In the Vintage Football League draft, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in the middle of the pack, with the 11th pick. With 16 rounds to fill, they managed to put together a team that received a solid B- draft grade. While they may not have hit it out of the park, they certainly didn't strike out either. Their projected record of 12-2-1 suggests that they will be a force to be reckoned with, at least in the regular season. However, with a projected finish of 3rd, it seems they might fall just short of greatness.
One shining moment for the Cowboys came in the form of their best pick, CeeDee Lamb, who was selected at 39th overall, despite having an average draft position of 15. This steal of a pick could be a game-changer for the team. On the other hand, their worst pick, Dak Prescott, was taken at 11th overall, a far cry from their average draft position of 80. Let's hope this pick doesn't come back to haunt them. It's worth noting that the Cowboys went all-in on one team, drafting a whopping 8 players from the same squad. While this strategy could pay off big time, it also leaves them vulnerable if that team doesn't perform as expected. With a schedule difficulty ranked 9th toughest out of 14 teams, the Cowboys will need all the luck they can get. Maybe they should consider changing their team name to the Dallas Mediocre Cowboys.
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ADP Analysis
Bars above zero indicate a pick was selected later than a player's ADP. Bars below zero show players that were taken earlier than their ADP.
Inside the Draft
Player Outlooks
- Round 1, Pick 11 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 103 - 2022 Rank: 73
For the second time in three years, injuries cost Prescott a significant portion of the season. Even when he was healthy though, a new issue arose as he tied for the league lead with 15 interceptions despite playing in only 12 games. Prescott's accuracy wasn't the problem, as he was as steady as ever, but a downgraded group of receivers that had little quality beyond top wideout CeeDee Lamb and dependable tight end Dalton Schultz gave the quarterback no margin for error. The inexperienced replacements for Amari Cooper couldn't gain much separation, and as a result Prescott kept having to try and fit the ball into windows that just weren't there. The Cowboys attempted to fix that problem in the offseason by trading for speedy veteran Brandin Cooks, and the team is also hoping Michael Gallup can return to form now that his ACL surgery is further behind him. The biggest change comes on the sidelines though, as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was let go and head coach Mike McCarthy will now handle the play-calling. If McCarthy's scheme can accentuate Prescott's strengths, his production and efficiency should return to the level he displayed a couple years ago.
- Round 2, Pick 25 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 4 - 2022 Rank: 68
Pollard finally emerged from Ezekiel Elliott's shadow in 2022. The Memphis product turned a career-high workload into career-best volume numbers without losing any efficiency, as Pollard topped 5.0 yards per carry for the third time in four NFL seasons while delivering his best yards per catch average to date at 9.5. The Cowboys were also more willing to use Pollard in the red zone, resulting in 12 total touchdowns after he had only 10 in his first three years combined. The breakout performance, along with salary cap concerns, finally convinced Dallas to move on from a declining Elliott, but that doesn't necessarily mean Pollard's role has room to grow further as his thin frame may not be able to handle much more than last season's 233 touches. Then again, Zeke's 231 carries will have to go somewhere. The team did add Ronald Jones in the offseason, and Malik Davis looked capable enough as a rookie last year, but Pollard will head into 2023 as the clear top option in the backfield after getting the franchise tag from the club to keep him from reaching free agency.
- Round 3, Pick 39 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 11 - 2022 Rank: 122
The 17th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Lamb's numbers have climbed steadily through his first three seasons. He emerged as Dak Prescott's clear top option in 2022 after Amari Cooper was traded to the Browns. Lamb's production really took off last year once Prescott put a thumb injury behind him, and after the Cowboys' Week 9 bye, the wideout averaged nearly 90 yards a game through 11 regular-season and postseason contests while finding the end zone seven times. That breakthrough was more impressive considering the Oklahoma product was essentially a one-man show downfield for Dallas last year, as the front office never found an adequate replacement for Cooper, but that shouldn't be an issue in 2023. Lamb's supporting cast got a significant boost in the spring with the addition of Brandin Cooks, whose ability to stretch the field should open things up underneath on the routes where Lamb thrives. While it is hard to project Lamb's target volume to increase much beyond the 9.2 passes per game he saw in 2022, his efficiency might find another gear if Cooks can draw attention from defenders.
- Round 4, Pick 53 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 88 - 2022 Rank: 226
For a player with his physical gifts and consistent production, it's kind of remarkable that Cooks has never found a long-term home in the NFL. Since being selected in the first round in 2014, the speedster has played for four teams, and a March trade from the Texans has the Cowboys poised to be team No. 5. Through his travels, Cooks has topped 1,000 receiving yards six times in the last eight seasons, and the fact that he didn't reach that mark in Houston last year falls squarely on the shoulders of the erratic quarterback play. While he'll turn 30 in September, he still possesses the speed to force defenders back on their heels, and Dak Prescott should be the best QB he's worked with since he was Tom Brady's top option on the outside with the Patriots in 2017. CeeDee Lamb has that role in Dallas in 2023, but Cooks can still make an impact as the No. 2 wideout.
- Round 5, Pick 67 - Bye 13
2023 Rank: 187 - 2022 Rank: 238
Injuries could well end up being the story of Gallup's career when it's all said and done. A third-round pick in 2018, the Colorado State product topped 1,100 receiving yards in his second NFL season and appeared poised for a big run in an explosive offense, but Gallup hasn't sniffed that kind of production since as he and quarterback Dak Prescott have rarely been 100 percent healthy at the same time. An ACL tear that shut the wideout down in the second half of 2021 also seemed to hamper Gallup in 2022, and he didn't have the same ability to gain separation once he was back in action. The Cowboys hope a healthy offseason will allow him to return to form, but the team also hedged its bets by trading for Brandin Cooks to be the No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. Gallup has contributed in the No. 3 role before, but with head coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling duties from departed offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, it's possible the Dallas passing game won't be able to support three receivers again to that extent.
- Round 6, Pick 81 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 278 - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 7, Pick 95 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 162 - 2022 Rank: 347
A fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin in 2022, Ferguson didn't post big receiving numbers in college. As a rookie, though, he showed flashes of being more than just a depth option in the NFL when injuries to Dalton Schultz pushed him into a more prominent role. Schultz was allowed to leave in free agency, and while Ferguson moved to the top of the depth chart as a result, he will face real competition for that spot from 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker, as well as fellow second-year tight end Peyton Hendershot. Schoonmaker was viewed as the better prospect when he was drafted, although he did battle foot issues over the summer that may have cost him some key development time. Even if Ferguson wins the Week 1 starting job, all three tight ends could wind up splitting the receiving workload.
DEF - Round 8, Pick 109 - Bye 7
2023 Rank: 151 - 2022 Rank: 20
Between Dan Quinn's revitalization as a coordinator and some outstanding drafting in recent years, the Cowboys' defense has become one of the league's elite fantasy options. The team led the NFL in takeaways while finishing tied for third in sacks and tied for fifth in points per game allowed in 2022, as Micah Parsons led an aggressive, attacking unit that didn't give quarterbacks much chance to get comfortable. The front office didn't rest on those laurels though, trading for Stephon Gilmore to provide a veteran presence opposite ballhawking cornerback Trevin Diggs and drafting Mazi Smith late in the first round to bolster the middle of the defensive line. Young players like edge rusher Sam Williams and linebacker Damone Clark could also take big steps forward this season, but Parsons remains the star attraction. As long as he's disrupting plays all over the field, this should be one of the league's best defenses,
- Round 9, Pick 123 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 10, Pick 137 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 11, Pick 151 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 12, Pick 165 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 13, Pick 179 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 14, Pick 193 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 15, Pick 207 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
- Round 16, Pick 221 - Bye
2023 Rank: - - 2022 Rank: -
Team Forecast
Bye Week Points Lost
Each bar represents the total projected season points for each player that's on bye that week. This chart shows any potential bye week issues.
Schedule by Opponent Points
Week-by-week schedule with each opponent's projected season points. This chart shows any difficult or easy stretches in the schedule.
