{"id":147999,"date":"2026-02-02T11:04:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999"},"modified":"2026-02-02T11:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:04:36","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8report-what-if-cowboys-had-listened-to-mel-kiper-and-daniel-jeremiah-in-the-last-six-drafts-would-dallas-be-a-powerhouse-dynasty-instead-of-perpetual-almost-team-imaginin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper and NFL.com\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah are two of the biggest names in the mock draft business and have been for years. So today we ask ourselves what would have happened if the Cowboys had followed the pair\u2019s mock draft suggestions in the first round of the last six drafts, and how that compares to what the Cowboys actually did – something we\u2019ve done intermittently here on Blogging The Boys<\/em> over the last decade or so.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

In the mock draft world, there\u2019s only one mock that ultimately counts: the final mock draft published before the actual draft. That doesn\u2019t stop mock drafters from creating countless mocks before that final one, but most of those are entertainment for a long offseason. Which is why today we\u2019ll only look at Kiper\u2019s and Jeremiah\u2019s final mock drafts from 2020 through 2025.<\/p>\n

Why the cutoff at six years? Mainly because that marks the transition from the Garrett years (2010-2019) to the McCarthy\/Shottenheimer years (2020-2025).<\/p>\n

So before we compare the Cowboys with Kiper and Jeremiah, we\u2019ll first look at the Garrett years to establish a sort of baseline of how we\u2019ll approach the comparisons. In the table below you\u2019ll find an overview of all 32 teams and their first-round picks from 2010-2019 and the Weighted Approximate Value (wAV) for the players they drafted. wAV comes courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and is their attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
First-round AV points by team, 2010-2019<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nRank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nRank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nLAR<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n556<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n12<\/td>\nSFO<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n457<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nARI<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n380<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nNOR<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n540<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n13<\/td>\nWAS<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n441<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\nT24<\/td>\nNWE<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n378<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nCAR<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n532<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n14<\/td>\nATL<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n437<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\nT24<\/td>\nDEN<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n378<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nPIT<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n528<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n15<\/td>\nBAL<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n433<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n26<\/td>\nLVR<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n373<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nBUF<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n511<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n16<\/td>\nLAC<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n426<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n27<\/td>\nKAN<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n372<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nCLE<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n502<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n17<\/td>\nTEN<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n424<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n28<\/td>\nJAX<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n356<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nNYG<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n498<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n18<\/td>\nNYJ<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n421<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n29<\/td>\nCIN<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n332<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nDAL<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n490<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n19<\/td>\nMIN<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n420<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n30<\/td>\nCHI<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n307<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nHOU<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n487<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n20<\/td>\nMIA<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n416<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n31<\/td>\nGNB<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n303<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nDET<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n484<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n21<\/td>\nPHI<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n394<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n32<\/td>\nSEA<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n296<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\nTAM<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n468<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n22<\/td>\nIND<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n385<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Overall, the table shows that the Cowboys have drafted well during the Garrett era, ranking eighth overall in wAV. Of course, the numbers would be better without Taco Charlton and Morris Claiborne, but every team whiffs on a first-rounder at some point. And yes, had they not traded away their 2019 first-rounder, they\u2019d probably also look better. In fact, if you were to calculate the wAV per draft pick, the Cowboys would average 54.4 points per pick and rank third in the NFL behind only the Rams (61.8) and Panthers (59.1).<\/p>\n

With that, let\u2019s turn to Kiper and Jeremiah to see how their picks for the Cowboys hold up in this comparison.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

But before we do that, we have to recognize that this is not of course an apples-to-apples comparison. Kiper and Jeremiah have to make assumptions about all the picks ahead of the Cowboys in their mock drafts, and then have to assign one of the remaining players to the Cowboys based on a first-round mock that is bound to be imperfect. We do not know which player each draftnik would have picked if he had been in charge of the Cowboys draft on draft night, and going back and following their draft-night commentary to figure out who they suggested when the Cowboys were on the clock is just not feasible.<\/p>\n

However, in some drafts, one or both draftniks have offered picks for the Cowboys where the players or positions selected were in the pre-draft favorites pool, so they at least partly reflect popular sentiment at the time.<\/p>\n

Before we check out the two draft experts, here is a summary of the Cowboys\u2019 first-round picks in the last six drafts, along with some metrics we\u2019ll use to evaluate the picks.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nPOS<\/strong><\/td>\nAll Pro<\/strong><\/td>\nPro Bowls<\/strong><\/td>\nStarter Seasons<\/strong><\/td>\nGames<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nCeeDee Lamb<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n95<\/td>\n65<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nMicah Parsons<\/td>\nDE<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n77<\/td>\n68<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nTyler Smith<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n34<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\nMazi Smith<\/td>\nDT<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n42<\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\nTyler Guyton<\/td>\nT<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025<\/td>\nTyler Booker<\/td>\nG<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n316<\/td>\n193<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Cowboys have an obvious bust in Mazi Smith, but balance that with two, maybe three, home runs in Ceedee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Tyler Smith.<\/p>\n

Here are the players Mel Kiper had the Cowboys picking in his final mock drafts of each of the last six years:<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nPOS<\/strong><\/td>\nAll Pro<\/strong><\/td>\nPro Bowls<\/strong><\/td>\nStarter Seasons<\/strong><\/td>\nGames<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nXavier McKinney<\/td>\nS<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n82<\/td>\n39<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nPatrick Surtain<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n80<\/td>\n51<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nTyler Smith<\/td>\nOT<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n34<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\nDalton Kincaid<\/td>\nTE<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n17<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\nTyler Guyton<\/td>\nT<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025<\/td>\nOmarion Hampton<\/td>\nRB<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n5<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n300<\/td>\n156<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For the most part, Kiper would have had the Cowboys drafting solid starters, avoided the Mazi Smith pick, and even got the Tyler Smith and Tyler Guyton picks right. However, he can\u2019t match the Lamb\/Parsons picks in 20\/21. In any case, Kiper\u2019s 156 total wAV points would rank this collection of picks eighth overall in the league, so that\u2019s a good showing for the oft-maligned Kiper.<\/p>\n

On to Jeremiah\u2019s final mock picks for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nPOS<\/strong><\/td>\nAll Pro<\/strong><\/td>\nPro Bowls<\/strong><\/td>\nStarter Seasons<\/strong><\/td>\nGames<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nCJ Henderson<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n53<\/td>\n13<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nJaycee Horn<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n53<\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nJahan Dotson<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n63<\/td>\n12<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\nLuke Musgrave<\/td>\nTE<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\nGraham Barton<\/td>\nOC<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n15<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025<\/td>\nTetaiora McMillan<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n254<\/td>\n77<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jeremiah\u2019s collection of picks for the Cowboys over the last six years falls far short of both the Cowboys\u2019 actual haul and Kiper\u2019s mock projection. The picks above would have ranked just 26th overall in terms of wAV points. In Jeremiah\u2019s defense, his last last three picks have a combined wAV of 30, just two short of Kiper and four more than the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not necessarily and indictment of Jeremiah\u2019s mock drafting skills, perhaps he was focusing more on needs than the Cowboys and Kiper did. And keep in mind that in many ways, the Cowboys lucked into both Lamb and Parsons.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll add an extra look here as another point of reference.<\/p>\n

For each Cowboys first-round pick, we\u2019ll look at the top player still available at the time the Cowboys were on the clock<\/strong><\/em> that would have been the best player available (BPA) according to the consensus big board from NFLMockdraftdatabase.com, who curate their consensus big board by compiling hundreds of big boards, first-round mocks, and team-based mocks into one giant big board.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/strong><\/td>\nPlayer<\/strong><\/td>\nPOS<\/strong><\/td>\nAll Pro<\/strong><\/td>\nPro Bowls<\/strong><\/td>\nStarter Seasons<\/strong><\/td>\nGames<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\nCeeDee Lamb<\/td>\nWR<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n95<\/td>\n65<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\nRashawn Slater<\/td>\nOL<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n51<\/td>\n32<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\nJermayne Johnson<\/td>\nLB<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n19<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\nNolan Smith<\/td>\nOLB<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n45<\/td>\n13<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2024<\/td>\nCooper DeJean<\/td>\nCB<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n16<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2025<\/td>\nTyler Warren<\/td>\nTE<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n—<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n9<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n287<\/td>\n154<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The consensus board comes in just two points below Kiper, and would also be good for eighth overall in the league. The big difference to the Cowboys haul is that the consensus board had Rashawn Slater ranked above Micah Parsons.<\/p>\n

What all the numbers above show is that the draft can be a precarious proposition, even in the first round where the best available talent is supposed to be found. Over the last six years, the Cowboys have been pretty good at mining this resource. And yes, this is about the first round only. Kiper and Jeremiah do not include the other rounds in their final mock, so this is what we are comparing against.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the Cowboys\u2019 draft record over the last six years compares to the rest of the league in terms of wAV.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
First-round AV points by team, 2020-2025<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nRank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nRank<\/strong><\/td>\nTeam<\/strong><\/td>\nPicks<\/strong><\/td>\nwAV<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nJAX<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n222<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n12<\/td>\nMIN<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n133<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n23<\/td>\nKAN<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n99<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDET<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n211<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n13<\/td>\nTAM<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n124<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n24<\/td>\nSFO<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n84<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nBAL<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n200<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n14<\/td>\nCAR<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n122<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n25<\/td>\nARI<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n81<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nLAC<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n196<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n15<\/td>\nHOU<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n115<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n26<\/td>\nPIT<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n75<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nDAL<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n193<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n16<\/td>\nNYG<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n114<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n27<\/td>\nBUF<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n66<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nCIN<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n160<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n17<\/td>\nCHI<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n113<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n28<\/td>\nIND<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n60<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nNYJ<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n159<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n18<\/td>\nDEN<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n110<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n29<\/td>\nCLE<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n51<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nMIA<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n154<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n19<\/td>\nNOR<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n108<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n30<\/td>\nLVR<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n47<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nSEA<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n148<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n20<\/td>\nGNB<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n105<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n31<\/td>\nTEN<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n42<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T10<\/td>\nPHI<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n143<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n21<\/td>\nNWE<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n102<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n32<\/td>\nLAR<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T10<\/td>\nATL<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n143<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n22<\/td>\nWAS<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n100<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This table, to my surprise, shows that the Cowboys have drafted quite well during the McCarthy\/Schottenheimer era, ranking fifth overall in wAV, ahead of where they ranked in the Garrett era. And if we again calculate the wAV per draft pick, the Cowboys would average 32.2 points points per pick and rank first in the NFL ahead of the Texans (28.8), Chargers (28.0), and Broncos (27.5).<\/p>\n

The Cowboys have two first-round picks in this year\u2019s draft. If they stay true to their board and avoid chasing needs, they may well get some generational talent again. But the last time the Cowboys had two firsts, they drafted Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins in 2008, so that should also give Cowboys fans pause. Yes, that was a long time ago, but Jones and Jenkins combined for a miserly 54 wAV over their career. That\u2019s less than Dez Bryant (61), Tyron Smith (91), Travis Frederick (60), Zack Martin (103), Zeke Elliott (68), and even Lamb (65) and Parsons (68), who are still in the middle of their NFL careers.<\/p>\n

But three years before that the Cowboys also had two firsts in the 2005 NFL draft and landed DeMarcus Ware (100) and Marcus Spears (36). Such are the vagaries of the NFL draft. Let\u2019s hope for more of 2005 and less of 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper and NFL.com\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah are two of the biggest names in the mock draft business and have been for years. So today we ask… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":148000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper and NFL.com\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah are two of the biggest names in the mock draft business and have been for years. So today we ask...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999\",\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","og_description":"ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper and NFL.com\u2019s Daniel Jeremiah are two of the biggest names in the mock draft business and have been for years. So today we ask...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999","name":"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-02T11:04:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LUU-2-11.jpg","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=147999#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\ud83d\udea8REPORT: What if Cowboys had listened to Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah in the last six drafts\u2014would Dallas be a powerhouse dynasty instead of perpetual almost\u2011team? Imagining draft boards flipped, long\u2011term contributors drafted instead of misses could rewrite NFL history and Cowboys lore. Could those \u201cwhat ifs\u201d be the key to the franchise\u2019s next championship blueprint? Only time will tell..ll \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148001,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147999\/revisions\/148001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/148000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}