As much criticism as the Dallas Cowboys front office deserves, they're usually really good when it comes to the draft. They have to be since they refuse to pay any outside free agents and are allowing their own to leave as well now. Their constant influx of young talent has been their saving grace, keeping them from falling apart.
That doesn't mean they're without fault. Dallas has had several misses in the draft and this year, a few of them could be on the roster bubble. Here we look at three draft busts who could be released this offseason.
3. Eric Scott, Jr., CB
Normally a sixth-round pick isn't a bust when they don't make it but the Cowboys put a lot of faith in this selection last year. They liked Eric Scott, Jr. from Southern Miss enough to trade their fifth-round selection in 2024 to add Scott with the first pick in Round 6 during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Scott was then inactive for every regular season game and didn't do much during the preseason to stand out.
Entering his second campaign, he finds himself on the roster bubble after the addition of Caelen Carson from Wake Forest in the fifth round. Carson was considered a Round 3-4 talent, so he's a bit of a steal for Dallas. He joins a group consisting of Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Scott, and Nahson Wright. There's also C.J. Goodwin, although he's a special teams ace who can play cornerback in a pinch.
Dallas also has safety Israel Mukuamu, who can play cornerback and excelled in the slot when injuries forced him into action. That means Scott could be on the outside looking in if he's unable to show much improvement.
2. Nahshon Wright, CB
This was a Dan Quinn selection if there ever was one.
The former Dallas defensive coordinator — who is now the head coach for the Washington Commanders where all the Cowboys' free agents went — loves cornerbacks with length. He's had a lot of success with the philosophy that corners with long arms can cause headaches for wideouts. But that doesn't mean every cornerback with size will be a hit.
Take Nahshon Wright for instance. Wright was a very intriguing prospect coming out of Oregon State due to his size. Standing 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, he had the length Quinn loved but was still very raw. Even with a lot to work on, the Cowboys used the 99th overall pick on Wright, a move that was questioned immediately by pundits and analysts.
Dallas was unbothered as they got to work trying to develop Wright. As a rookie, he appeared in 13 games and had nine tackles. He was used primarily on special teams with 255 snaps on that unit and only 91 on defense.
He played in just seven games in 2022 but made two starts and had 128 snaps on defense. He finished with 23 tackles, four pass defenses, and one interception. He was unable to build upon this though and saw the field for a mere 50 defensive snaps in 2023.
Now in 2024, he could be on the way out with his prime competition being Eric Scott, Jr. At this point, it feels as though one of them will be gone by the time Week 1 rolls around.
1. Deuce Vaughn, RB
It was hard to find anyone who wasn't all-in on the Deuce Vaughn selection. Following the release of Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys were turning to Tony Pollard as their lead back which was encouraging. Pollard had more than 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2022 and was expected to pick up where he left off.
The issue was the lack of depth behind him. Dallas signed Ronald Jones, who joined Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis. This led to an expectation they would take a running back in the draft, which didn't happen until Round 6. That's when they took Deuce Vaughn out of Kansas State, who was called by his father Chris Vaughn, who works with the Cowboys as a scout.
Vaughn put up some impressive numbers for the Wildcats with 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns in three years on the ground. He added 4,884 yards and another nine touchdowns as a receiver.
Despite his production, Vaughn measured in at just 5-foot-5 and 179 pounds at the NFL Combine. That limited his potential since teams aren't going to trust someone that size to carry the load but in Dallas, he was going to be a change-of-pace back.
Unfortunately, Vaughn hardly made an impact as a rookie with 40 yards on 23 attempts and 40 yards on seven receptions. Heading into year two, he has to prove he belongs or he could be in danger of being cut. The Cowboys running backs corps is far from impressive but the former sixth-round pick hasn't come close to the expectations he brought in and the Cowboys can't afford to keep a developmental player at this position.
