Owner/GM Jerry Jones did a nice job in last April’s NFL Draft as they found two impact players on offense in OT Tyron Smith and RB DeMarco Murray.  They also got some nice complementary type players who could see their roles expand in the future.  Here is a look at how the rookie class did in 2011:

21-year old OT Tyron Smith came to the Cowboys in the first round last April and he was really good as a rookie.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year.  He is going to be a big part of the foundation of the Cowboys’ O-Line both now and in the future.

23-year old LB Bruce Carter didn’t get to play much as the Cowboys have a pretty solid LBing unit.  Carter played in 10 games for the Cowboys last year and he had 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.

23-year old RB DeMarco Murray was a steal in the 3rd round for the Cowboys.  He played in 13 games for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 164 times for 897 yards (5.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 26 passes for 183 yards (7.0 avg) and he returned 2 kickoffs for 36 yards (18.0 avg).  Murray is likely going to push Felix Jones out of his starting role in 2012.

24-year old OG David Arkin was a 4th round pick last April.  He didn’t get into any games for the Cowboys in 2011 as he was banged up most of the year.  He still could develop into a decent O-lineman if he can stay healthy.

22-year old CB Josh Thomas came to the Cowboys in the 5th round last April.  He didn’t make the cut with the Cowboys and he was picked up by the Panthers.  Thomas played in 9 games for the Panthers last year and he had 1 tackle and 1 fumble recovery.

24-year old WR Dwayne Harris was a 6th round pick for the Cowboys.  He was outstanding in the pre-season for the Cowboys but he didn’t catch any passes for them in the regular season.  Harris played in 7 games for the Cowboys last year and he returned 15 punts for 80 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also returned 8 kickoffs for 231 yards (28.9 avg).  The Cowboys cut Harris early in the season but they brought him back a few weeks later and he’s still with the team.

23-year old FB Shaun Chapas was a 7th round pick of the Cowboys.  He only played in 3 games for the Cowboys last year and he didn’t touch the ball.

24-year old OG Bill Nagy was also a 7th round pick of the Cowboys.  He won a starting job right off the bat.  He played in 4 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year.  His season ended due to a severe ankle injury.  I look for Nagy to reclaim his starting job in 2012 if he can stay healthy.

GRADE FOR THE 2011 SEASON:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+

The Cowboys have waived 24-year old rookie WR Dwayne Harris.  Harris played in five games for the Cowboys but he didn’t catch any passes.  Harris did return 11 punts for 73 yards (6.6 avg) and 3 kickoffs for 74 yards (24.7 avg) for the Cowboys.  He had a very solid pre-season for the Cowboys, but he hasn’t produced for them in the real games.  This is no big loss for the Cowboys.

Rookie 6th round pick Dwayne Harris is looking sharp so far in the pre-season.  Harris has caught 5 passes for 127 yards (25.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs in the Cowboys’ first two pre-season games.  Harris is starting to push veteran Kevin Ogletree for the #3 WR job in 2011.  I think he will be the #4 WR and a special teams ace when the dust settles before the season opener on 9/11/2011 vs. the New York Jets.  He has a bright future in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys came into this draft wanting to help the offensive line and the defense and I think they were successful in those ventures.  OT Tyron Smith came to the Cowboys in the first round and he should be a starter from Day #1.  He was probably the best offensive lineman in this draft and the Cowboys were ecstatic to see him waiting for them with the 9th overall pick.  They added OG David Arkin in the 4th round and C/G Bill Nagy in the 7th round to help out the depth on the O-Line.  Arkin could develop into a starter down the road.  OLB Bruce Carter slid to the Cowboys in the second round due to a knee injury and the Cowboys were happy with this pick.  RB DeMarco Murray and FB Shaun Chapas were also added to provide some thump in the running game.

PROJECTED GRADE:  B+

The Dallas Cowboys picked C/G Bill Nagy out of Wisconsin with the #252 pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Nagy is a big guy at 6’3″, 318 pounds.  He is a mean and nasty guy, so he should be able to fill a role as a backup early in his career.  He played in 13 games (8 starts) for Wisconsin last year.  Nagy played in 29 games (11 starts) in his four years with the Badgers.  The Cowboys needed help on the O-Line so it’s hard to fault them for this pick despite the fact that not many “experts” thought he would get drafted.

The Dallas Cowboys picked 23-year old fullback Shaun Chapas out of Georgia with the 220th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Chapas is 6’2″, 236 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40.  Chapas is not a blow up blocker but he usually gets his man.  He needs to play less upright and get a lower base in his blocking.  He played in 11 games (8 starts) last year for Georgia and he carried the ball 15 times for 44 yards (2.9 avg) with 2 TD runs.  Chapas also caught 5 passes for 29 yards (5.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  He played in 48 games (21 starts) in his four years with the Bulldogs and he carried the ball 40 times for 155 yards (3.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 26 passes for 221 yards (8.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs at Georgia.  Chapas has good hands out of the backfield, so maybe he get to catch some balls from Tony Romo.  Chapas is also a good special teams player so he should get on the field this year for the Cowboys quite a bit.  This was a nice pick for the Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys picked 24-year old WR Dwayne Harris out of East Carolina with the 176th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Harris is 5’9″, 200 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  He is not a blazer by any means but he was a very productive player in college both as a receiver and as a return man.  Harris has good moves in the open field and he’s tough catching balls in traffic.  Harris played in 13 games (10 starts) for East Carolina last season and he caught 101 passes for 1,123 yards (11.1 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He played in in 50 games (24 starts) in his four years with the Pirates and he caught 268 passes for 3,001 yards (11.2 avg) with 20 TD grabs.  Harris also returned 102 kickoffs for 2,374 yards (23.3 avg) with 3 TD returns and he also returned 50 punts for 472 yards (9.4 avg) in college.  Harris will help the Cowboys right away on special teams but he will start his career buried on the depth chart at WR.

The Dallas Cowboys picked 22-year old cornerback Josh Thomas out of Buffalo with the 143rd overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Thomas is 5’10″, 196 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40 as he’s a good athlete.  Thomas is a good tackler in the running game and he has some solid skills in the passing game as he gets physical with WRs.  But, he’s not too much of  a playmaker when the ball is in the air and he has a couple of brick hands.  Thomas played in 12 games (all starts) for Buffalo last year and he had 58 tackles, broke up 8 passes, had 1 interception and he forced 1 fumble.  Thomas played in 47 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Bulls and he had 205 tackles, broke up 27 passes, he had 2 interceptions and he forced 5 fumbles.  Thomas will help the Cowboys’ depth in the secondary and he will also likely help out on the coverage teams on both punts and kickoffs.

UPDATE:  (9/5/2011) – The Cowboys have lost Josh Thomas on waivers to the Panthers.

The Cowboys selected 23-year old guard David Arkin out of Missouri State with the 110th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  David Arkin is 6’4″, 296 pounds but he plays bigger than he is in the running game.  He will have to work on his pass blocking a little bit by working on his footwork.  Arkin has the potential to be a starter in the near future for the Cowboys if he responds well to the coaching he’s going to get.  Arkin played in 11 games (all starts) at Missouri State last season and he played in 44 games (all starts) in his four years there.

The Cowboys took 23-year old running back DeMarco Murray out of Oklahoma with the 71st overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Murray is 6’0″, 214 pounds and he runs a 4.45 40, so he’s an outstanding athlete.  Murray is a home run threat every time he touches the football and he’s a good kickoff returner too if the Cowboys want to use him in that role.  Murray is also an outstanding receiver out of the backfield which adds to his value.  Murray played in 14 games (all starts) at Oklahoma last year and he carried the ball 282 times for 1,214 yards (4.3 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  He also caught 71 passes for 594 yards (8.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs last year.  Murray played in 50 games (35 starts) in his four years with the Sooners and he has carried the ball 759 times for 3,685 (4.9 ypc) with 50 TD runs.  He also caught 157 passes for 1,571 yards (10.0 avg) with 13 TD grabs in his college career.  Murray will likely push Marion Barber out of a job in Big D.