Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys’ season officially came to an end on Sunday afternoon. While you never root for losses, the Cowboys’ 34-17 loss to the New York Giants actually helped them in the long run.
With the loss, Dallas moved up to 12th in the 2026 NFL Draft order, marking the second straight season the Cowboys will hold the 12th overall pick. As we saw on Sunday, the Cowboys have plenty of needs to address this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
You could make an argument that, outside of defensive tackle, if the Cowboys want to be competitive next season, they’ll need to acquire a starting-caliber defender at every other defensive position group. Thankfully for Dallas, recent history has shown that players selected 12th overall have shown an ability to make an immediate impact on their respective teams.
Here are all the players selected with the 12th overall pick since 2012. (Pro Bowl players in bold)
2025 – OG Tyler Booker (Dallas Cowboys)
2024 – QB Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
2023 – RB Jahmry Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
2022 – WR Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions)
2021 – EDGE Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys)
2020 – WR Henry Ruggs III (Las Vegas Raiders)
2019 – EDGE Rashan Gary (Green Bay Packers)
2018 – DT Vita Vea (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2017 – QB Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans)
2016 – DT Sheldon Rankins (New Orleans Saints)
2015 – DT Danny Shelton (Cleveland Browns)
2014 – WR Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)
2013 – CB D.J. Hayden (Las Vegas Raiders)
2012 – DT Fletcher Cox (Philadelphia Eagles)
In the last 14 NFL drafts, half of the players selected with the 12th overall pick have made at least one Pro Bowl in their NFL career. Four of those seven have been defensive players, something the Cowboys will almost certainly be looking at selecting with their first selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Of the other seven who have not earned that honor, all but two (Ruggs III, Hayden) have been significant contributors in the league since being drafted, showing there has not been much bust risk at this selection in recent memory.
If the Cowboys want to rebound from their disappointing 2025 season, they’ll need to nail the upcoming NFL draft. Recent history shows Dallas will have a good chance to select an instant impact player with their 12th selection and start their draft off on the right foot.
