Dallas Cowboys 2006 draft recap

by Dave Halprin on May 1, 2006 12:02 AM CDT in Dallas Cowboys News

The Dallas Cowboys 2006 draft was anything but boring, with picks ranging from the "sure thing" to the "unknown thing". Dallas kicked off the draft by calling the name of OLB Bobby Carpenter at #18 in the first round. The pick was greeted with favorable reviews and comments like "no surprise there". But when they called Pat McQuistan's name in the 7th round (#211), mass confusion broke out in the media as everyone was sure Paul McQuistan had already been drafted in the 3rd round. Turns out he had, but the Cowboys had drafted his twin brother Pat McQuistan who also played at Weber State. To say he was unknown is an understatement, nobody had any idea he even existed.

Over the weekend Dallas grabbed a mixture of great picks, value picks, and picks that made you say hmm. Throw in a few trades and the Cowboys exited the draft with an eclectic mix of players; some ready to contribute, some who are most definitely projects.

Bobby Carpenter / OLB /Ohio State ... 1st round (#18)

Bobby Carpenter has been discussed at length on this blog, he was the pick BTB had on the board for a month. So I'll just say the Cowboys nailed this pick. He should be the starter at the beginning of the year and will be a big boost to the Dallas defense. The combination of DeMarcus Ware and BC should wreak havoc this year.

Anthony Fasano / TE / Notre Dame ... 2nd round (#53)

The second round pick caught everyone off guard. If I'd known in March that 2 TE sets were going to become our base offensive formation, I would've been prepared. As it was, the shock of drafting a TE made me downgrade the pick initially. Time and an explanation of the new offense from Jerry Jones have made me re-evaluate the pick.

Looking at it a couple of days later, in makes much more sense. The Cowboys needed a physical TE to block, but who also has good hands. Fasano is that and also runs great routes. Dallas can move him around and line him up as an H-back, leaving Witten free to be the third WR. His combination of blocking and catching ability creates a nice package and he was decent value in the 2nd round. Overall, looking at the pick now after the initial shock, it's a decent pick.

Jason Hatcher / DE / Grambling St. ... 3rd round (#92)

After last year's draft, Dallas looked stocked at the DE position. But Parcells wasn't satisfied and drafted another one. Jason Hatcher has a great body for the position and by all accounts has a potentially good upside. He's still raw and played against small-school competition so is somewhat of a risk. Normally, I like these kinds of picks; high-risk high-reward. But in this case, I would've liked to have seen Dallas address the offensive line position while a lot of talented players were still on the board. If Hatcher doesn't pan out, this is a missed opportunity we may come to regret.

Skyler Green / WR / LSU ... 4th round (#125)

Dallas addressed two needs with this pick. One, they needed a 4th receiver, and Skyler can do that. Because of his size - he should be used in the slot - he can be highly effective but in a limited role. But this isn't the main reason Dallas picked him.

The Cowboys addressed a second need with this pick, special teams. Dallas' punt return average last year was pathetic. Skyler Green will change that immediately and they can also use him on kick returns. Bill Parcells loves gadget plays and Skyler Green opens up all kinds of possibilities. A former QB in high school, he can run reverse passes, straight reverses, and bubble screens. When he gets the ball in his hands he's a home run threat. Dallas just added a dynamic playmaker to their roster.

Pat Watkins / FS / FSU ... 5th round (#138)

This may end up being their best value pick of the draft. Watkins had 3rd round talent but teams were scared off in part because he's exceptionally tall for a safety. At 6'5", the theory is he's too tall to change directions quickly enough at FS. It hasn't hurt him so far. The Cowboys needed a deep cover, ball-hawking safety and Watkins is that. In addition, he's one of the better special teams players in college ball, mainly as a gunner on punt coverage and also was used to block FGs. This is a player that could get significant playing time this year and could be the starter later in the year.

Montavious Stanley / NT / Louisville ... 6th round (#182)

Another great value pick for the Cowboys, some thought Stanley had 4th round talent. Montavious will backup Jason Ferguson and is physically perfect for the role. At 6'2" and 315 lbs, he's a very strong player who can hold his ground against double-teams. He loves playing NT where statistical glory is found in how many plays the ends and LB'ers make. In other words, unselfish. Dallas needed a NT badly in this draft and got a good one.

Pat McQuistan / OL / Weber State ... 7th round (#211)

Dallas reached here for someone they probably could've gotten as an undrafted free agent. Not as talented as his twin brother and 3rd round pick Paul McQuistan, Pat is a versatile lineman who has great leg strength but needs work on the upper body. The Cowboys probably like his versatility (guard or tackle) and hope he catches up to his brother one day. They could've waited though and got him after the draft.

E.J. Whitley / OL / Texas Tech ... 7th round (#224)

Another versatile offensive lineman who needs to get stronger. Whitley is a smart player who uses good technique and has played almost every position on the line. He probably projects to either guard or center. If he's going to make any kind of impact he's going to have to get much stronger and show he can run block.

Overall Grade

Dallas did a lot of things right in this draft. They got their OLB which was a must and also found a player to help at FS. They improved their special teams and got a back-up NT. With the change to a 2 TE offense, Anthony Fasano or a similar player was a must.

But they failed to address the offensive line in any substantive way. The two picks in the 7th round won't make a big impact this year. They reached for a sleeper on the defensive line in the 3rd who will leave a big gap in this draft if he doesn't pan out.

Overall, a solid but not a great draft for Dallas.

My grade: B-

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

My thoughts exactly...

I was really, really sad that we didn't address our O-line needs with our 2nd and 3rd round picks- we seem to be repeating the mistakes of Torrin Tucker and Pettiti in relying on 7th rounders.

by unexpected on May 1, 2006 12:55 AM CDT reply actions

Huh?

Just read this on Len P's column at ESPN.com:

At various times over the weekend, there were rumors involving several running backs being dangled in trade talks, most notably T.J. Duckett (Atlanta), Marcel Shipp (Arizona) and Lee Suggs (Cleveland). But the most interesting tailback name that came up in trade speculation was Dallas starter Julius Jones, rumored at one point on Saturday to be headed to the New York Jets

***

Anyone else hear about this? Any idea about why in the world we'd trade JJ? I would have be rather angry had that one gone through.

by monkeymcgee on May 1, 2006 6:05 AM CDT reply actions

I don't know the details

But the rumor was we wanted RB Laurence Maroney.

The New York Daily News had this blurb:

Before the draft, the Jets talked to the Cowboys about acquiring running back Julius Jones, who has rushed for 1,812 yards in two injury-plagued seasons. If the Cowboys had drafted a runner, it would've made Jones expendable. Talks appear dead.

If you're reading this, you could be commenting too. Sign up for a free account on Blogging The Boys.

by Dave Halprin on May 1, 2006 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions

OLine

I disagree with all the gnashing of teeth on the OLine. There was one OLineman, maybe two OLinemen in this draft that have the real potential to start at a high level in 06, and both of those went to the Jets in the first. Even so, both come with qualifiers. Yes, there are a goodly number of OLinemen that are likely to have solid careers, but few who will start at a high level this year.

Remind me again how our offense and OLine did last year prior to Flozell going down. I seem to recall it did pretty well. Yes, we lost LA, which is sad, but not surprising nor overly distressing. We, however, have replaced him with Kosier and Fabini.

I'm not saying the line is going to be a major strength this year, but there wasn't much out there, certainly nothing that would have made that much of an impact in 06.

The one pick that everyone seems to focus on is the Hatcher pick, but that doesn't seem to be as much of a reach as you might think because he was high on a lot of draft boards apparently.

Also, I have to chuckle a little at the idea that we would automatically get McQuistan as an undrafted free agent. From what I heard, at least 4 other teams told him that they were looking at him. Assume he goes undrafted, we got at best a 20% shot to sign him. They apparently like him. We're talking a 7th round pick. They're always crapshoots.

The one thing that I have really appreciated from the past two Cowboy drafts is that the drafts are not about this year, they're about getting good players. Every one of our top six picks are expected to contribute in some role this year. If we have six draftees make the team and contribute in their role, that's a great draft, no ifs, ands, or buts.

by rhodri2112 on May 1, 2006 8:09 AM CDT reply actions

yeah man...

if everybody can contribute, i'm happy....

they don't have to start (even if they do, that might not be a good thing...pettiti anyone?)...

if skylar plays a limited role in the passing game and helps on special teams...if carpenter plays and continues to get better without starting...if fasano comes in and contributes...

that's a good draft in my opinion....

by Tuna Helper on May 1, 2006 12:59 PM CDT reply actions

We're not looking for starters....

We addressed the starters for the O-line in the in the off-season. We needed O-line with huge athletic potential that just needed to refine their technique- guys capable of being starters in 2-3 years. That's what you spend your 3rd and 4th rounders on.

McQuistan and Whitney are NOT that. They are deep, deep sleepers- that's why they were passed over until the 7th round. One of them may hit, one of them may not, most likely both of them will not.

You argue that we were fine before we got injured- and you end up in a catch-22. O-line is one of the most demanding positions physically. Only 3 Teams had continuity at the position last year and started the same 5 guys the first game of the season through the last game of the season.

Many people constantly point out Bledsoe's biggest wart- his lack of mobility. I'm okay with it, I live with it as long as we make a constant effort to protect his biggest weakness with a premium O-line. We seem to be sacrificing explosiveness on offense in order to protect him. With T.O., Glenn, Witten, and Jones, we should have an offense that's the most explosive in the past ten years.

But it's not, and won't be. Instead, we'll have to have Witten stay back and protect, Fasano to protect(instead of having a 3rd receiver stretch the field) and Jones protecting instead of dishing.

Last year, when Keyshawn, a WR, was having to stay back and block for Bledsoe I almost hit the fan. It shouldn't have to be like that. We need to get better guys and let the WR's, RB's, and TE's do what they get paid to do, but we're not. We're making this whole "offense" thing much harder on ourselves.

by unexpected on May 1, 2006 1:11 PM CDT reply actions

For me

I would have given this draft an A, if we had taken Max-Jean Gilles in the 3rd round instead of Hatcher. The O-line deserved a little more attention than 2 7th round no names. And it seems like we had plenty of depth on the D-line. I'm very happy with Carpenter, Watkins, and Stanley.

If Skyler Green turns out to be the second coming of Steve Smith, or even Dante Hall, then I'll upgrade to an A+++.

It seems like if we were really following the BPA strategy, then there were definitely higher rated players still available in the 7th round. So I'm a little confused by those selections. Although it is only a long shot that these guys make the team, so they'd be headed to the practice squad where they could be stolen by other teams. So I guess it doesn't matter too much.

by APerfectStar on May 1, 2006 1:48 PM CDT reply actions

My grade is a C-

Bobby Carpenter was a solid pick, but he's not special. Very safe player who will be very productive, but I don't see him being the pass rusher a lot of you do.

Fasano can't block that well, but he reminds Parcells of Bavaro so I see why it was made. I would have rather had a lineman, like Charles Spencer who could have contributed immediately, so I was disappointed in the selection.

Hatcher made no sense to me at all. We have great starters and depth at DE, but not a lot of quality starters or depth on the O line. Jean-Gilles was still available and could have started this year. Unless Hatcher turns into a stud, it will be very disappointing pick.

Day 2 was much more productive and I thought Watkins was the best pick the Cowboys had in the whole draft. He, like Carpenter, should contribute immediately and start. The offensive line not being addressed, however, until the 7th rounds was extremely disappointing. That is a big reason for the low grade.

"They're going to leave me over here by myself and thats when I'm gonna sink my fangs into them." - Terry Glenn

by Terry on May 1, 2006 3:37 PM CDT reply actions

All about injuries

The teams that go to the Superbowl have a strong correlation with the teams that have the fewest injuries. One quality I see in the Cowboys' drafting is contingency planning. Whereas I might want a name player in a hot position they seem to select versatile players who can cover for injuries and players who may develop into players far exceeding the value (draft pick) paid for them.

Another factor that we are not privy to is the development of players already on the roster and the return from injury of players who may not have been factors last year. We all expect Flo to be back to form (and we might be screwed if he is not). We will find out this year if Steven Peterman can be useful along with Columbo and Procter and Snell and Turrillo. With Offensive linemen it seems like some of the best were not thought highly early in their career. I think we need at least one gurad and one tackle emerge this year. I do not think even D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be ready to lead anyone to the Superbowl this year from this draft.

by lee3022 on May 1, 2006 5:13 PM CDT reply actions