Send Your Questions

Raf:
Is Ahmad Brooks.

Who’s the best suited Nose Tackle for a 3-4 defense, not named Ngata?

Could Chad Jackson fall to the Cowboys 2nd pick?

Thanks, Chandus, I fixed it.

My question:
If Bobby Carpenter measures in the Combine at 245 pounds and runs 4.58 again, makes an over 35 inches vertical jump, runs a near 7 seconds cone drill and makes over 20 reps his injury questions will die, so how high does he think that he could be drafted with those measurables? It has to be high…

very important question: how can we arrange the assasination of Joe Theisman and make it look like an accident?

okay, just kidding.

Should Deion join the MNF cast?

What rounds are Devin Hester, Brandon Marshall, and Taurean Henderson projected to be picked in?

I didn’t see any of them in the Top 100 on the NFL Draft Countdown site.

Can this question be asked after the Scouting Combine, if possible?

Cowboys took a big chance by drafting Canty this year and it looks like we will reap big benefits from the gamble. Who do you think is this years Canty in the draft and could BP and JJ do it again.

Hey folks, First entry into the cowboys blog but hopefully i will be back for more….

Lookin through the linebacker prospects and was wondering if DeMeco Ryans dropped to the second round, would the ’Boys be interested? He was a monster at Alabama and I think he might be a good fit in our linebacking corps.

3 Questions –

How big is the drop-off in OT from Ferguson and Justice to Scott/McNeill/Winston/Oâ€â"¢Callaghan?

How do Hawk, Greenway, Carpenter and Lawson compare to DeMarcus Ware?

Assuming you needed DL help, what draft pick, if any, would YOU be willing to give up to acquire Glover or Ellis?

Could Roger McIntosh fall to the mid 3rd round, and how would he project to a 3-4 ILB?

How did he rate Kevin Burnett last year?

lou c.

I can answer the last one. He had Burnett going to the Eagles at either their late 1st (31st overall) or their early 2nd (35th overall). He wasn’t the only one who had Burnett rated here.

Burnett actually dropped a bit from his pre-draft ratings, as most LBs do. He was not a reach for Dallas.

Joe Montana was a third round pick. Is there a projected 3rd round QB with such potential in this draft.

With the least amount of moves what would it take to make the Cowboys offensive line great again?

Is this the perfect draft in terms of need for Dallas to trade down in and aquire more pick?

Do you think the Cowboys will be contenders for the NFC East crown? Do they have a shot at the NFC crown if they can fix some of the most pressing wholes on the team?

Sterling,

NFL Draft Scout gives us where the player is projected to go. I use this site and NFL Countdown, and it gives me a good overall feel of who should go where. .. Plus, incase you didn’t know, NFL Networt is televising highlights of the combine starting the 23rd.

I expect Dallas to go OLB at 18. At 50, Oline and Safety seem likely draft spots. What players do you think would be available for Dallas at 50 for the Oline and free safety?

Well, its combine time again and it will be covered as if it’s a superbowl and all the NFL teams coaches, owners and scouts will all be there to look what the Upcoming draft will hold. Is this not the biggest waste of time for NFL teams, I mean, all these players hire combine training teams to help them get better times of a field to get drafted higher than they should be instead of what their body of work that has been shown through their college career, its almost like an olympic event, train for one field to excel at that, Isn’t the senior bowl more important to evaluate players and if teams change their draft boards which certainly has happened in the past based one what the combine holds, isn’t that a recipe for disaster.

Derrick,

You are right about how players specifically training for combine events get overrated. I mentioned last year how Willie McGinest talked about his 40 time, which was 4.40 (or there about) and astonishing for a guy his size. He said that the training he endured took off factions of a second that moved him up on a lot of draft boards, but that “Olympic style” training never translated onto the field. … Yet the combine does give us a glimpse at many measurables, footwork, and athletism that we could not see otherwise. So if you have a player that was a beast on the field and then comes into the combine and impresses, then teams should chalk him up as a potential star. But no doubt about it, scouts have made way too much of how many reps a player does, or just how fast he is, etc. This has cost teams to waste high draft choices on players like Tony Manderich. … If I were a scout I’d look at all the aspects to grade players. I would like to look at extended highlight reels of players, then look at their football consentrated workouts, and finally their pure athletism and raw skills. With all that, I’d have a base for an educated guess as to who will be a good player in the NFL. But a waste of time? No! Because the best teams are built through drafting well.

Derrick:
I don’t think is a waste of time. The scouts know what are the players capable of, if the players put a show that impresses the scouts it means that the player took alot of time to improve and that means that he worked his ass off and may be readier for the mini camps and training camp. If you add that to good film reviews, the player’s value can only go up.

And players like Bobby Carpenter who didnt play in the Senior Bowl get to at least prove their injuries aren’t serious and they are ready to go.

chandus,
Maybe I shouldn’t of used the word,waste of time, but if you are basing your draft on what a player does at the combine, you’re not doing your homework. I think that too much emphasis is put on players fron what they have done at the combine, many player show something at the combine and raise their draft status, but in fact are mirages. Every player will be talked and compared to what they’ve done at the combine, thats not a good way to evaluate a player. Good teams that draft well do their homework well before and have their draft boards pretty much ready to go and teams that dont do their homework before the combine, end up having horrible drafts.Jerry Jones has done the laddeer in my opinion, gets fixated on something a player does because what he’s done at the combine, the media attention is over the top, with who’s rising and who’s falling based on what a player has done at the combine, thats a mistake. And chandus, shouldn’t a player work his ass off all year leading up to the combine to show he’s committed, a guy who only does what it takes for the combine to increase his draft status and the money he’ll command from that status show’s he’s only commited to getting payed, thats an I type guy, someone who I wouldn’t want on my team.

Eric R:

I tried checking out that NFL Draft Scout site when you first put the link on here awhile back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t access most of it, and I didn’t feel like going through the expense and hassle of registering for the membership thing. Thanks for the tip on the NFL Network Scouting Combine, you mentioned that a few weeks back. As a result I called my cable company and spent the $5 a month to upgrade for the NFL Network…for at least a few weeks…lol. ;)

I’m interested in getting Scott Wright’s view of these players’ draft prospects, since he doesn’t really have any information on any of them on his site.

I agree that the reviews and events at the Combine are not entirely conclusive or comprehensive enough to arrive at a final draft grade for a player, but they do show certain things that the showcase games and their collegiate games do not. One is they show a lot about the player’s desire and dedication to be in the NFL. You can say it’s their desire to get paid more, but that is still a form of motivation. So IMO, it shows more about a player who doesn’t perform well or show up at all than it does about the ones who come and put on a great performance. If a player doesn’t show well at the combine it makes you wonder how bad he wants it and what more would it take to motivate him. That leads to point two, which is that the Combine shows how competitive a player is against his peers. A player who wants to be the fastest, the strongest, the smartest in tests and interviews…that shows he wants to be the best, and that means a lot. You can tell the difference between someone who wants to “do well” at the combine and someone who wants to be the top dog and show the scouts no one else can do a particular thing as well as him. Even if he doesn’t succeed, you can see how bad he wants it. You can tell by watching who is giving it everything they have and who is falling back on their natural talent. Give me the guy with the fire in his belly.

The Combines measures a player’s raw athleticism, dedication to a short term goal to achieve a lifelong dream, and how competitive he is on a personal level. The showcase bowls reveal some of this plus how well he can play in practice drills and game situations amongst the best of his contemporaries. The player’s collegiate career is really what it all gets down to, IMO. These guys ultimately have to play football at a position on a team, and be members of a locker room and a community outside of football. That is the most important way of judging them.

Sterling,

I didn’t subscribe either. The free stuff is pretty good too. If you click on the positions, it gives players recorded 40 times and what round they project to. Pretty valuable stuff! Add that to Wright’s site and you can look and comapre and then have a better idea of who might be available to Dallas at each of their selections.

To Rafael or Scott…..however it works……

also Rafael making mention of QBs busting out all over.

Last training camp the Dallas Cowboys were one of the few teams to carry on three QBs to camp. The experienced and first training camp appearnce for Drew Bledsoe and his reuniting with Bill Parcells. The other two an undrafter rookie free agent from a few years ago and a 6th round pick up that cost the Cowboys a 3rd in Drew Henson. The former Michigan Wolverine who was shagging flies for Steinbrenner and wearing pinstripes.

So my question…….do the Cowboys make an FA pickup and enter the QB frezy? Do they touch the QB position in the draft? Henson said he wanted to go to Europe and take snaps and get back on the field. Will he be back in training camp with the Cowboys regardless of his European Vacation?

Also…..how many Linebackers do you see the Cowboys Drafting?

Derrick,

No NFL team is even close to having its draft board drawn up. In fact none have started.

Draft boards are usually compiled starting about two weeks before the draft, with the process taking about a week to complete. Teams have rankings and reports, but they have no draft boards yet.

Don’t be fooled by the wild gyrations that occur in mock drafts and in ‘guru’ rankings, based on Combine results. The people who publish those drafts and rankings don’t do nearly the groundwork that the teams do. So, they ARE surprised by what happens at the Senior Bowl, the Combine, and at team trials. The pro teams are merely looking for confirmation of what they already know.

While the pros are somewhat enamored with 40 times too, they pay a lot more attention to shuttle- and cone-drill results than the average ‘draft guru’. They also pay a lot more attention to the interview process, to see if the player is mature enough, and would be a fit with their system. They also check out closely any medical issues. The Combine (together with the Senior Bowl) also gives players from small colleges a chance to see how they measure up to their big-college rivals, in a controlled setting. The Combine also tends to weed out those players who excelled in college, but just don’t have the skills to step up to the next level.

You say that you don’t want a player who practices to excel at the Combine, because he wants to improve his draft status. I say I don’t want a player who WON’T strive to do his best in the biggest job interview he will ever face. If you aren’t willing to go the extra mile to impress me when I interview you, you can forget about getting that job with my firm.

Mr. Bill:
That’s exactly what I was trying to explain to Derrick but you explained it much better, the Combine is the cherry for the cake, with the cake being all the film you can watch from the player.

Mr. Bill:

You hit it on the head…I don’t hire people without the preparation and passion to be the best…the talent at that point is a given or they wouldn’t even be there in the first place. Give me overachievers anyday. With a two year window I suspect Parcells is of a similar mindset.

NFL is for those who want and believe they can make it. Not those who think they “deserve it”, whether by pedigree or raw talent. It is a career. Only those with the mindset to make it such are what I want. That is what gives me hope for Burnett. The man has two degrees…one of them in sports management, so he obviously understands the business side of things. I personally know former collegiate players who make the same as I do who could have made it had they taken advantage of the opportunities they had. It’s not that they would have been the first to tell you either…it’s more like all they talk about most of the time.

Cash in while you can. Who knows. Chad Pennington’s arm turned into a noodle in 5 short years.

I hope the Cowboys consider this deeply when they get their scouting reports from the Combine. Take the guys who love football and want to make a career of it…not the guys who want to make a game of their career.

Scott Wright,

First of all I would like to say that I have read your NFL Countdown material for the past 2 years. It is the most informative site to find out about the next breed of NFL players. Thank you for all your hard work.

My question is simple:

How would you rate Bill Parcells’ drafting process?

Mr. Bill has it.

The combine is a big interview. I’ve heard Jimmy Johnson say of the combine and offseason games that they never upgrade people very much if at all for their performances, but they do downgrade them for sloppy preparation, bad medical information or just plain ignorance.

Think of your own interviews. Would you ever think of attending with typos on your resume, a slovenly appearance, being late or being unprepared to questions you might get? Or not do any research and not have any questions of your own?

THIS is the heart of what goes on there. If there are players like Marcus McNeill, with questionable medical conditions, you turn YOUR doctors loose on him. Are there big college players who seemed talented but had some so-so games against the cupcakes on their schedule? This is your chance to interview him directly and guage his dedication.

Have a player who flashes talent but played in an option system or in either a small conference of division 1-AA, this lets you know if he is smart enough to play in your system and if he is really good or was just a big fish in a small pond.

The Cowboys take EVERYBODY to these things. Assistants, scouts, trainers, doctors, their testing preparers. There’s not a single off minute. I read the Eagles were taking the full contingent because they planned on interviewing 60 players.

Then, you’re got to collate all the data and corrobarate it with your film breakdowns, which the coaches and scouts have been doing since the season ended.

Yeah, the Kipers are going to ooh and aah over 40 times, but compare Kiper’s mocks in early April with those from early February. After the top 10 the churn completely.

I’m convinced they move so much after the combine is that these guys go, talk to anonymous sources on REAL teams and get some inside info on what they teams are thinkings and then adjust their lists accordingly.

I think some are cutting the combine short of what it is intended to do. Before I state my opinion, I have already commented that some players who get “Olympic style” training get overhyped. There is no doubt about that! … But let us review some selections, especially over the last few years. Tony Manderich, Matt Jones, Fabian Washington, and a host of other players have upped their stock with impressive “off the field” workouts. Whether we like it or not, agree with their mind sets or not, the fact remains that some teams do draft 40 times instead of “football players”. … While I am so glad that we have a coach that looks at the combine as a part of the process of evaluating football players, I also rejoice that foolish teams overrate speed and verticle jumps. So the combine is important, very, especially when considering a handful of GMs are going to fall in love with the “T.O. clone” (you know the 6-2 220 lb WR capable of running a 4.45 forty, but can’t play football for his life) or the “Deion clone”, and vastly overrate them. … I recall a little guy a few years back that a lot of “experts” said was too small to play in the NFL, and he only retired as the greatest RB to play the game!! The combine can measure your height. It can measure your waste. It can measure how fast you run. But does it measure the player’s heart? … But don’t cut the combine short, because who knows if a guy like Jeff George didn’t wow scouts with his arm, then we may not have ever had the chance to draft that little guy!

Eric R,

I don’t know that Tony Mandarich really improved his draft standing all that much due to his off-season workouts. Mandarich was already highly regarded. He had dominated the opposition at Michigan State. He was so good that he was not just a Consensus All-American, he wound up sixth in the Heisman voting. That’s highly unusual for an offensive lineman. I don’t know if he would have gone 2nd, had he not been so impressive in his workouts, but I doubt he would have dropped much below that. We’re just fortunate that we didn’t listen to the idiots who wanted us to take him instead of Aikman.

Of course, it turned out that Mandarich was ‘juiced’. But, he was probably ‘juiced’ while at Michigan State, too.

Sterling Your question was simliar to mine. I think we could up clone both of our wide receivers, hester/glenn, keyshawn/marshall, hester in the third and marshall in the 5th. I know the huddle report has marshall as the top wide reciever in the draft and he won the MVP of the hula bowl yet he is not listed on any other profile or mock I have found. major sleeper prospect. they would provide excellent depth, hester is scary as a return man and they both can learn alot from great players who fit their style. great targets for our 3rd and 5th although they both may go a round higer after the combine.