FRISCO - There are many reasons why the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys and 0-8 Cleveland Browns enter Sunday's game heading in opposite directions. None is more important, however, than how the teams have recently drafted.

The best illustration of this occurred on the night of May 8, 2014.

Despite strong interest from Jerry Jones, Dallas ultimately decided to pass on using the 16th overall pick on quarterback Johnny Manziel. Those in the draft room collectively decided that Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin was the better option. Six picks later, Cleveland drafted Johnny Football.

How much different would things be today if the Cowboys picked Manziel instead of Martin?

Executive vice president Stephen Jones laughed for a second before answering that question this week.

"Well, I think that goes without saying based on how, unfortunately, Johnny Manziel has [fared]," he said. "His record speaks for itself. The player we got in that draft, Zack Martin, is obviously a big reason and a big part of the reason why we're here today with the offensive line, certainly I think, being the center of attention of this football team and the foundation of our team in terms of what we're built around."

Jerry Jones wasn't thrilled about taking Martin at the time. No one in the NFL likes taking risks more than him. He viewed the pick as a safe option rather than swinging for the fences and selecting the controversial Heisman Trophy-winner out of Texas A&M.

The Cowboys owner and general manager is now thankful they played it safe.

Manziel has since picked night life over football. Martin has been named to All-Pro teams the past two years.

"It's tough for organizations to take three offensive linemen in three [of four] drafts in the first round," Stephen Jones said. "But I give Jerry credit. He bit the bullet and did it, and it's certainly paying dividends and a big part of our success in terms of why we're doing as well as we are this year."

First-round philosophy? Take the best guy, build a wall

The Dallas Cowboys offensive line including, tackle Tyron Smith (77), offensive guard La'el Collins (71), center Travis Frederick (72), guard Zack Martin (70), tackle Doug Free (68) and tight end Jason Witten (82) wait for play to resume during a timeout against the Green Bay Packers in the second half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, December 13, 2015. The Cowboys lost, 28-7. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Unlike most professional sports leagues, winning big in the NFL is rarely connected with free agency or blockbuster trades. Drafting well separates the good teams from the bad.

Since 2010, no team has drafted better than the Cowboys in the first round. Not only are all seven of their picks still in Dallas, they are some of the team's top contributors.

Dez Bryant, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin have combined to make nine Pro Bowls. Morris Claiborne hasn't met his lofty expectations but he was the team's top defensive back this season before straining his groin Sunday night. Byron Jones has been a solid starting defensive back. Ezekiel Elliott is the front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year and already appears to be one of the league's top running backs.

"I think more than ever we truly are sticking with taking the best player on the board," Stephen Jones said. "A lot of people preach it and talk it, but then don't do it. I do think we've been pretty true to the board."

Cleveland, on the other hand, drafted six players in the first round between 2011 and 2014. None of them are on the team's current roster.

"You have to hit your first-round picks, plain and simple," said Dane Brugler, senior NFL Draft analyst for NFLDraftScout and CBS Sports. "That's something that consistently the Cowboys have done in recent years. That's something that has shaped the team that they are.

"The Browns have gone through so many different changes in the front office and I think that's a huge part of this because there hasn't been a consistent philosophy. There hasn't been any cohesive ways to attack the draft and build the roster."

The Cowboys pride themselves on having that cohesiveness. Ask anyone close to the team why the front office, coaches and scouts seem to be on the same page and you will hear the name Will McClay.

McClay, the team's senior director of college and pro personnel, has been in the personnel department for 14 years and has overseen the team's drafts for the last three. He's also involved with free agency and trades.

"In terms of who deserves the most credit I think it's a group effort," Stephen Jones said. "It's an organizational effort. But you've got to start with the guy who does the most work on it and organizes it. That's Will McClay."

Now, it hasn't been perfect. The Cowboys have gambled often in the second round. Aside from Sean Lee in 2010, that strategy hasn't proved to be successful over the past decade.

Dallas has used Round 2 to take chances on players who have first-round talent but slipped for various reasons. Lee and this year's pick, Jaylon Smith, slipped because of injuries. Last year's selection, Randy Gregory, fell due to off-the-field issues.

"I must admit, we've kind of fallen into that little quagmire, if you will, that we've got to continue to take a look at," Stephen Jones said. "Hopefully we'll snap that streak here with Jaylon and hopefully Randy and DeMarcus Lawrence will come on and be solid guys as well for the future. But there's no question ... we've certainly got to take a look and see how we can be better in terms of finding long-term football players in the second round."

A 'very fortunate' pick

(from left) Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson, Owner Jerry Jones, and Executive Vice President, CEO, and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones visit in the War Room before making their first pick as the NFL Draft gets underway at Valley Ranch Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News) (Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

In 2005, the Cowboys needed a strong defensive class to provide Bill Parcells with players who could execute his 3-4 defense. They landed one of the league's elite pass rushers in DeMarcus Ware and starting linemen Marcus Spears, Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff. They also grabbed 2007 Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber in the fourth round.

Looking back, Stephen Jones calls it a "statement draft" and "one of the greatest drafts we had."

He believes the 2016 draft is proving similar.

Elliott and Dak Prescott have gained most of the attention, but the Cowboys feel good about all nine of their picks.

"Unlike a lot of drafts," Stephen said, "which is really hard to do with any organization, we really hadn't ruled out any of our draft picks in 2016 in terms of being able to be a player that can either be a star in this league, a starter or certainly a contributor."

Regardless of how fellow 2016 rookies do, Prescott can almost singlehandedly make this class a success. The Cowboys were looking for Tony Romo's heir apparent. They tried to trade back into the first round to get Paxton Lynch. When that failed, they attempted to move up in the fourth round to get Connor Cook.

Eventually, they ended up with Prescott late in the fourth round.

As Stephen says, they were "very fortunate."

"Obviously with where we sit today and the job that Dak's doing, I don't know that we would trade him for anybody, including all the quarterbacks picked at the top of the draft," Stephen added. "We're certainly optimistic about what his future holds."

It's an optimism the Cowboys probably wouldn't have had if they drafted Manziel.

Twitter: @jonmachota