5 Players the Dallas Cowboys Will Regret Passing on in 2012 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys had a masterful draft in 2012, and the rookies have already had their first camp at Valley Ranch. Excitement is in the air down in the Fort Worth area, but there are a few names Dallas will wish they drafted from this year's class.

While getting to move up six spots in exchange for giving the St. Louis Rams a second-round pick was a solid decision, it left Dallas out of a round where starters are still on the board. While the later round grabs like tight end James Hanna out of Oklahoma were savvy and useful, there were definitely a few players who slipped through Big D's hands back in April.

Here are five players that Dallas will regret not snatching up during their trip to Radio City Music Hall last month.

1. Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Baltimore Ravens

While Alabama product Courtney Upshaw was taken in the very beginning of the second round, it sure would have been great to see him sporting navy and silver come September.

It would have cost Dallas way too much to get themselves back into the second round after trading up in the first to snag cornerback Morris Claiborne, but Upshaw would have been a great piece for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to work into his defensive scheme.

Upshaw was coached by one of the best down in Alabama in Nick Saban, and the transition from his old coach to the Ravens' John Harbaugh shouldn't be too difficult for the rookie. Baltimore's second-round pick has all the tools to succeed in one of the NFL's most intimidating defensive units.

2. Peter Konz, C, Atlanta Falcons

Apologies to anyone who read my coverage up to the draft and again has to hear me dish man-love out to Peter Konz.

The Wisconsin product was the best center in this year's draft, and the Atlanta Falcons were able to select him at pick No. 55 overall in the second round.

For as much as I realize moving up to get Claiborne will pay off soon enough, watching the second round go by with Courtney Upshaw, Janoris Jenkins and then Peter Konz go off the board was crushing.

The Cowboys were miserable at center last year—or should I say, Phil Costa was miserable at center last year. Half the time, the guy couldn't even execute a shotgun snap to Tony Romo, forcing many could-be successful offensive plays into Romo scrambling for his life in the backfield.

The 'Boys seem to have faith in Costa to progress, as they let guys like Konz slip by in the draft, and no veterans have been brought in to contest the 2011 starter.

3. Nigel Bradham, OLB, Buffalo Bills

I always liked what Nigel Bradham was doing down at Florida State, and while I don't blame the 'Boys for looking the other way on him in the third round, it killed me hearing Buffalo take him with the 10th pick in the fourth round.

He has a little less upside and promise than Courtney Upshaw, but Bradham comes from a FSU system that knows how to teach their linebacker corps how to swarm the football and drive ball-carriers into the turf.

The Bills had just as good a draft as Dallas, and selecting Bradham in the fourth round was a steal for them that could come out paying big dividends a few years down the road.

4. Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers

It's one thing to lose out on a quality player to another franchise, it's a whole other deal to lose out on a quality player to your arch rivals over in the AFC.

The Cowboys were forced to watch as—just four picks before their own—the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed one of the more talented defensive players available in the fourth round.

The Steelers knew they had to get younger and more talented on both the offensive and defensive line after a 2011 where their quarterback was hurried and sacked far more often than their big men on defense brought down the opposing QB.

They couldn't have asked for a better guy to fall to them in the fourth round than Washington's Alameda Ta'amu, who put together a collegiate career of doing exactly what Pittsburgh needs on their front attack defensively.

5. Marvin McNutt, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

With Laurent Robinson getting ready to strap on his Jacksonville Jaguars helmet for the 2012 season, Dallas is once again in need of a slot receiver. Iowa's Marvin McNutt would have been a fine prospect to mold, but the 'Boys instead went with James Hanna.

I can't really blame Jerry Jones and company for going with the tight end in the later rounds, especially one as promising as Hanna, but I was hoping to see McNutt fall to Big D in the last round of the draft.

Dallas probably wants to see if head coach Jason Garrett could mold Hanna into the next Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez and give their team a one-two punch at tight end as well.

That being said, McNutt's 6'3'' frame, paired with his track record of reeling in the touch catch and more than a few clutch ones at Iowa, is something Dallas is still in need of heading into the new season. McNutt could have become the Cowboys' newer, younger version of Patrick Crayton had they selected him in the sixth round.