When you build your team like the Dallas Cowboys do, almost exclusively through the NFL Draft, one of the most important aspects of your success is those famous "second-year jumps" and whether or not your players actually take them.
When a rookie plays well or shows enough flashes of talent in Year 1, they're always discussed as potential big risers ahead of their second year in the league. Many of those "10 players that could improve drastically in Year 2" articles start flooding the internet. Players usually explain one of the biggest reasons such leaps happen is that they can stop thinking and just focus on playing when they've been around for a full season.
Well, that's all good and great when you've got an idea as to who can drastically improve. But when you have a class of rookies like the Cowboys' from the 2023 season, there are reasons to be concerned. Let's face it: It was a poor rookie class. It is tough to find where improvements are likely to take place.
First-rounder Mazi Smith never became a factor and was intentionally stripped from his major asset when the Cowboys asked him to drop weight. Can he be a good nose tackle? One of those "nasty 330 interior defensive lineman" like the ones Micah Parsons is directly asking Jerry Jones for. Maybe. But we don't even know because he was playing with the size of a three-technique last year.
Luke Schoonmaker epically lost the battle for TE1 and even calling him TE2 feels like a battle won by default more than anything else. As a second-round rookie, Schoonmaker played in 31% of the snaps and amassed a grand total of EIGHT catches. Yikes.
It doesn't get particularly better. The Cowboys' third and fourth round draft picks didn't play a single snap. DeMarvion Overshown's season ended in the preseason and Viliami Fehoko's never got started as he was a healthy scratch all year long. Neither did Eric Scott Jr.'s. Rookie tackle Asim Richards (except for a handful of garbage time snaps) didn't see significant action but was active for eight games.
Meanwhile, Deuce Vaughn's pass pro concerns quickly turned into tangible struggles when he saw playing time and spent a good chunk of the season as a healthy scratch. Wide receiver Jalen Brooks, the last of the Cowboys' draft picks, had some moments but nothing to inspire breakout thoughts ahead of 2024.
This is a concern when looking at the last three rookie classes, with each having players that took significant second-year jumps: Tyler Smith became one of the most dominant guards in football while Jake Ferguson rose into tight end stardom in 2023. The year before, Osa Odighizuwa developed into a menace at three-technique while Micah Parsons advanced his pass rushing skills even further. CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and Tyler Biadasz all became much more important to the Cowboys after their rookie years.
This is a critical part of the recipe to the Cowboys' success. So, who will step up for Dallas from last year's class after such an underwhelming rookie season? It's a group of rookies who inspires little hope.
You could argue that biggest second-year jump candidates are both UDFAs
Hunter Luepke earned a significant role out of the backfield as a fullback in Mike McCarthy's scheme. He didn't play much on offense but was among the club snap count leaders on special teams. Entering 2024, the Cowboys could have a completely retooled running back room and Luepke might just get a chance to carry the football.
Additionally, there's T.J. Bass, who held his own when thrown into the fire. Bass could be a Plan B for the Cowboys at center/guard if they end up needing one as Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz's pending free agency could shake up things up front.
In my way-too-early free agency predictions, I alluded to the possibility of the Cowboys seeking an upgrade at center in the Draft instead of re-signing Biadasz. Bass could be a solid backup plan if they don't get their guy.
Ultimately, the biggest hope likely revolves around Mazi. It'll be tough to build any hype after we saw so few flashes from his rookie year.
In 2023, the Cowboys paid the price of a rookie class that made barely any contributions. Many teams are willing to overcome such circumstances by making up for it through free agency. But it's a problem that is trending to get worse if none of these players makes an enormous jump in their second year.
Consider it yet another reason why the Cowboys need to act like they really want to go all in once free agency kicks off.
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