Cowboys drafted players who wouldn’t ‘pee their pants’

The Cowboys selected Notre Dame's Zach Martin with the 16th pick in the 1st round of the draft. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

The pressure of playing for the Dallas Cowboys is big: It's tough enough to live up to the name "America's Team," but Dallas has also missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons and only has one playoff victory the past 17 years.

So when it comes to drafting players, Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay said he wanted players who could stand up to the spotlight of having the star on their helmet. The Cowboys ended up drafting nine players, including five in the seventh round.

Of those nine, seven were from the defensive side of the ball, as the team hopes to improve a unit that ranked last in the NFL in total defense last season.

"I think it was important for us to say,” McClay said, via the Dallas Morning News. "If we’re trying to build this thing and get to a point where we can win now, who has been able to handle the pressure of a big-time program? Who will most likely be able to come into a situation like the Dallas Cowboys and the microscope that we’re under with all the games we play on national TV, and not, pardon the expression, pee their pants? We want grown men that are able to handle the situation.”

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