Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the sidelines before the game against the New York Giants. Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys aren’t as great in the draft as we thought

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 2:36 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys are often praised for their work in the NFL draft, and for good reason.

They boast a collection of homegrown talent led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith. They’ve also recently said goodbye to multiple future Hall of Fame offensive linemen they drafted and developed, including Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.

As impressive as all that is, the Cowboys might be getting more credit than they deserve. While they excel at drafting offensive players, Zach Wolchuk of 105.3 The Fan just pointed out how bad they’ve been at selecting defensive players.

"They have 25 defensive picks since 2021, 15 of those picks are no longer on the team,” Wolchuk said.

How did the #DallasCowboys defense get so bad?@ZachWolchuk: "They have 25 defensive picks since 2021, 15 of those picks are no longer on the team."

Listen to the entire discussion with @BryanBroaddus, @gavindawson and @EricChiofalo in the comments.⤵️ pic.twitter.com/9TReyLr8qk
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) September 22, 2025

He states that 2025 isn’t included before going through the list. Marshawn Kneeland and Marist Liufau from the 2024 class have shown flashes but aren’t consistent. Then there’s Mazi Smith, Sam Williams, and Damone Clark, who Wolchuk says haven’t been good.

As for some of the good selections, there’s DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland, although both have struggled with injuries. Trevon Diggs was also thrown into the injury mix.

The one defensive pick labeled the most consistent is Osa Odighizuwa, but even he hasn’t made a difference this season.

It’s actually a disturbing trend and helps explain how this defense has become so bad after trading away their biggest draft hit on that side of the ball, Micah Parsons.