawrence	DE	1st	23
2026	LT Overton	DL/DE	4th	137

And if you separate them by premium picks:

1st round: Taco Charlton, Mazi Smith, Malachi Lawrence

2nd round: DeMarcus Lawrence, Trysten Hill, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku

3rd round: Maliek Collins, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston

People loved them some Charles Tapper, Bradlee Anae, and Quinton Bohanna back in the day. EZ and Lawrence are the recent ones.

 

[gimmesix]

I went back 15 years:

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick
2014	DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	2nd	34
2015	Ryan Russell	DE	5th	163
2016	Maliek Collins	DT	3rd	67
2016	Charles Tapper	DE	4th	101
2017	Taco Charlton	DE	1st	28
2018	Dorance Armstrong	DE	4th	116
2019	Trysten Hill	DT	2nd	58
2019	Joe Jackson	DE	5th	165
2020	Neville Gallimore	DT	3rd	82
2020	Bradlee Anae	DE	5th	179
2021	Chauncey Golston	DE	3rd	84
2021	Quinton Bohanna	DT	6th	192
2022	Sam Williams	DE	2nd	56
2022	John Ridgeway	DT	5th	178
2023	Mazi Smith	DT	1st	26
2023	Viliami Fehoko	DE	4th	129
2024	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	2nd	56
2024	Justin Rogers	DT	7th	244
2025	Donovan Ezeiruaku	DE	2nd	44
2025	Jay Toia	DT	7th	217
2025	Tommy Akingbesote	DT	7th	247
2026	Malachi Lawrence	DE	1st	23
2026	LT Overton	DL/DE	4th	137

And if you separate them by premium picks:

1st round: Taco Charlton, Mazi Smith, Malachi Lawrence

2nd round: DeMarcus Lawrence, Trysten Hill, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku

3rd round: Maliek Collins, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston

You forgot Odighizuwa.

 

[fivetwos]

Lawrence and EZ are going to each have to become something if this team is going to do much of anything.

Can’t just keep blowing high picks and expect to win.

 

[diamonddelts]

We've drafted two defensive tackles in the first two rounds since the 2005 draft, when Parcells not only drafted Marcus Spears in the first, but Chris Canty in the fourth and Jay Ratliff in the seventh, after getting DeMarcus Ware in the first. The picks we used were 58 in 2019 (Trysten Hill) and 26 in 2023 (Mazi Smith).

In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles have drafted two DTs in the top 13 in the past five years (Carter and Davis). Before that, they took Fletcher Cox at 12 in 2012.

The Washington Commanders took Jonathan Allen at 17 in 2017 and DaRon Payne at 13 in 2018. Since then, they've missed on Phidarian Mathis at 47 in 2022 and seemed to have done OK with Jer'Zhan Newton at 36 in 2024.

The New York Giants did well with Dalvin Tomlinson in 2017 (the lowest draft pick among the absolute success stories at 55) and then found a star in Dexter Lawrence at 17 in 2019.

So I would say that the main problem is investment. To hit on top DTs, you've usually got to do it inside the top 20 picks of the first round or get lucky in the second.

As far as DEs go, yes, Taco was a miss but Parsons was a find and DeMarcus Lawrence was a solid pickup. I'm not going to go through the other teams' drafts like I did for the DTs, but I'd bet our success rate is similar to theirs depending mostly on the draft position.

I will say, the main problem is some of these ridiculous names. Jer'Zhan? Lmao. Phidarian? Sounds like the ancient leader of a Roman legion.

 

[diamonddelts]

Lawrence and EZ are going to each have to become something

Can't speak for Lawrence. But the book is already out on EZ. I would not call him a bust, but he is definitely mediocre.

 

[75boyz]

I went back 15 years:

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick
2014	DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	2nd	34
2015	Ryan Russell	DE	5th	163
2016	Maliek Collins	DT	3rd	67
2016	Charles Tapper	DE	4th	101
2017	Taco Charlton	DE	1st	28
2018	Dorance Armstrong	DE	4th	116
2019	Trysten Hill	DT	2nd	58
2019	Joe Jackson	DE	5th	165
2020	Neville Gallimore	DT	3rd	82
2020	Bradlee Anae	DE	5th	179
2021	Chauncey Golston	DE	3rd	84
2021	Quinton Bohanna	DT	6th	192
2022	Sam Williams	DE	2nd	56
2022	John Ridgeway	DT	5th	178
2023	Mazi Smith	DT	1st	26
2023	Viliami Fehoko	DE	4th	129
2024	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	2nd	56
2024	Justin Rogers	DT	7th	244
2025	Donovan Ezeiruaku	DE	2nd	44
2025	Jay Toia	DT	7th	217
2025	Tommy Akingbesote	DT	7th	247
2026	Malachi Lawrence	DE	1st	23
2026	LT Overton	DL/DE	4th	137

And if you separate them by premium picks:

1st round: Taco Charlton, Mazi Smith, Malachi Lawrence

2nd round: DeMarcus Lawrence, Trysten Hill, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku

3rd round: Maliek Collins, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston

Take out Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons and what do you got?

Garbage in, garbage out.
Pathetic.

 

[Nova]

We've drafted two defensive tackles in the first two rounds since the 2005 draft, when Parcells not only drafted Marcus Spears in the first, but Chris Canty in the fourth and Jay Ratliff in the seventh, after getting DeMarcus Ware in the first. The picks we used were 58 in 2019 (Trysten Hill) and 26 in 2023 (Mazi Smith).

In contrast, the Philadelphia Eagles have drafted two DTs in the top 13 in the past five years (Carter and Davis). Before that, they took Fletcher Cox at 12 in 2012.

The Washington Commanders took Jonathan Allen at 17 in 2017 and DaRon Payne at 13 in 2018. Since then, they've missed on Phidarian Mathis at 47 in 2022 and seemed to have done OK with Jer'Zhan Newton at 36 in 2024.

The New York Giants did well with Dalvin Tomlinson in 2017 (the lowest draft pick among the absolute success stories at 55) and then found a star in Dexter Lawrence at 17 in 2019.

So I would say that the main problem is investment. To hit on top DTs, you've usually got to do it inside the top 20 picks of the first round or get lucky in the second.

As far as DEs go, yes, Taco was a miss but Parsons was a find and DeMarcus Lawrence was a solid pickup. I'm not going to go through the other teams' drafts like I did for the DTs, but I'd bet our success rate is similar to theirs depending mostly on the draft position.

Nailed it. Dallas hasn’t really been in the position to say “ah yes… an obvious blue chip DT” like Philly has either. The slam dunks haven’t been there for the taking in round 1, and we over rely on 1sts to be our big additions.

On the other side, the Giants were particularly good, for a time, at taking big bodies from big programs in the 2nd/3rd round, and that’s also been traditionally where we got too cute.

For instance, taking Jaylon Smith instead of Chris Jones. Not saying we knew what Jones would become, but maybe bet on the 6’6” 300lb guy that can move and played well in the SEC.

We’ve just been way too cute in the philosophy of roster building, especially with regard to this position group, after parcells left

 

[Gambit]

Can't speak for Lawrence. But the book is already out on EZ. I would not call him a bust, but he is definitely mediocre.

You have decided this after just one season have you?

 

[Gambit]

I think the biggest issue has been no set defensive philosophy as a team. We rotate DCs like a rotisserie each with their own ideas of what they are looking for to fit their system.

That appears to have changed as they purposely hired assistants who could be DCs and will be when Parker eventually leaves. Keeping the same system in place.

 

[Tabascocat]

The revolving door of defensive coordinators and coaches don’t help.

 

[beware_d-ware]

Don't let the busts distract you from the hits. We really aren't as bad at drafting DL as Zoners tend to think.

Parsons is a 4x All-Pro in 5 seasons. DeMarcus Lawrence is a 12 year starter with 5 Pro Bowls. Maliek Collins is a 10 year starter. Osa is a 5 year starter, and for all the crap fans gave him about his $20M/yr contract, the 49ers gave us a 3rd for the right to pay him that. Gallimore and Golston got second contracts and are kicking around the league as spare parts.

The busts have been spectacular, but we take the hits for granted, and the rate of hits vs misses has actually been pretty good.

 

[diamonddelts]

Don't let the busts distract you from the hits. We really aren't as bad at drafting DL as Zoners tend to think.

Parsons is a 4x All-Pro in 5 seasons. DeMarcus Lawrence is a 12 year starter with 5 Pro Bowls. Maliek Collins is a 10 year starter. Osa is a 5 year starter, and for all the crap fans gave him about his contract, the 49ers gave us a 3rd for the right to pay it. Gallimore and Golston got second contracts and are kicking around the league as spare parts.

The busts have been spectacular, but the rate of hits vs misses has actually been pretty good

Cowboys defense has not been able to consistently stop the run since the 90's.

 

[RonWashington]

I went back 15 years:

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick
2014	DeMarcus Lawrence	DE	2nd	34
2015	Ryan Russell	DE	5th	163
2016	Maliek Collins	DT	3rd	67
2016	Charles Tapper	DE	4th	101
2017	Taco Charlton	DE	1st	28
2018	Dorance Armstrong	DE	4th	116
2019	Trysten Hill	DT	2nd	58
2019	Joe Jackson	DE	5th	165
2020	Neville Gallimore	DT	3rd	82
2020	Bradlee Anae	DE	5th	179
2021	Chauncey Golston	DE	3rd	84
2021	Quinton Bohanna	DT	6th	192
2022	Sam Williams	DE	2nd	56
2022	John Ridgeway	DT	5th	178
2023	Mazi Smith	DT	1st	26
2023	Viliami Fehoko	DE	4th	129
2024	Marshawn Kneeland	DE	2nd	56
2024	Justin Rogers	DT	7th	244
2025	Donovan Ezeiruaku	DE	2nd	44
2025	Jay Toia	DT	7th	217
2025	Tommy Akingbesote	DT	7th	247
2026	Malachi Lawrence	DE	1st	23
2026	LT Overton	DL/DE	4th	137

And if you separate them by premium picks:

1st round: Taco Charlton, Mazi Smith, Malachi Lawrence

2nd round: DeMarcus Lawrence, Trysten Hill, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, Donovan Ezeiruaku

3rd round: Maliek Collins, Neville Gallimore, Chauncey Golston

Great research thanks ! It validates what the OP said the Cowboys are terrible at drafting DL last 15 years or so .

On the flip side whoever is scouting premium picks 1-3 for offensive Linemen is doing a much better job .

 

[Shinaoi]

Poor defensive coaching giving bad advice then inability to coach said player