FRISCO, Texas – The goal for any team heading into the NFL Draft is obviously to get better.
The Cowboys believe they've done that after picking nine players, including six on Saturday to wrap up the 2022 NFL Draft.
Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said he believes his team improved "as much as we improved our team last year in the draft" and that's fully aware of the impact Micah Parsons made on the team. That's how confident Jones seems to be with this 2022 class.
Time will tell if they actually did get better. But time isn't need to realize this team definitely got bigger.
Size seemed to be a common theme amongst the players selected this year, starting with Tulsa's Tyler Smith, a 325-pound tackle who will likely play guard.
He's one of the largest players the Cowboys have ever drafted – especially in the first round – and he immediately gives the Cowboys size and strength in the middle of the line that has been needed over the last few years.
But Smith's arrival was just the start of what led to a full weekend of players that add much-needed size to the team.
After Smith, the Cowboys added edge rusher Sam Williams (6-3, 261) and receiver Jalen Tolbert (6-2, 195) on Friday.
While the addition of size didn't seem too noticeable on Day 2, it started to surface more on Saturday, when the Cowboys landed six picks, including four in the fifth round alone.
What's also surprising is the Cowboys didn't make a single trade – up or down – in this draft, picking at all nine projected spots.
On Saturday, the Cowboys got a tight end – Wisconsin's Jake Ferguson – who can help them in both the passing game and the running game as a blocker.
Then, fifth-round offensive tackle Matt Waletzko, not only gives them size at 6-8, 312, but the Cowboys have a plan for him as well.
Jerry Jones said after the draft that he doesn't expect the Cowboys to sign a veteran to play "swing tackle" because Waletzko should be able to handle that role right away, giving them depth at both right and left tackle.
Later in the fifth, cornerback DaRon Bland was picked, giving them yet another big-bodied corner at 6-2, 197. Bland also has collegiate track experience but still looks the part of a long, rangy corner.
For an inside linebacker, LSU's Damone Clark (6-2, 239) is certainly not short on size. His issues is obviously a neck surgery on March 24 that will probably threaten his availability to play this season at all, although the Cowboys didn't rule out his chances to return to the team later in the season.
And then there's John Ridgeway, a 6-5, 321-pound defensive tackle who is a space-eater in the middle. Ridgeway is the second player (Felix Jones) from Arkansas to get drafted since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
Sixth-round linebacker Devin Harper (6-0, 234) isn't the biggest player on the board, but certainly not undersized. Harper will help on special teams with his speed and awareness.
Overall, the Cowboys have nine more players from the draft, and will get nearly 20 more in rookie free agency over the next couple of days.
Again, we're about to find out if this team gets any better. We already know they got bigger.
