LOOK: Enhanced photo reveals Cowboys top-34 draft board from 2022 NFL Draft

In a moment that the Dallas Cowboys owner may want to take back, Jerry Jones accidentally revealed the Cowboys’ top-34 draft board rankings. According to The Athletic, who caught the mistake during a Jones press appearance, the two players ranked highest by Dallas in the draft went to their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.

Cowboys reveal draft board rankings

While Jones was explaining why the Cowboys chose tackle Tyler Smith with their first round pick, he attempted to prove his statement by grabbing a sheet with draft board rankings that he claimed were printed out ahead of the draft. The Athletic‘s Jon Machota saw the list and was able to put together the Cowboys’ pre-draft rankings for the first round, revealing insider information that normally would never see the public’s eyes.

Below are the full rankings list as assembled by The Athletic.

1. Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon: drafted at No. 5 by the Giants.
2. Evan Neal, OT, Alabama: drafted at No. 7 by the Giants.
3. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan: drafted at No. 2 by the Lions.
4. Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State: drafted at No. 10 by the Jets.
5. Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati: drafted at No. 4 by the Jets.
6. Derek Stingley, CB, LSU: drafted at No. 3 by the Texans.
7. Travon Walker, DE, Georgia: drafted at No. 1 by the Jaguars.
8. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame: drafted at No. 14 by the Ravens.
9. Ikem Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State: drafted at No. 6 by the Panthers.
10. Drake London, WR, USC: drafted at No. 8 by the Falcons.
11. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia: drafted at No. 13 by the Eagles.
12. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State: drafted at No. 9 by the Seahawks.
13. Lewis Cine, S, Georgia: drafted at No. 32 by the Vikings.
14. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama: drafted at No. 12 by the Lions.
15. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State: drafted at No. 11 by the Saints.
16. Tyler Smith, OL, Tulsa: drafted at No. 24 by the Cowboys.
17. Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: drafted at No. 27 by the Jaguars.
18. Daxton Hill, S, Michigan: drafted at No. 31 by the Bengals.
19. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State: drafted at No. 36 by the Jets.
20. Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M: drafted at No. 15 by the Texans.
21. George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue: drafted at No. 30 by the Chiefs.
22. Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College: drafted at No. 17 by the Chargers.
23. Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas: drafted at No. 18 by the Titans.
24. Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington: drafted at No. 39 by the Bears.
25. Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa: drafted at No. 25 by the Ravens.
26. David Ojabo, DE, Michigan: drafted at No. 45 by the Ravens.
27. Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State: drafted at No. 16 by the Commanders.
28. Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State: drafted at No. 26 by the Jets.
29. Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida: drafted at No. 23 by the Bills.
30. Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State: drafted at No. 38 by the Falcons.
31. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington: drafted at No. 21 by the Chiefs.
32. Quay Walker, LB, Georgia: drafted at No. 22 by the Packers.
33. Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia: drafted at No. 28 by the Packers.
34. Logan Hall, DE, Houston: drafted at No. 33 by the Buccaneers.

The rankings alone would be interesting enough, but who the Cowboys had at number one and two in the draft lined up perfectly with one of their most bitter rivals.

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal were the highest two prospects available in Dallas’ opinion, both players selected by the New York Giants in the first round. Rounding out the top-five on Dallas’ list is Aidan Hutchinson [selected 2nd by the Lions], Garrett Wilson [selected 10th by the Jets] and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner [selected 4th by the Jets].

While these rankings don’t necessarily reflect who the best players are in the draft overall, if Dallas had a higher pick it certainly could have changed the draft order of the first round. Interestingly, Dallas considered Travon Walker [the number one overall pick] as 7th on their draft board. They also would have selected Gardner over Derek Stingley [who was selected third] at cornerback, according to their rankings. Dallas also had safety Lewis Cine ranked 13th on their board, a player that would fall all the way to the 32nd pick for Minnesota.

“Of the 34 [players] listed, Breece Hall, Gordon, Ojabo, Ebiketie and Logan Hall were still available when the second round started Friday night,” explained The Athletic. “According to our list, Smith was the second-highest-graded player remaining behind Cine.”

Overall, the list Jones showed seems to back up his claims that Smith was always high on Dallas’ drafting priority. While there are no major surprises on their rankings, Dallas might have wanted to keep their drafting priorities a little bit more private in regards to future business dealings.