The Dallas Cowboys have multiple first-round picks this year. That is quite the luxury.
For what it’s worth the Cowboys currently do not have a second- or third-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft so they will have to really nail their first-rounders if things wind up working out that way. History suggests that they will do so as the Cowboys have a reputation for great first-round picks, but is that reputation fair?
Consider the last 10 Dallas Cowboys first-round draft picks, or last 10 year’s worth at least:
- 2025: Tyler Booker
- 2024: Tyler Guyton
- 2023: Mazi Smith
- 2022: Tyler Smith
- 2021: Micah Parsons
- 2020: CeeDee Lamb
- 2019: (traded away for Amari Cooper)
- 2018: Leighton Vander Esch
- 2017: Taco Charlton
- 2016: Ezekiel Elliott
For the most part this is a pretty impressive group. Zeke was a phenomenal player through his first three seasons and LVE delivered some impressive moments, although the team declined his fifth-year option which suggests the pick wasn’t a smashing success (they did re-sign him to a one-year deal right after his rookie contract, he only ever played for the Cowboys before retiring).
CeeDee Lamb is one of the best players in the NFL so it goes without saying that his selection was incredible. The same was/is true for Micah Parsons, but obviously he is no longer on the team. Tyler Smith is one of the best interior linemen in the NFL so calling the Cowboys good at this is certainly fair.
Matters have shifted a bit recently, though. Mazi Smith was a failure of a pick (he was sent to the New York Jets in the Quinnen Williams trade) and the early book on Tyler Guyton is not great. The book, no pun intended, on Tyler Booker is still in its first few pages so it is hard to really draw a conclusion one way or another there.
Would you say the Cowboys deserve a top-tier reputation in the first round? And if so does that give you confidence ahead of this year’s draft?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.