The Jason Garrett years in Dallas have been mediocre at best but love him or hate him the Dallas Cowboys have drafted fairly well during his tenure. Most notably in the first round where they have selected pro bowlers Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Ezekiel Elliott. While the Cowboys hope to continue that trend in 2018, they have also had their fair share of awful picks sprinkled in with the good ones. Here is a list of the 5 absolute worst draft picks made during the Jason Garrett era.
5. Chaz Green pick #91, 2015:
This list is highlighted by a couple of picks from the disappointing 2015 class. The first name from that group is OT Chaz Green. People often forget that Green was a serviceable swing tackle prior to the debacle in Atlanta in 2017 but after that game his confidence may have been irreparably damaged. He was a bit of a reach when he was selected in the third round and the Cowboys had an opportunity to snag LB Kwon Alexander at pick #124 or RB Jay Ajayi who fell all the way to pick #149. Both of those players could have made significant contributions in 2015 but instead the Cowboys opted to draft the tackle out of Florida to secure the swing tackle spot. Hind sight is 20/20, but to make matters worse the Cowboys were able to sign top 10 prospect OT La’el Collins. Collins was a surprise undrafted free agent following a scandal that occurred just prior to the draft.
4. Gavin Escobar pick #47, 2013:
When Escobar was selected in the 2nd round of 2013 Cowboy fans were probably more upset about the Travis Frederick pick in round 1. While Frederick proved to be an excellent draft pick, Escobar was quite the opposite. In fairness the Cowboys never properly utilized the pass catching tight end. Hoping to groom him to replace Jason Witten, they were never able to trust him as a blocker and he managed only 30 receptions in 4 seasons. Immediately after Escobar was drafted the Steelers selected RB LeVeon Bell with pick #48 and S Tyrann Matthieu was selected with pick #69. Among the TE’s drafted after Escobar were Travis Kelce at pick #63 and Jordan Reed pick #85.
3. Matt Johnson pick # 135, 2012:
Although he was a fourth round pick, Matt Johnson was considered a reach by several draft experts. The Cowboys were happy to select him at that spot since they believed in his ability. Unfortunately Johnson could not stay healthy and never saw the field during his short career. Looking back the Cowboys could have selected DT Malik Jackson (#137), CB Josh Norman (#143), RB Alfred Morris (#173) or S Justin Bethel (#177). All of those players went on to become pro-bowlers.
2. Randy Gregory pick #60, 2015:
Gregory was widely considered a top 10 pick leading up to the 2015 NFL draft but character concerns and a failed drug test at the combine led to an epic draft day fall. The Cowboys actually passed on him in round 1 only to have a second opportunity to select the talented pass rusher at pick #60. They would have been wise to pass on him once more as it turned out the character concerns were warranted. Mostly due to suspensions, he was only able to play in 14 games over three seasons registering 1 sack in his entire career. Only three picks later the Seahawks selected another pass rusher with character concerns Frank Clark at pick#63. Clark has developed into a future star in Seattle and has accumulated 22 career sacks thus far. Another player the Cowboys missed out on following the Gregory pick was RB David Johnson who was drafted with pick #86.
1. Morris Claiborne pick #6, 2012:
The Dallas Cowboys of the Jason Garrett era have done extremely well with their 1st round picks but the Mo Claiborne pick was the sole exception. What makes this pick so bad was that the Cowboys had to trade up to select him moving up to pick #6 in exchange for picks #14 and #45. Morris Claiborne never materialized into a pro-bowl corner as he was projected and never came close to leading the league in interceptions. Injuries really limited him during his tenure with Dallas and they moved on from him once he started to show promise. Even more painful for Cowboy fans is that two high quality players ended up being selected with the traded picks, those being DT Michael Brockers #14 and WR Alshon Jeffery #45. Claiborne was considered the best corner in the draft that year and most Cowboy fans were excited to trade up and get him but clearly the Cowboys targeted the wrong player there. Among the players that were selected between 6 and 14 that year were LB Luke Kuechly, CB Stephon Gilmore, and DT’s Dontari Poe and Fletcher Cox. Claiborne clearly did not turn out to be the best corner in this draft which included players like Stephon Gilmore (selected 10th overall), Janoris Jenkins (39th), Casey Hayward (62nd), and Josh Norman (143rd). If only the Cowboys had waited to address their need at cornerback.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
All date and information collected and verified through https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
