(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
I think it's safe to say Dallas is one of the best teams at finding diamonds in the rough with undrafted players. Having said that, it seems to me that undrafted players have panned out more often for the Cowboys than actual seventh-round picks. Do you guys believe that is a fair assessment? And if so, why is that? – John Foschini, Middlebury, CT
Nick: I don't think it's really a fair assessment. When you think about it, maybe one or two rookie free agents each year make the team. Every now and then, you'll get one that is really good and makes the Pro Bowl or All-Pro.
But if you break it down, and think about the fact the Cowboys are signing about 10-15 rookie free agents every year, and maybe a couple make it, that's not an extremely high percentage. In reality, the Cowboys signed 11 rookies this year but you have to go back to 2018 to find the last 11 picks in the seventh-round.
Of those guys, we're talking about Nate Thomas, Jalen Brooks, Jay Toia, Phil Mafah and Ben DiNucci. Noah Brown has taken in the seventh round in 2017 and had a solid career. So in reality, you have to compare it fairly and when you do that, it's about even to me.
Tommy: I think it's pretty close, I'm not sure if there's one that's panned out more often than the other. The Cowboys have hit big on undrafted free agents like Tony Romo, Drew Pearson, Cliff Harris, Brandon Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin, Terence Steele, and the list continues to go on.
In the seventh round, the Cowboys have also found their fair share of Hall of Fame players like Bob Hayes and Rayfield Wright in the seventh round. Dallas found Jay Ratliff in the seventh-round back in 2005. All that to say, the Cowboys have had a lot of success on Day 3 of the draft and even following the conclusion of the draft in the UDFA market.
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