Cowboys ranked as best ‘Under-25’ roster in entire NFL
Take a bow, Will McClay. For the better part of the last decade, the Cowboys have done a tremendous job of using the draft as the primer tool of talent acquisition. McClay ascended to the big chair after a tumultuous 2013 draft process that saw the Cowboys ignore their edicts by not taking the best player on their board, although they ended up getting their first-round pick right anyway when they traded back and landed center Travis Frederick.
The next year Dallas drafted Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence in the first and second rounds, and the club has had a dynamic run of great drafts ever since. Just two years later, the combo of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott became the dynamic draft duo du jour. It’s crazy to think how those players are now aged veterans entering their ninth and seventh campaigns, respectively, but the Cowboys haven’t failed to replenish the stock of young talent.
In fact, Dallas has ascended to the top of ESPN’s Under-25 talent rankings thanks to their last several draft classes.
1. Dallas Cowboys
2021 ranking: 20 | 2020 ranking: 24
Blue-chip players: Micah Parsons, LB; Trevon Diggs, CB; CeeDee Lamb, WR
Notable graduated players: Terence Steele, OT; Neville Gallimore, DT; Tony Pollard, RB; Connor Williams, G
The first three graduated players (no longer eligible) includes two starters in Steele and Gallimore, and a psuedo starter in Pollard. The blue-chip players all made the Pro Bowl in 2021 with the first two being First-Team All-Pro defenders.
CeeDee Lamb
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The Cowboys have just one losing season in Prescott’s tenure. They rarely pick at the top of the draft. Still, it’s difficult to imagine a team having a better run of early draft success than the Cowboys did in 2020 and 2021. Lamb was the surest bet and is a feather in the cap of an approach to draft talent over team need. After near-exclusive usage in the slot as a rookie, Lamb saw 47% of his targets out wide in 2021 and still broke an absurd 22 tackles and produced 5.6 average yards after the catch. With Amari Cooper now in Cleveland, Lamb should push for the receiving yardage crown this season.
Most fantasy outlets are predicting a huge season for Lamb. Last year he barely outpaced Amari Cooper in target share, seeing 20% of Dak Prescott’s (and Cooper Rush’s) throws on the year. Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams paced the NFL with 31.7% and 31.6%, respectively.
A jump to anywhere in the top five (27.5% or higher) would mean an explosion of stats for Lamb, and while numerous reports say the batch of unheralded pass catchers behind him on the depth chart are capable, Kellen Moore would be wise to scheme have Prescott look to Lamb in the double digits per game.
Trevon Diggs
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But the Cowboys owe their biggest transformation to 2020 second-rounder Diggs and 2021 first-rounder Parsons. Diggs can sometimes be burned when he tries for a big play and misreads a route and had just modest 2021 rates of 11.1 yards per target and a 51.8% coverage success rate because of it. But the tradeoff makes up for those misreads and then some.
Diggs led all defenders with 11 interceptions last season, three more than J.C. Jackson in second place.
The conversation around the yardage Diggs allowed has been had ad nauseam, so we’ll just point to these true CB rankings based on adjusted yards per coverage snap to once again reiterate Diggs was a top-5 corner last year.
Micah Parsons
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Parsons, meanwhile, looked like a generational defender in his rookie season. His 13.0 sacks and 38 hurries were sixth and 12th most among all defenders, never mind just rookies. And at just 23 years old and with four years left on his rookie contract, Parsons may have the most value over his contract of any player in football.
With that pair of breakout stars, the Cowboys jumped from 23rd in defensive DVOA in 2020 to second in 2021.
The idea that Parsons is only scratching the surface of his ability level is scary for offensive coordinators, and true to this belief he’s been an absolute madman at times in training camp. Remember, Parsons took the 2020 season off, so even at his young age he was wearing off some rust in a way.
Now with a year of NFL experience under his belt, and an improved linebacker depth chart behind him (Anthony Barr, Jabril Cox), Parsons can be the true unicorn he was destined to be.
Other Under-25 anticipated contributors
Of course the Cowboys have more players who have yet to reach a quarter century in age, and many of those players should be key contributors to the defending NFC East champions.
OL Tyler Smith, 21 (projected starter)
WR Jalen Tolbert, 23
Center Tyler Biadasz, 24 (starter)
LB Jabril Cox, 24
DT Osa Odighizuwa, 24 (projected starter)
OL Connor McGovern, 24
Potential role players in 2022
CB Kelvin Joseph, 22
Safety Markquese Bell, 23
TE Jake Ferguson, 23
WR Dennis Houston, 23
DE Sam Williams, 23
CB Nahshon Wrihght, 23
OL Josh Ball, 24
RB Rico Dowdle, 24
WR Simi Fehoko, 24
DL Chauncey Golston, 24
DT Trysten Hill, 24
TE Sean McKeon, 24
