Cowboys NFL Draft: Ranking Jerry Jones' worst picks over the past 10 years

The Dallas Cowboys, who haven't won a Super Bowl since January 1996, will be focusing on making the correct selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft in order to increase their chances of winning the title.

The Cowboys have had several solid squads over the years, and most recently, a streak of excellent draft picks has allowed them to have excellent regular season runs. But the Cowboys' draft missteps are notorious and devastating when they occur.

As it is often simpler to look at the past than to predict the future, we have compiled a list of the top five worst Cowboys draft selections from the last ten years.

Listing Cowboys' worst draft picks under GM Jerry Jones

#5. OL Chaz Green - Third-round pick (2015)

The Dallas Cowboys selected Florida Gators' Chaz Green with the 91st overall pick in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. The plan was for him to eventually take Doug Free's place, but the offensive tackle struggled with injury problems in his first two campaigns with the Cowboys, needing surgery in 2016 to repair a herniated disc.

The Cowboys cut Green before the 2018 season began due to a string of poor plays and injury-plagued seasons.

#4. CB Nahshon Wright - Third-round pick (2021)

The selection of Oregon State's Nahshon Wright by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft over other cornerbacks who had shown themselves as superior starting defensive backs in college caused many to raise an eyebrow.

Wright is still with the Cowboys, but in his three seasons, he has not received enough playing time. He has majorly been preferred on the special teams.

Considering the Cowboys' cornerback room's competitiveness heading into the 2024 season, it is practically impossible to imagine Wright succeeding in Dallas.

#3. CB Kelvin Joseph - Second-round pick (2021)

Kelvin Joseph ended up being a Dallas Cowboys draft bust after the team spent its 2021 second-round pick to pick him. Joseph played in just 10 games as a rookie, recording 164 defensive snaps in addition to dealing with off-field problems. His role shrank in his second season as he spent more time on special teams, totaling 317 snaps.

The Cowboys sent Joseph to the Miami Dolphins in August 2023 for Noah Igbinoghene, a former first-round draft selection.

#2. DT Trysten Hill - Second-round pick (2019)

The Dallas Cowboys selected Trysten Hill with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. He was supposed to take on a depth role right away and be groomed for a potential starting role down the road.

Questions about Hill's commitment and maturity surfaced after a dismal rookie campaign in Dallas. Hill was already being called a possible draft bust with just five tackles at the end of his rookie season in the NFL.

Trysten appeared to have overcome his rookie season jitters during the first few weeks of the 2020 season. However, he tore his ACL in Week 5, which caused the hysteria train to crash and burn.

The Cowboys made the decision to cut Hill during the final season of his rookie deal. In the end, he made 25 appearances and totaled just 27 tackles during his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.

#1. DE Taco Charlton - First-round pick (2017)

The Dallas Cowboys decided to cut their losses in September 2019 when they waived defensive end Taco Charlton, who failed to live up to his pre-draft expectations as a first-round pick.

Charlton only recorded four sacks in seven starts during his two years with the Cowboys. Rod Marinelli, who served as the Cowboys' defensive coach in 2017, was the one who pushed hard for Charlton to be selected in the draft over 2021 NFL Defensive Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. However, Marinelli and Charlton ended up not getting along very well.

Charlton was classified as inactive for the first two games of 2019 before the Cowboys chose to release him.

Charlton later had unsuccessful stints with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers. He signed with the Birmingham Stallions of the Spring Football League, the UFL, in March 2024.