Re-Grading the Dallas Cowboys' Past 5 Drafts

The 2015 NFL draft is about a week away. What better way to get ready for this year's draft than to look back at the last five years and see how things worked out for Dallas?

Looking back at past drafts is an important exercise because it allows teams to learn and grow from past successes and failures. 

The Cowboys get hammered a lot because of the perception that they just make decisions on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' whim; however, anybody who has been paying attention knows that is not the case. The Cowboys have utilized a more collective approach as they incorporate many opinions from those inside of the organization. 

With that in mind, let's go back and re-grade the last five Dallas draft classes. 

Class of 2010

Tom Pennington/Associated Press

Round	Pick	Player	Position
1	24	Dez Bryant	WR
2	55	Sean Lee	LB
4	126	Akwasi Owusu-Ansah	DB
6	179	Sam Young	OT
6	196	Jamar Wall	DB
7	234	Sean Lissemore	DT

The 2010 draft class is an interesting one because the Cowboys were successful with their top two picks but missed on their later selections. 

You could argue that Dez Bryant was the best pick of the first round, if you account for value. He has developed into one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and has made a huge impact on the Cowboys offense. 

Despite his injury issues, Lee has to be considered a good second-round pick, as he has been impactful on the field. Lee is the leader of the defense and one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL when he is healthy. 

After those two, none of the others are still on the Cowboys roster. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was a huge disappointment who never developed into anything resembling a decent fourth-round pick. Sam Young could never hold down a reserve spot, and Jamar Wall didn't make the team. 

Sean Lissemore was actually a solid player for the Cowboys, but a defensive scheme change made him a square peg in a round hole, which caused him to get traded to the San Diego Chargers.

Overall, just based on the first two picks, you have to consider this draft a success. However, Lee's injury history is the only reason this grade is not higher.

Grade: B 

Class of 2011

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Round	Pick	Player	Position
1	9	Tyron Smith	OT
2	40	Bruce Carter	LB
3	71	DeMarco Murray	RB
4	110	David Arkin	OG
5	143	Josh Thomas	DB
6	176	Dwayne Harris	WR
7	220	Shaun Chapas	FB
7	252	Bill Nagy	OG/OC

If you looked at this draft before free agency began, you would think it was fantastic. Tyron Smith is an All-Pro left tackle, and DeMarco Murray showed that he is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Bruce Carter and Dwayne Harris made huge impacts in their respective roles.

The Cowboys look like geniuses. 

However, since free agency has begun, Murray, Carter and Harris have all left for other destinations, which leaves Smith as the only player in this draft class who is still on the Cowboys roster. 

Now, that doesn't mean this draft class wasn't a success, as those players were a huge reason why the Cowboys did so well last season; unfortunately, that is the last time they will make an impact from the Dallas side. 

That is what makes this grade difficult. On one hand, the Cowboys still got one of the best young players in the NFL in Smith, and they wouldn't have been successful without Carter, Murray and Harris last year. On the other hand, all of those players, except for Smith, will be helping other teams reach their apex instead of the Cowboys. 

If Harris, Murray and Carter were retained, this would be a slam-dunk A-plus; however, the fact that they left will knock the grade down quite a bit. 

Grade: B-

Class of 2012

LM Otero/Associated Press

Round	Pick	Player	Position
1	6	Morris Claiborne	CB
3	81	Tyrone Crawford	DE/DT
4	113	Kyle Wilber	DE/LB
4	135	Matt Johnson	DB
5	152	Danny Coale	WR
6	186	James Hanna	TE
7	222	Caleb McSurdy	LB

The Cowboys' 2012 draft class is filled with a lot of up and downs. The Cowboys traded up for Morris Claiborne, who hasn't played well enough to warrant the decision to move up. This year will likely be his last chance to show that he is a good cornerback in the NFL, let alone a player worthy of the sixth overall pick. 

The best pick of this draft was made in the third round with Tyrone Crawford, who has developed into one of the best players on the Cowboys defense. He was drafted to play defensive end, but he developed into a fantastic under tackle for the Cowboys last season. 

Kyle Wilber has been a solid player who can be considered a successful fourth-round pick. Matt Johnson and Danny Coale battled injuries throughout their short careers and were never able to play meaningful snaps for the Cowboys. 

James Hanna has been a wonderful sixth-round pick, as he has been the No. 2 tight end for Dallas the last two seasons to go along with being a core special teamer. 

Overall, it is hard to give this draft a great grade because of how bad of a pick the Claiborne selection was. Luckily, the Cowboys found two core special teamers and an impactful and disruptive defensive tackle. 

Grade: B-

Class of 2013

Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press

Round	Pick	Player	Position
1	31	Travis Frederick	OC
2	47	Gavin Escobar	TE
3	74	Terrance Williams	WR
3	80	J.J. Wilcox	DB
4	114	B.W. Webb	DB
5	151	Joseph Randle	RB
6	185	DeVonte Holloman	LB

The 2013 draft has to be considered one of the most successful drafts for the Cowboys in recent history. It is still early, but five of their selections are players who make a significant impact in every game. 

Travis Frederick has become one of the best centers in the NFL; he is an intelligent player who is a road-grader in the run game. Gavin Escobar still hasn't lived up to the expectations of a second-round pick, but he isn't a bad player by any means. 

Terrance Williams has developed into a legitimate No. 2 wide receiver opposite of Dez Bryant who made some clutch plays in last year's playoff run. 

J.J. Wilcox is still raw, but he has developed enough to become the starting free safety. He still needs to work on his ability in coverage, but you can't deny his ability to come downhill and fill versus the run. 

Joseph Randle has a chance to win the starting running back spot this year after being a dangerous threat when he was giving DeMarco Murray a breather last year. 

It is still early, but this draft class appears to be a good one with impact and depth players throughout. 

Grade: A

Class of 2014

LM Otero/Associated Press

Round	Pick	Player	Position
1	16	Zack Martin	OG
2	34	Demarcus Lawrence	DE
4	119	Anthony Hitchens	LB
5	146	Devin Street	WR
7	231	Ben Gardner	DE
7	238	Will Smith	LB
7	248	Ahmad Dixon	DB
7	251	Ken Bishop	DT
7	255	Terrance Mitchell	DB

Zack Martin wasn't the sexy pick last year, but it is hard to find a pick that made a greater impact than Martin had on the Cowboys. He made the All-Pro team and helped the Cowboys running game become one of the best in the NFL. Martin is already a top-five guard in the NFL and will only get better. 

Demarcus Lawrence was injured for much of last year, but he showed some great signs toward the end of the season with two sacks in the last couple of games. 

Anthony Hitchens can already be dubbed a steal as he made a huge impact for the Cowboys as their Swiss Army knife in the linebacker corps. 

The rest of the players in this class are unproven. They didn't make the team (Terrance Mitchell and Ahmad Dixon), were hurt (Ben Gardner) or didn't get a bunch of playing time (Will Smith and Ken Bishop). 

When a rookie makes the All-Pro team, it is almost impossible for that draft class to not earn an A, which is exactly what the Cowboys get. 

Grade: A