The Cowboys are a team that has that hasn’t drafted a QB in the first round since they drafted Troy Aikman as the first overall pick in 1989. Since his retirement, they have had first-round QBs in their squad, though not drafted by them. Since 2007, the shot-calling in Dallas has been overseen by only two QBs- Tony Romo and Dak Prescott, neither of them first-round picks. With Dak in his last year of the contract and their lack of success since 1995, will the Cowboys finally change their ways in this upcoming loaded QB class?
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Adam Schefter during an episode of NFL Live stated that the Cowboys should be a sleeper team and draft a high-ranking QB this year. However, Eric Mangini doesn’t think it’s going to happen. Calling Schefter’s statement vague on a recent episode of First Things First, he said Jerry Jones’ team hasn’t drafted a QB in earlier rounds in a long time.
So a sudden change in their attitude and thinking towards their position might be out of the question unless they had a strong feeling about a particular shot-caller in the draft, especially since they have Trey Lance in the squad, ready to fill in if they decide to part ways with Prescott. Mangini stated,
“It’s a pretty vague tweet though- ‘I mean at some point draft higher than you think. The last two QBs they had- Dak Prescott what fourth round, Romo was a free agent. They haven’t really drafted QBs high so I don’t think they would suddenly jump up to get a guy unless they had really strong feeling but I would like to see what Trey Lance can do. It’s hard for me to imagine you’re going to get a guy in the 3rd or 4th round that you think would have more potential than what Trey Lance has. So it’s an interesting tweet.”
Trey Lance’s journey hasn’t gone as he had hoped when he was drafted as the 3rd overall pick by the 49ers, who gave their three consecutive 1st round picks to draft him. However, injuries and the emergence of Purdy led to his departure to Dallas for a measly 4th round pick. He served as a backup to Dak last season. But with a year in the system and his ability that got him drafted high, the Cowboys might be looking toward him if they part ways with Prescott.
The Dallas Cowboys only have 3 picks in the top 150, so drafting a QB seems implausible given they still have holes to fill in the roster. The Cowboys are not known for squandering valuable picks on QBs if you look at what they gave up for their last two-star QBs.
Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft Quarterback History
America’s Team hasn’t picked out a QB in the first three rounds since 2003. The last QB they drafted earlier than 4th round was Quincy Carter in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft. As per Give Me Sport, Tony Romo who became the starter for them in 2007, was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He went on to remain their QB1 until 2015 when he was replaced by Dak. To back up Romo, they drafted Stephen McGee in the 4th round as their 101st pick.
Prescott, who has been the Dallas Cowboys QB since 2016 was drafted as 4th round 135th pick in the same year. As a backup, Ben DiNucci was drafted in the 7th round in 2020 before moving from him for Cooper Rush, another undrafted agent. While their strategy has worked so far for regular season games, their inability to make a mark during the playoffs might be something to ponder.
Drafting a QB in the 1st round is not a recipe for success because we have seen many 1st round busts with teams squandering valuable picks. However, most 1st round QBs do come with a certain pedigree and ability that QBs in later rounds might not possess. Not every late-round pick turns out to be Brady or Roger Staubach. In today’s NFL, when the entire offense is centered around QBs, drafting the right one takes precedence and sometimes, you just have to go for the best.
