The Dallas Cowboys had a tough 2020 season. They finished 6-10 and third in the NFC East, elevating the importance of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Star quarterback Dak Prescott had a season ending injury in Week 5 and it derailed the season. Even when the Cowboys had Dak, it was evident that the defense needed to be improved. Dallas' defense ranked 28th in the league according to lineups.com and it is hard to compete at that level.
The Cowboys had the chance to drastically improve the group through the draft but reached on a couple picks.
With a quiet free agency for the Cowboys it put more emphasis on their draft. Safety Keanu Neal was there biggest signing and he will likely convert to a hybrid linebacker for them. While Neal will be a solid player, Dallas should have added more on the defensive side of the ball. They brought in more players that will provide depth but no one that will take the defense to the next level. After the subpar free agency Dallas had to hit on there picks and missed drastically on a couple.
Cowboys NFL draft mistakes:
2. Defensive end Chauncey Golston
It was clear Dallas was desperate to upgrade defensively as they didn't pick an offensive player until the 4th round. With one of their 3rd round picks they selected Chauncey Golston. Golston is a project player and will need multiple years to develop. He will also be entering a defensive end group that has a lot of depth making it tough for him to see time on the field. This was a big reach by the Cowboys as he was projected to go in the 6th or 7th round. He is a scheme fit but they could have grabbed so many better players at this spot and it will hinder the team next season.
1. Cornerback Nahshon Wright
Perhaps the biggest reach at any point in the draft from every team was this pick. With another one of Dallas' 3rd round picks they selected Nahshon Wright. Wright wasn't ranked in the top 300 players in the draft by PFF and he was selected with the 99th pick. It was clear they were drafting for scheme and not by talent which usually does not end well. His pre-draft projection was to be a 7th round pick or to be undrafted. While the Cowboys may have liked him, they could have waited to the 6th or 7th to take him instead of reaching in the third.
Picks like this will continue to keep the Cowboys team from developing.
Although the Cowboys focused on defense in the draft they didn't improve as much as they could have. Picking those two players in the 3rd hindered there ability to add extra talent to the team as they could have gotten both of them later. Teams should not draft based on scheme unless players are close to the same level in talent. That could be compared to when some people in the media were saying Tom Brady won't fit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scheme. Well that didn't seem to matter as they won the Super Bowl in his first season there.
The Cowboys will regret not drafting the more talented players available; it will hinder their level of play this season.
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