FRISCO, Texas -- A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys were able to hide their affection for Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith, whom they ended up taking at No. 24 overall. He was not a Dallas Day visitor and they did not put him on their top-30 national visitors list.
Normally, history says the Cowboys' top selection will be among those who have made their way to their facility before the draft.
Since 2005, the Cowboys have used their first pick on a player who was one of the top-30 visitors or a Dallas Day participant all but four times: DeMarcus Ware in 2005, Morris Claiborne in 2012, CeeDee Lamb in 2020 (when no visitors were allowed because of the pandemic), and Smith.