Why did Jerry Jones presented the Cowboys’ draft board?

With the 2022 NFL draft over, it’s time for us to revisit what every team did with their picks and how they all improved. Some teams, however, deserve to be talked about for much longer than three days, and this year, this honor belongs to one of the draft’s most prominent actors: the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys started this year’s recruitment with a questionable pick, taking offensive lineman Tyler Smith from Tulsa with the 24th overall pick. It’s nothing new to see teams reaching for players in the draft because of needs, so it’s not like this deserves any news.

But Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, had other plans.

Cowboys owner shows draft board to reporters

As the draft unfolded and the Cowboys’ front office was talking to the media, discussions started about which players the Cowboys had higher or lower than Tyler Smith on their draft board. Each team has its own analysis, so it’s fine.

But Jones went a step further and did the unthinkable: he literally had the sheet up so reporters could see they had Smith higher than some of the other prospects, such as Zion Johnson and Kenyon Green. A baffling decision.

“Can you see that?” A grinning Jones said, holding up the sheet.

“Don’t show ‘em that,” responded Cowboys executive Stephen Jones, chuckling and staring down the line toward McClay, who laughed and shifted in his seat.

“I’m dead serious,” Jerry continued.

“Put that sheet down,” Stephen urged.

This was one of the most surreal things to happen during the 2022 draft. Team draft boards are absolutely confidential – I mean, if a team knows how you rate your players, then they’ll obviously try to jump in front of you to pick a specific guy they want. If the media could see the board, then everybody could, because we know how the internet works nowadays.

A complete version of the board was made available by fans after the draft with the high-resolution pieces they found, with EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux as the first guy. Obviously, the Oregon prospect would never fall to 24th. But Jones made sure that everyone could laugh at him without anything to gain for.