INDIANAPOLIS –The last time the Cowboys landed four compensatory picks, they drafted starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Two years later, the club has been awarded four compensatory selections again – picks given to teams the end of Rounds 3-7 and determined by a formula weighing free-agent additions against losses the previous year.
Now with 10 total picks in the 2018 draft, the Cowboys hope to bolster their roster just like 2016 when Prescott replaced an injured Tony Romo and led the team to a franchise-record tying 13 wins.
"I love it that we got four picks because we've done a good job with our draft picks," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said from the NFL Scouting Combine. "They're not only picks, they're good picks, and we should be able to optimize that and put some real depth on this football team.
"Obviously in those first three or four rounds, you're expecting to find starters as well. To have 10 draft picks is a big deal."
The Cowboys originally had six picks, one in each round except the sixth. Last week the league announced they received an extra fourth-rounder (No. 137 overall), two fifth-rounders (No. 171, 173) and a sixth-rounder (No. 208). The four compensatory picks tie the Bengals, Packers and Raiders for most in the NFL this year.
Three of four compensatory picks from that 2016 class are still on the roster: Prescott, tight end Rico Gathers and safety Kavon Frazier, who had a more prominent role on defense last season.
