How Bad Was the 2023 Draft Class for the Dallas Cowboys?
When the Dallas Cowboys decided to follow through with the blockbuster trade to get Quinnen Williams at the NFL Trade Deadline, they sent over a failed project to the Jets. Mazi Smith, Dallas's first-round draft pick in 2023, struggled to get going for the Cowboys, dealing with changes among the defense all three years and just overall disappointing play. Unfortunately for Cowboy fans and the front office, Smith was not the only player from the 2023 draft class who is no longer on the roster. With over eight selections and only two players remaining from that class, just how terrible was it?
The clear-cut best player from this draft was Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who, despite showing Pro Bowl and even All-Pro potential in his short time playing, has dealt with major injuries, causing him to miss the majority of his young career. The only other remaining player to still be on the Dallas roster is tight end Luke Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker was a Mike McCarthy selection and was chosen to be a tough-nosed player who could be depended on mainly for blocking and the occasional check-down, and for what it’s worth, he has managed to stay on the roster, but he’s barely shown that he was worth a second-round pick. With only Overshown and Schoonmaker being the remaining players from that draft class, who were the rest of the bunch that failed for the Cowboys?
After the aforementioned Smith, Schoonmaker, and Overshown, the Cowboys took Viliami Fehoko in the fourth round. He would never see a regular season snap and would be waived after just one season. Asim Richard, an offensive lineman from North Carolina, followed in the fifth round. People had aspirations that he could become a solid swing player and plug-and-play lineman, but it never came to fruition, and he is now a New Orleans Saint. In the sixth, Dallas took Eric Scott Jr., a cornerback who fit the profile that former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn liked; however, like Fehoko, he would only last a season and would join the Chiefs off the waiver wire in 2024. The last two players actually got playing time in Dallas: Deuce Vaughn at running back and Jalen Brooks at wide receiver, both in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively. Despite receiving playing time, neither player made a significant impact, leading to both being waived at the beginning of the 2025 season. Brooks would be brought back on waiver wires, but he would later be released again after a knee injury in October. In conclusion, the Cowboys only managed to draft one starting player in Overshown, and while he has been fantastic, injuries have been derailing him. Dallas fans will remember the Cowboys' disappointing 2023 draft class negatively.
