Mike McCarthy reflects on impact of 2022 draft class

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was more than happy to reflect on the impact of his last two draft classes at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Looking back at the 2022 draft picks, there wasn’t a (healthy) non-contributor in the bunch, which bodes well for the Cowboys moving forward.

“As a group, we had some great first-year performances,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know if Tyler Smith can play any better as a rookie. For him to accomplish what he accomplished… playing two positions, I think it’s unbelievable. He’s got a great foundation to build off of.

“Sam Williams, you’re going to see a jump in his progress. DaRon Bland is another one. He came on so strong at the end.”

As good as the rookies were in Year One, McCarthy expects a major leap from them in 2023.

“My personal experience, through draft-and-develop, the biggest increases in our player productivity will come from within,” McCarthy said. “Our first- and second-year players will make improvements. That doesn’t show up during the draft, but you’re first- and second-year players make improvements. I’m counting on that.

“If you look at our last two draft classes, they played a lot of football early. I’ve been very impressed with that. I’m hoping for [more] gains from that for 2023. … You just want to get better.”

McCarthy names key to draft success

For McCarthy, the key to drafting the right players is to never base evaluations on factors other than game film. Although he and the Cowboys staff will bolster their evaluations at the scouting combine and glean valuable insight via conversations with prospects, the game film is still king.

“As a coach, you just never get too far away from the game film when you’re talking about production and performance,” McCarthy said.

“The conversations are always important, I’ve been doing it by zoom the last two days, I don’t enjoy that as much, but this is a great opportunity for these young men to make a first impression.”

Dallas’ offensive coaches arrived in Indianapolis later than the defensive staff as they began working on the scheme for the 2023 squad. They’ll stay at the combine through the end of the weekend. Offensive linemen and running backs hit the field last of all the positions, beginning their drills on Sunday.