It’s been more than a quarter-century since the Dallas Cowboys reached the Super Bowl — or even the NFC Championship Game — but the 2021 season seemed to be their best shot in years.

With Dak Prescott recovered from the gruesome leg injury that wrecked the 2020 campaign as a whole, a plethora of other weapons on offense, and a vastly-improved defense under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the Cowboys looked like a true contender in the NFC.

And they actually were. Despite another lower-leg injury to Prescott, the two-time Pro Bowler only missed one game and had a strong comeback season, completing 68.8% of his passes for 4,449 yards with 37 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. After ranking 28th in 2020, the defense, led by rookie sensation Micah Parsons, climbed to seventh in 2021.

Those are just a couple of the reasons Dallas went 12-5 in the regular season and won its first NFC East title in three years. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that overall success didn’t translate to the postseason, as they were knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round by the San Francisco 49ers.

And things haven’t gotten much better since that upset loss as the NFL offseason hasn’t been the greatest thus far in Big D. Four-time Pro Bowl wideout voiced concerns about his role on the team and was traded to the Cleveland Browns. Cedrick Wilson, who caught 45 passes for 602 yards and six touchdowns, is also gone as he signed a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.

Dallas also lost two starters on the offensive line as La’el Collins is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, while Connor Williams joined Wilson and took his talents to South Beach.

And the Cowboys’ biggest priority of the offseason, Randy Gregory, signed with the Denver Broncos only a few hours after it seemed he would re-sign in Dallas.

So Jerry Jones and the rest of the Cowboys’ front office certainly had some holes to fill in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here’s how they did.

Who did the Dallas Cowboys pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?

The Dallas Cowboys had nine picks coming into the 2022 NFL Draft. We’ll fill in each one as it happens and will be sure to update if they make any trades.

• No. 24 Overall: Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa
• No. 56 Overall: Sam Williams, DE, Ole Miss
• No. 88 Overall: Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama
• No. 129 Overall: Jake Ferguson, TE, Wisconsin
• No. 155 Overall: Matt Waletzko, OT, North Dakota
• No. 167 Overall: DaRon Bland, CB, Fresno State
• No. 176 Overall: Damone Clark, LB, LSU
• No. 178 Overall: John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas
• No. 193 Overall: Devin Harper, LB, Oklahoma State 

Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference