Are Dallas Cowboys good at picking players in the NFL Draft? Here’s what one study shows

Brayden Garcia
Geoff Burke/Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys will be on the clock Thursday night for the 2024 NFL Draft, but does the team have a good track record of selecting players?

After a 12-5 season last year, the Cowboys have the 24th pick in the draft. Coverage of the draft, which is in Detroit, begins at 7 p.m. on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.

In the Star-Telegram’s mock draft, Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill has America’s Team selecting offensive tackle Tyler Guyton from the University of Oklahoma. Throughout the rest of the draft, Hill expects the Cowboys to address needs at wide receiver, running back and linebacker.

As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, a study from TestCasinos looks at the previous decade of teams selecting players and their retention in the league. By using Pro Football Reference and Spotrac, the study analyses draft picks selected since 2014.

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Here’s how the Cowboys fared:

Are the Dallas Cowboys successful at selecting good draft picks?

Yes, the Cowboys tend to fare well in the draft.

According to the study, the Cowboys have the second highest percentage of draft picks (69.7%) still in the league since 2014. In total, 60 of the Cowboys 86 draft picks since 2014 are still in the NFL, according to the study.

The Cowboys percentage is only second to the Atlanta Falcons on the list, who stand high with 70% of draft picks still in the league. Here’s how the rest of the top 10 fared:

  1. Atlanta Falcons- 70%

  2. Dallas Cowboys- 69.7%

  3. Buffalo Bills- 69%

  4. New England Patriots- 67.3%

  5. Philadelphia Eagles- 67.1%

  6. Chicago Bears- 66.7%

  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 66.6%

  8. Carolina Panthers- 66.1%

  9. Jacksonville Jaguars- 65.1%

  10. New Orleans Saints- 65%

Are the Dallas Cowboys good at selecting players in later rounds?

Yes.

The Cowboys are fifth on the list of drafting “hidden gem” players (those taken in the fifth round or later) that are still in the NFL since 2014. In total, 24 of the players the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round or later are still in the NFL, according to the study.

Here’s how the rest of top five fared on number of players drafted in the fifth round or later that are still in the league:

  • San Francisco 49ers- 29 players

  • Los Angeles Rams- 26 players

  • New England Patriots- 26 players

  • Green Bay Packers- 25 players

  • Dallas Cowboys- 24 players

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