MOBILE, Ala. – It's almost like clockwork at this point.
The Cowboys send a staff of coaches/scouts and executives to the Senior Bowl in Mobile each year in late January. A full week of interviews, evaluations and more are completed.
And when the NFL Draft rolls around, you can nearly guarantee the Cowboys will take one of the players – if not six - that they scouted in Mobile
For the last seven years, the Cowboys have drafted at least one player they scouted in the Senior Bowl, but last year was over the top. Of the nine players drafted last April, six of which played here at the Senior Bowl, including their picks in the second, third, fourth and then three more in the fifth.
This year, the Cowboys have once again sent most of their scouts down to Mobile for the week of practices for these college all-star seniors at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The actual Senior Bowl game will be played Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) on NFL Network.
But the majority of the evaluation process usually takes places during the mid-week practices. That's when the scouts can not only get an up-close view on the field, but have the chance to meet and greet with players before and after practices.
In 2021, the Cowboys drafted three players from the Senior Bowl and in 2020, they picked two but added four more as undrafted free agents.
So in the last three years, the Cowboys have added 15 players either at the draft or right afterwards that participated in the Senior Bowl?
Coincidence? It doesn't seem that way considering the seven-year streak. In fact, the last year the Cowboys didn't pick a player who went to the Senior Bowl was 2015, when they signed La'el Collins immediately after the draft as a free agent. The year before that, the Cowboys took Zack Martin in the first round. Martin is the last Senior Bowl alum to be picked by the Cowboys with a first-round pick.
While underclassmen typically consume the majority of the first-round picks, the Senior Bowl players generally go later in the draft, at least for the Cowboys, who have taken a player in the third round from the Senior Bowl in four of the last six drafts, including the last three.
Here's a look at the recent draft history of the Cowboys with Senior Bowl talent.
2022:
- Sam Williams, Ole Miss (2nd round)
- Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama (3rd round)
- Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin (4th round)
- Matt Waletzko, North Dakota (5th round)
- Damone Clark, LSU (5th round)
- John Ridgeway, Arkansas (5th round)
2021:
- Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA (3rd round)
- Chauncey Golston, Iowa (3rd round)
- Jabril Cox, LSU (4th round)
2020:
- Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma (3rd round)
- Bradlee Anae, Utah (5th round)
- Terence Steele, Texas Tech (UDFA)
- Francis Bernard, Utah (UDFA)
- Sean McKeon, Michigan (UDFA)
- Azur Kamara, DE (UDFA)
2019:
- Jalen Jelks, Oregon (7th round)
2018:
- Cedrick Wilson, Boise State (6th round)
2017:
- Jourdan Lewis, Michigan (3rd round)
- Marquez White, Florida State (6th round)
2016:
- Dak Prescott, Miss State (4th round)
- Charles Tapper, Oklahoma (4th round)
2015:
- La'el Collins LSU (UDFA)
2014:
- Zack Martin, Notre Dame (1st round)
