The Cowboys used their first-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to address their aging offensive line, drafting offensive tackle Tyler Smith out of Tulsa.
After their selection was announced by Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones held a press conference Thursday night where he "accidentally" leaked the Cowboys' entire draft board which showed Kayvon Thibodeaux penned in at the No. 1 spot.
In an effort to prove to the media that the Cowboys had Smith ranked ahead of other offensive linemen prospects Zion Johnson and Kenyon Green, Jones flashed a piece of paper that showed off their entire draft board which was printed three days before the start of the draft.
“Can you see that?” Jones asked reporters.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones started laughing, before telling his old man to "not show them that."
Leave it to the internet to use a screen-grab from the moment to try to decipher all the names listed on Dallas' draft board. Jon Machota of The Athletic was able to come up with 34 of the 39 names that were supposedly listed on the paper. At the top of that list are Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, both taken by their NFC East rivals.
According to Machota, the Cowboys had 14 players in drafted graded with first round marker.
1. Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon: drafted fifth overall by the Giants.
2. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama: drafted seventh overall by the Giants.
3. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan: drafted second overall by the Lions.
4. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State: drafted 10th overall by the Jets.
5. Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati: drafted fourth overall by the Jets.
6. Derek Stingley, CB, LSU: drafted third overall by the Texans.
7. Travon Walker, DE, Georgia: drafted first overall by the Jaguars.
8. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame: drafted 14th overall by the Ravens.
9. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State: drafted sixth overall by the Panthers.
10. Drake London, WR, USC: drafted eighth overall by the Falcons.
11. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia: drafted 13th overall by the Eagles.
12. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State: drafted ninth overall by the Seahawks.
13. Lewis Cine, S, Georgia: drafted 32nd overall by the Vikings.
14. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama: drafted 12th overall by the Lions.
Another division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, nabbed the Cowboys' 11th-ranked player on their board, selecting Jordan Davis with the 13th overall pick.
Among that group of 14 players' the franchise believed were first-round talents, 13 were already off the board by the time the Cowboys were on the clock at pick No. 24 with only safety Lewis Cine being available from the top end of their draft board.
Instead of Cine, the Cowboys opted for a player [Smith] ranked three spots lower on the board with a second-round grade.
15. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State: drafted 11th overall by the Saints.
16. Tyler Smith, OL, Tulsa: drafted 24th overall by the Cowboys.
17. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: drafted 27th overall by the Jaguars.
18. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan: drafted 31st overall by the Bengals.
19. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State: drafted 36th overall by the Jets.
20. Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M: drafted 15th overall by the Texans.
21. George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue: drafted 30th overall by the Chiefs.
22. Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College: drafted 17th overall by the Chargers.
23. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas: drafted 18th overall by the Titans.
24. Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington: drafted 39th overall by the Bears.
25. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa: drafted 25th overall by the Ravens.
26. David Ojabo, DE, Michigan: drafted 45th overall by the Ravens.
27. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State: drafted 16th overall by the Commanders.
28. Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State: drafted 26th overall by the Jets.
29. Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida: drafted 23rd overall by the Bills.
30. Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State: drafted 38th overall by the Falcons.
31. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington: drafted 21st overall by the Chiefs.
32. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia: drafted 22nd overall by the Packers.
33. Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia: drafted 28th overall by the Packers.
34. Logan Hall, DE, Houston: drafted 33rd overall by the Buccaneers.
Despite Cine being ranked higher than Smith was, their desire to land an offensive lineman outweighed any other plans. In fact, if we look at the Cowboys' draft history, they've only selected a safety once in the first round since 2002 when they drafted Roy Williams.
“The good news is, most of those players are gone,” Stephen Jones said after Jerry Jones put the paper down.
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