Shortly after a 38-minute news conference to announce the signing of La'el Collins last May, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett stood in a Valley Ranch hallway, chatting with reporters about the young talent the team had acquired over the previous week.

In Collins, Byron Jones and Randy Gregory, the Cowboys found a way to land three of the top 20 players on their draft board.

"We regarded each of these guys as first-round players, so certainly we feel fortunate," Garrett said that day. "We have helped our football team. Now it's time to go to work."

Here's a look at how the group some called "three first-round picks" performed during their rookie seasons.

BYRON JONES

The only thing missing from Byron Jones' rookie year was the cherry on top.

Jones, who turned heads at the scouting combine when he set a broad jump world record, was one of Dallas' most productive players in 2015. The 27th overall pick was a valuable contributor at multiple positions, regularly moving around to free safety, nickel corner, dime back and outside corner.

"If he could have maybe stayed in one spot all year I think he would have grown maybe a little faster for us," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "He's done a heck of a job just having to play all those different spots. I think his future is really bright."

Last month, Jones said intercepting a pass would "put a nice little cherry on top" of his first NFL season. But despite leading the team in pass breakups with 12, Jones never picked off a pass.

"To play 16 games and not get one is disappointing," Jones said, "and to my standards and to the coaches' standards, it's unacceptable."

Jones was on the field for 870 defensive snaps, second only to Brandon Carr. Of all those plays, Jones struggled to come up with one he thought was his best. But if he could have one back, he said it would be allowing Jordan Matthews' 41-yard overtime touchdown grab in Week 9.

The Cowboys are confident there will be far more positive plays than negative ones for Jones going forward.

"I think he's going to be one of the great players of our No. 1 picks," executive vice president Stephen Jones said last month on KRLD-FM. "What he's been able to do, come in and play free safety, outside corner, nickel corner against their top slot receiver, nickel corner against their best tight end. I mean he does it all and does it in the middle of a game. That's unheard of."

RANDY GREGORY

Randy Gregory didn't have the rookie season he was hoping for. After recording three sacks in three preseason games, the Cowboys' second-round pick suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener. He was never the same player after that setback.

"After he came back, I felt it was a little bit of a slump," Marinelli said. "I see him coming a little bit more. He's still got a long ways to go, though, a long ways to go."

The Cowboys were able to land a first-round talent like Gregory with the 60th overall pick largely because there were off-the-field concerns. Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine in February.

"He is maturing," Garrett said. "It's like a lot of young players when they come in. They have to understand what it takes to be a pro football player and the things you need to do on a daily basis. ... He's getting better in all aspects."

Although Gregory is still thin for the position, his talent is evident.

Now, the Cowboys are hoping he follows in DeMarcus Lawrence's footsteps. Last year's second-round pick finished without a sack during the regular season of his rookie year. In Year Two, he led the Cowboys with eight sacks.

"I'm trending upward and that's a big thing," Gregory said last month. "And part of that is coming from my work in practice and I think the coaches realize that and that's why they're kind of rewarding me with more plays. The next step is going out there and executing and getting a sack and cutting down the errors and misalignments and things like that."

LA'EL COLLINS

Highlight plays for the Cowboys usually consist of touchdown passes from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant. But rookie left guard La'el Collins regularly worked his way into the rotation during his rookie season.

Although Collins opened the year as a reserve, he ended up starting 11 games at left guard. During that time, there were several occasions when No. 71 was downfield laying multiple blocks on a Darren McFadden run. Clips of the plays quickly went viral on social media sites.

"He's had those plays that are very impressive," Garrett said. "He has a really good ability to get out in space, block guys and stay on the move and block other guys. We've seen that throughout the year. Not every lineman is capable of doing that."

After going undrafted, Collins eventually signed a three-year deal with the Cowboys. Teams avoided selecting arguably the top offensive tackle prospect in the 2015 class because, at the time, police were questioning him about the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. Collins was never a suspect in the case.

During his introductory press conference, the former LSU standout talked about wanting to be part of "the best offensive line in history."

Three of his offensive line teammates made the Pro Bowl in 2015. Collins said joining them next year is one of his goals.

"Those small goals add up to big ones," he said.

Collins has shown glimpses of what appears to be a bright future. He played 710 snaps and didn't allow a sack. He was called twice for holding and twice for false starts.

The highlights are there. Now he's looking for more consistency.

"For my first year, I definitely made some progress," Collins said. "But I haven't even scratched the surface of the real complete player that I want to become."

Twitter: @jonmachota

Grading out:

Pro Football Focus' final grades for Cowboys rookies:

Byron Jones

Position rank: 44th among safeties, 62nd among cornerbacks.

Positive grades: 8 in 16 games.

Best game: Week 14 at Green Bay (+2.4).

Worst game: 3-way tie Weeks 5, 13, 16 (-1.4).

Randy Gregory

Position rank: 39th among 4-3 defensive ends.

Positive grades: 6 in 12 games.

Best game: Week 1 vs. New York Giants (+3.0).

Worst game: Wk 10 at Tampa Bay (-1.7).

La'el Collins

Position rank: 107th among offensive guards.

Positive grades: 5 in 12 games.

Best game: Week 8 vs. Seattle (+2.6).

Worst game: Week 9 vs. Philadelphia (-5.9).