FRISCO, Texas — We all know the goal for the Dallas Cowboys during free agency/the draft following their lackluster season is defense, defense, and more defense. The Silver and Blue were allotted some help in the form of four compensatory picks (league-maximum) in this year’s draft. That brings the team’s total draft picks in April to 10, one each in rounds three-six.
3rd Round (99th overall)
4th Round (138th overall)
5th Round (178th overall)
6th Round (226th overall)
Compensatory picks are added by the NFL to the ends of rounds three through seven. Picks are given to teams through an evaluation process of how many players a team lost to free agency, how many were signed in FA, salary, playing time, etc. A grand total of 36 compensatory picks were awarded this year to 17 teams across the league.
The Cowboys have the 10th overall pick in the first round and were granted additional acquisitions in the later rounds. The cost will be low out of the draft and the Cowboys can certainly do some damage with both picks in the third and fourth rounds to bolster the defense. The team could also opt to trade up or down to snag a player they like on their draft board. In 2020, the Cowboys handed their fifth-round pick to rival Philadelphia Eagles to move up and select Wisconsin center, Tyler Biadasz.
For context, last year the Cowboys lost several key players through free agency including Maliek Collins, Jeff Heath, Byron Jones, Robert Quinn, Jason Witten, and Randall Cobb. Dallas picked up Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Gerald McCoy, Daryl Worley, Dontari Poe, and Greg Zuerlein. Obviously, the Cowboys did not get a return of investment. Clinton-Dix did not even make the final roster cuts, Poe and Worley were cut mid-season, and McCoy got injured prior to the season starting and was released.
This year, the Cowboys have a chance to rebuild the defense under new coordinator, Dan Quinn. The team now has more options in the draft and can go after serious free agents with the restructuring of Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La’el Collins’ contracts. Let the scout evaluation process commence.
