Brian Schottenheimer's Year 2 Draft Prep Is a Complete 180 From His Scrambling First Season

The Dallas Cowboys kicked off their full draft meetings this week at The Star, and for head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the vibe is completely different than it was twelve months ago. Last year? He was flying by the seat of his pants. This year? He actually knows what he's doing.

That's not a knock. It's just the reality of being a first-time head coach in Year 1. Schottenheimer, 52, spent his debut season building a coaching staff from scratch, mostly bringing together strangers and teaching them what he wanted from them. He had some guys he knew well from his time as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator. Others? Not so much, especially on the defensive side. He hit pro days at Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, but he admits he wasn't nearly as dialed in as he needed to be.

Actually Knowing Who These Guys Are Changes Everything

"Way better," Schottenheimer said when asked about his 2026 draft prep compared to last year. "I know most of the names. Probably if you said to me the top 150 names or so on our board, I know the names, but I've probably seen at least a game or two on most of them, certainly probably the top 75."

This offseason, he's been putting in the work. Pro days at Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M. Group dinners with prospects in their hometowns. He's hosting visitors during Dallas Day workouts at The Star. And here's the thing: he set himself a rule that he had to watch at least one full game of tape for every player at these pro days. When he was in Lubbock for Texas Tech's workout, he knew everything about the five to seven prospects Dallas is eyeing as high-value targets.

Two First Round Picks Mean No Cutting Corners This Time

"A big part of it is that I missed some time last year and I'm not going to do that [this year], especially with the firepower that we have [with two picks] in the first round," Schottenheimer said.

The Cowboys lean heavily on coaching input for the draft, and Schottenheimer attended these pro days with VP of player personnel Will McClay and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. It's not just about watching these guys run drills either. The dinners with prospects are where the real magic happens, according to Schottenheimer.

"The dinners are the best, man," he said. "You sit down there and you literally just get to dive into all things not football, and that's what I'm about. What interests these guys?"

That's the difference between Year 1 scrambling and Year 2 preparation. Schottenheimer knows exactly what he doesn't know anymore, and he's filling those gaps fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.