It may take two or three years before we know much about the Dallas Cowboys' 2016 draft class, and that's not a great thing. Second-round pick Jaylon Smith, fourth-rounder Dak Prescott and sixth-round pick Rico Gathers are all projects in their own ways.
First-round pick Zeke Elliott and third-round pick Maliek Collins are the only players who will be counted upon in 2016. And because of that, this feels like a developmental draft. There are teams that stayed away from Smith because they wondered if he'd play football again due to nerve damage in his knee. The Cowboys desperately needed a walk-in starter in the second round, but that's not what happened. And if Jerry Jones could've pulled the trigger on a trade for quarterback Paxton Lynch, Smith and Collins wouldn't have been possibilities.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens grabbed two players, Andrew Billings and Kenneth Dixon, respectively, who should make an immediate impact. Baylor's Billings had been projected as a first-round pick, but he slipped to the fourth round. By that time, the Cowboys had already looked to maneuver for Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook but settled for Oklahoma defensive end Charles Tapper. That may end up being their most solid pick of the draft, outside of first-rounder Ezekiel Elliott. Tapper will have a shot to start immediately since Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence will likely be serving four-game suspensions.
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Cowboys draft coverage
Overall: Gosselin: Where's the D? | Moore: Prescott gets a shot |Cowlishaw: That's entertainment | Experts grades | Your turn | NFC East grades | UFA watch
RB Ezekiel Elliott (Rd. 1): Gosselin: Don't like fit | Moore: DeMarco 2.0 |Sturm: No weaknesses | 10 things to know | Bad fashion? | Smartest back ever? | Dez mixed | National reaction
LB Jaylon Smith (Rd. 2): Gosselin: Doesn't fit need | Smith: I'll play this year | Sturm: Star upside | Analysis | National reaction | 10 things to know| Photos
DT Maliek Collins (Rd. 3): Gosselin: Baby steps move | Analysis |National reaction | 10 things to know | Photos
DE Charles Tapper (Rd. 4): McDonald's meeting changed him | Analysis| 10 things to know | Photos
QB Dak Prescott (Rd. 4): Analysis | National Reaction | Once critiqued Romo | Sturm: He's Tebow-esque
CB Anthony Brown (Rd. 6): More | S Kavon Frazier (Rd. 6) : More | RB Darius Jackson (Rd. 6): More | TE Rick Gathers (Rd. 6): More
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The Cowboys finally landed a quarterback later in the fourth round. They had spent an inordinate amount of time with Mississippi State's Dak Prescott, so his selection wasn't a huge surprise. He won 19 games his final two seasons and had the Bulldogs staked to a No. 1 ranking for five weeks of the 2014 season. I think his intangibles are off the charts, but there will be a steep learning curve. It wouldn't be a good thing for him to get thrown into the fire this season if Romo's injured again. The good news for Cowboys fans is that several scouts across the league applauded Prescott's selection.
"Great pick, quick release...great arm," texted one longtime AFC scout. "He was a captain pretty much every year he was on campus."
I guess you could call him the anti-Connor Cook in that particular area. One scout told me that Prescott's quick release reminded him of Aaron Rodgers. That said, the Cowboys will have a lot of work on their hands. Cook won't have as much of a learning curve as Prescott because he played in more of a pro-style offense. The similarity between choosing Smith and Prescott is the Cowboys believing they knew those players better than other teams. Team doctor Dan Cooper performed Smith's knee surgery and quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson practically lived with Prescott leading up to the draft.
In the sixth round, the Cowboys took another developmental player in Baylor's Rico Gathers. He hasn't played a down of football since he was in junior high, but at 6-8, 275 pounds, he was considered the top offensive rebounder in the country. This is a throwback to the Gil Brandt era. Brandt wasn't afraid to go after a college basketball player, and that's how Rayfield Wright started his Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys. I've watched pretty much every game Gathers played and he's one of the most physically imposing players the Big 12 has seen. Can that translate to the football field? Your guess is as good as mine. I think he has enough speed to play tight end, but he won't be the smoothest route runner around. He normally prefers running over players, so maybe that will help with his blocking.
"His style as a basketball player is one that's very physical; prolific rebounder," said head coach Jason Garrett. "We felt like that could translate. Clearly he is a developmental player, but if he turns into something, it might be something we really like."
That sort of describes this entire draft class. It felt a little like a futures draft, and I'm not sure the Cowboys were in position for that to happen.
It could be 2018 before we know what this draft is, and that seems like a long time to wait.
Cowboys 2016 draft choices
Twitter: @mattmosley