The Dallas Cowboys are a team built around the NFL draft. Their roster is dependent on young and inexpensive talent. Rarely does a cornerstone piece come from outside the organization, making the annual pool of unproven players integral to the construction of the team.
Just a couple months ago the Cowboys utilized the draft process to add, what they hope to be, a handful of key starters and prominent role players. As many as four are expected to be key contributors as rookies, and with any luck, more will carve out roles down the road.
When the NFL announced they’d forgo the 2025 supplemental draft, they removed something that could be potentially useful for a team like Dallas. The supplemental draft, always scheduled after the official draft, serves as an opportunity for prospects who weren’t ready by the declaration deadline to get a second chance at the process. Changing circumstances related to eligibility typically motivates such actions but many players have taken the less traveled route for a variety of reasons.
2025 marks the second consecutive season the NFL opted out of the supplemental draft causing some to wonder if it will ever make a return. It’s unknown who, if any, players declared for the supplemental draft this year, indicating the NFL’s decision could be based solely on the supply. It’s worth noting no one has been selected in the supplemental draft since 2019.
The Cowboys most notably selected Steve Walsh in the 1989 NFL draft. Walsh came at the price of a first-round pick in the 1990 draft but provided competition for the rookie Troy Aikman. Walsh might not have worked out but it’s safe to say Aikman sure did.
There are a few success stories regarding the supplemental draft but for the most part it’s a riskier endeavor than the standard draft. In order to select a player in the supplemental draft you must forfeit the equivalent pick in next year’s standard draft, so it doesn’t offer measurable savings.
At the end of the day the Cowboys aren’t better or worse off with the supplemental draft not occurring this summer. The NFL is wise to assess it on a year-to-year basis.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys may be losing talent-acquiring method as NFL phases out draft option
Reporting by Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
