Skip to main content

Jerry Jones Jokes That 2017 Pick Taco Charlton Was His Son’s Idea

With the NFL draft just a few days away, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones decided to have some fun at the expense of his son, Stephen, and one of their former draft picks Taco Charlton. Stephen could do nothing but laugh it off. 

“There’s a lot of talk in this business about who makes the call. Who actually makes he call,” Jerry said when discussing who actually makes the draft pick for the Cowboys. “Taco was Stephen’s call. [Micah] Parsons is my call.”

Charlton was a defensive end for Dallas taken with the No. 28 pick in the 2017 NFL draft, but he never turned into a consistent starting-caliber player. There were questions about his development and he even tweeted, “Free me,” while playing with the Cowboys before he eventually deleted the tweet. 

Sure enough, he was released at the beginning of the 2019 season and is currently playing with the Saints after stints with the Dolphins, Chiefs and Steelers. With this being an obvious miss of a first-round draft pick, Stephen was left a little embarrassed in front of the laughing media members.

“That’s not that funny to me,” he said. 

Meanwhile, coach Mike McCarthy is just sitting between the two smiling, seemingly trying to stay out of it. Of course, the longtime Cowboys owner took credit for Micah Parsons, who was named the defensive rookie of the year in 2021 after posting 13 sacks this past season.

More NFL Coverage:

• ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Will Not Attend NFL Draft Due to Blood Clot
• Ohio State WR Coach Scouts His Three First-Round Picks
• Wonderlic Scores for This Year’s Top NFL QB Prospects Are Out
• Cowboys Country: NFL Draft: Where Do Cowboys Rank in Player Value?

For more Dallas Cowboys coverage, go to Cowboys Country.