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The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the better-drafting teams in the NFL in recent memory, they’ve got a roster full of guys that need to be paid to prove it.
In fact, when you look at every Cowboys draft class they’re full of legitimate players. The only outlier to this is 2017 which, well, does not look so great from top to bottom two years in.
Outside of that lone year, the Cowboys have been dynamite since 2014. They’ve found starter after starter, contributor after contributor, and some legitimate franchise cornerstones.
The mothership’s Dave Helman had an interesting tweet on Friday when he pointed out that the team is averaging nine picks per year in the Will McClay era. That’s a lot of talent continually brought in by McClay, and Helman even went a step further to point out that Dallas started 2019 with six picks and traded back to acquire more (they ended with eight picks).
There’s no denying that Will McClay is an excellent talent evaluator. He’s drafted several All-Pro players since he’s been in charge:
- 2014: Zack Martin
- 2014: DeMarcus Lawrence
- 2015: Byron Jones
- 2016: Ezekiel Elliott
- 2018: Leighton Vander Esch
Three of those players are on the defensive side of the ball which is a testament to the leap that unit took last season. NFL teams usually covet their draft picks and are unwilling to trade them, it speaks a lot to how highly the Cowboys must have valued Amari Cooper in order to part with their first-rounder for him (they were obviously right).
It was without question a different circumstance for the Cowboys this most recent draft as they did not have a selection in the first 32 picks. That makes finding an elite player all the more difficult, but if anyone can do it Will McClay can? His track record speaks for itself, although four of the five players that have been named an All-Pro were indeed first-round picks.
DeMarcus Lawrence (the highest-paid player in Cowboys history, by the way) is the obvious exception and perhaps another second-round defensive lineman can do it. Or maybe it will be somebody else. It’s hard to predict, but in the name of trusting McClay to find an All-Pro like it’s no big deal, who do you think it will be from the 2019 Draft Class?
Poll
Which 2019 pick has the best chance to be named to an All-Pro team in their career?
This poll is closed
-
33%
Trysten Hill
(695 votes) -
45%
Connor McGovern
(950 votes) -
3%
Tony Pollard
(81 votes) -
2%
Michael Jackson
(62 votes) -
1%
Joe Jackson
(24 votes) -
1%
Donovan Wilson
(27 votes) -
0%
Mike Weber
(5 votes) -
1%
Jalen Jelks
(38 votes) -
10%
None (pessimist!)
(224 votes)