Dallas Cowboys Young Guns: Top 10 Players Under The Age Of 25

Since 2008, 45 offensive linemen have been picked in the first two rounds. Despite their high draft pick status, only ten of the 45 (22%) delivered an above average performance in their rookie season, as measured by the PFF grades. Tyron Smith's +13.7 grade for 2011 is the fourth best grade over the last four years among this group, behind only the rookie seasons of Jake Long (2008: +20.1), Sebastian Vollmer (2009: +21.4) and Alex Mack (2009: +19.6).

Many took his play for granted and failed to see what an extraordinary rookie season Smith played. If he can keep it up on the left side as well, Smith will be a cornerstone of the franchise for the nxt decade, and he won't even be 22 when the 2012 seasons starts.

Bryant is easily the most polarizing figure on this list, and arguably on the entire Cowboys roster. But there is no denying his athletic ability, and he is electrifying to watch. Seeing Bryant in action and watching him fight, scratch and claw for that extra yard adds a level of adrenaline to the game that I see from very few other players in the league. Other players may have more receiving yards or more receiving TDs, heck, some may even be able to run more routes, but very few bring such a level of raw energy and intensity to the game.

As Garrett would say, "Passion. Emotion. Enthusiasm." Nobody has more of it than Dez Bryant. If Bryant doesn't flame out early, he has the stuff to be the emotional leader of this team. He may never be the type of vocal leader that the other 88 was, but Bryant can be the guy who'll provide the emotional spark when the Cowboys need it.

DeMarco Murray eclipsed an Emmitt Smith franchise rushing record with his 253 rushing yards against St. Louis. He rushed for 897 total yards and caught 26 passes for another 183 yards before his season was cut short by a fractured ankle.

Murray burst onto the scene over an eight-game stretch between week seven and week 14, and started in seven of those games. In the first four of those games, he averaged 8.0 yards per rushing attempt for 601 yards on 75 attempts. In the next four games, that average dropped to a much more pedestrian 3.5 Y/A on 64 attempts for 223 yards. In 2012, Murray will have to show not only that he has fully recovered from the ankle injury, but also that his initial performance was no fluke.

Ranking a rookie who hasn't done squat this high may be a bit of a stretch, but you can't ignore Claiborne's pedigree. The 2011 Jim Thorpe Award winner was unanimously rated as the best defensive prospect in the draft, and the Cowboys foolishly drew comparisons to Deion Sanders right away. There's no doubt that Claiborne could turn into one of the elite corners in the league, but that won't happen overnight. The Cowboys would be well advised to ease him into the rotation as the season progresses.

Carter will face competition from Dan Connor for the starting spot at ILB, but his sideline-to-sideline speed and pass coverage skills will make him one of Rob Ryan's favorite players as Carter will become the ultimate multiplicity weapon, be it in a 3-4, 4-3 or even 4-6 alignment.

Crawford is the second and last rookie on this list, and only by virtue of being the second pick in the 2012 draft. It's hard projecting rookies on such a list but Crawford has everything he needs to become the much sought-after pressure five for the Cowboys. Crawford has the prototypical NFL athletic ability and speed for a 3-4 DE. Also, he had a college production ratio of 1.62, the highest number of any defensive lineman in this year's draft class.

Dan Bailey’s 133 points through 16 games were fifth in the NFL last year, tops among all rookies and the second most of any Dallas Cowboys player since Emmitt Smith scored 150 in 1995. Bailey connected on all 39 of his extra point attempts and made 32 of 37 field goals. His 26 straight successful field goal attempts obliterated the previous NFL rookie record of 14. Bailey was deservedly named to the Pro Football Weekly / Professional Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.

If you're familiar with Chinese numerology, you can't help but expect great things from Phillip Tanner, who was born on 8-8-88. In an injury-prone Cowboys backfield, Tanner will get his chances in 2012. Tanner saw only limited action in a four-game stretch from week six through nine last year before a hamstring injury sidelined him. He ended the season on IR, where he was placed to make room for WR Andre Holmes.

Killer K was the only UDFA lineman to make the team last year, and he has grown into something of an underdog fan favorite. He saw spot duty in seven games last year, subbing in at all three interior offensive line positions, and generally conducted himself well in the 114 snaps he played. Kowalski will compete with Costa for the starting job in camp, and could also be a depth option at guard.

Alex Albright makes the list for no other reason than that he was something of a pet cat for me last season. He only played situationally on 44 snaps last year, but was a regular on special teams. Unfortunately, his only highlight from last season was McBriar's blocked punt against the Jets, where Jets running back Joe McKnight ran untouched through a gap between Albright and TE John Phillips to block the punt. Defensive back Isaiah Trufant recovered the ball and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 24.