The only thing we really know about the Dallas Cowboys right now is their 2019 season ended a little over a week ago, which landed them the No. 17 pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. However, even that could change before Draft Day in April. So, I guess we really don’t know much of anything after all.
Hopefully, things will start coming together around Cowboys Nation as quickly as possible. After all, they have a lot of work to do between now and the start of the 2020 regular season. They have to fill out their coaching staff, analyze and evaluate for free agency, and prepare for this year’s NFL Draft. All of that should make this offseason all the more interesting.
Since we are officially in draft season, I wanted to take a look at the history of the 17th overall draft pick in order to get a better understanding of the talent that could be there for the Dallas Cowboys this year. Below are the players who have been drafted in that slot over the last decade.
| Year | Team | Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Iupati | OG | Idaho |
| 2011 | New England Patriots | Nate Solder | OT | Colorado |
| 2012 | Cincinnati Bengals | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama |
| 2013 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Jarvis Jones | OLB | Georgia |
| 2014 | Baltimore Ravens | CJ Mosley | LB | Alabama |
| 2015 | San Francisco 49ers | Arik Armstead | DE | Oregon |
| 2016 | Atlanta Falcons | Keanu Neal | S | Florida |
| 2017 | Washington Redskins | Jonathan Allen | DE | Alabama |
| 2018 | San Diego Chargers | Derwin James | S | Florida State |
| 2019 | New York Giants | Dexter Lawrence | DT | Clemson |
| 2020 | Dallas Cowboys | ? | ? | ? |
Overall, this is a pretty solid group of players. There are several Pro Bowlers (Iupati, Neal, Mosley, James), a Super Bowl champion (Solder), and some pretty solid above average starting players. Anyway you look at it this should be considered good news for the Dallas Cowboys.
No matter what, the Dallas Cowboys absolutely have to nail this pick. They need someone who can come in right away and start as a rookie, especially on defense. Oddly enough, the 17th overall pick over the years has leaned heavily towards the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys could very well keep that tradition alive this year.
