The best way to succeed in the NFL is to draft well.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Dallas Cowboys are tied for 25th in the NFL with homegrown players with 22 draft picks currently on the roster. The Cincinnati Bengals are at the top of the list with 37 players. The New Orleans Saints are the worst with 15 players.
The Cowboys are tied with the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders and Eagles have had coaching and front-office personnel turnover over the past few years. The Cowboys changed coaches in 2011 to Jason Garrett, moved to a different scouting chief in 2014 with Will McClay, but have had Jerry Jones as owner and general manager since 1989.
Since Garrett took over the Cowboys have had 31 draft picks, and 17 remain on the roster today. Only one draft pick remains, however, from 2011 -- Tyron Smith. The Cowboys saw Bruce Carter (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), DeMarco Murray (Philadelphia Eagles) and Dwayne Harris (New York Giants) leave via free agency. The 2012 draft class could thin out next year with Morris Claiborne, Tyrone Crawford, Kyle Wilber and James Hanna readying for free agency in 2016. Of the four, Crawford is the most likely to return and the team could look to sign to a long-term deal before the season ends.
Of the 31 picks since Garrett took over, only seven did not make the 53-man roster out of training camp. Some had injuries (Danny Coale, Ben Gardner). Some made the practice squad (Shaun Chapas, Will Smith). Others were cut (Josh Thomas, Terrance Mitchell, Ahmad Dixon).
