I think Jerry tries to get too cute on day #2 instead of addressing some positions that may need to be addressed with depth that is available on the second day of the draft.

Got a good RB who will do explosive things.

Got a talented corner who’s going to be our 4th corner.. amazing…

Got an athletic tight end to replace Fasano.

Got a 3rd string rb to fill the position who’s also very talented.

Got another corner to help our special teams and long-term project if we lose one of Henry/Newman.

Added another outside linebacker.

We didn’t need a WR, Hurd/Austin/Stanback are on our roster and aren’t getting cut, so a WR wasn’t happening. Our two first round picks were great, the rest were adding depth and filling needs. Solid.

for me.

and am not opposed to Choice, but I don’t like all the stupid trading Jerry did today. I am okay with the picks we got for next year, but it really seems that we ignored some needs (S, ILB, NT.) I give it a B- or C+.

I liked the draft in general.

Would have loved Manningham in the 3rd or a QB in the 6th, but I can understand where the Cowboys were coming from.

There really wasnt a good fit at WR for the Boys in this draft.

the 5th and 6th rd picks should be stud ST guys, which we need with the loss of Davis and others.

Perhaps we can snag some good unsigned rookie FAs in the next day or so.

Looking back, if you had told me we would get Jenkins and Felix, I would have been thrilled. I also think MBen will be a pleasant surprise and I think Choice is a solid pick. He is dependable and could step in for MBIII, if , god forbid, anything happened to him. And I loved the fact that we now have a 2 (3s) and 2 (4s) next year – that could come in handy. I would have liked to have gotten a NT and maybe Hellis/Schmitt, and that would have made it an A. Good one, JJ, as I know you guys read this stuff.

Not sure if you guys heard Gil Brandt last week on Sirus Radio, but he was saying that JJ is very pleased with Stanback’s progress this offseason and that he really feels like he will step up this year….hmmmm, maybe this is one of the reasons why we did not take a Wideout.

After this draft, what is the final result for 2009? What picks did we get and what did we give up?

it’s that simple. We needed speed and most of these WRs didn’t have it. Why waste a high pick on a player that will make no impact on this team. Jerry said he was looking for potential starters this draft. I agree, I didn’t like any of these WR’s coming out for what we needed. I’m glad we didn’t reach on any of them.

but an A+ in strategy. Loved the way Jones had only 3 picks on day 2 and turned them into 6 picks including 2 for next year, that was brilliant.

Regarding the picks, I still don’t understand how you don’t take Mendenhall over Jones. I’m not understanding the argument that he fits our offense better because Mendenhall can do everything Jones can and plus he’s just a better back all around including blocking.

Jenkins has obvious talent, I just hope he can keep his nose clean, I fear if he and Pacman become buddies, that could spell trouble.

I liked the remaining picks, great value at where we selected those guys.

Well, we obviously cannot pass judgment on the players for a few years, but as far as the philosophy goes, I’d give the draft a D+ based on the following points:

· Drafting a running back in the first round is a complete waste, and it sounds like the Cowboys will compound the error by signing Barber to a long-term, big $$$ contract. This is a passing team, in a passing league, and the running game simply needs to be competent, not great. If history repeats it self, (as it almost always does) there will be several running backs picked in rounds 3-6 that will be every bit as good as Felix Jones.

· Corner at 25 was a great pick. The first few rounds are where you find good corners.

· Second round: aaarough. How many times do we need to pick a backup tight end early in the draft? I am so disappointed in this pick. I’m a huge Jerry Jones fan, but how he did not learn his lesson on the Fasano debacle is beyond me. Here again, history is repeating itself. Even if the guy we picked is very, very good, he is still going to sit on the bench behind our stud Witten. Yuk.

· I like the fact that we have ammo for next year. Over the next two years, quite a bit of our depth will be leaving via free agency and we need draft picks to restock – and we don’t need them this year because our team is loaded from Jerry’s great drafts of the last four or so years.

· I wish we had picked up at least one offensive line project.

Now, it’s JJ time where he moves into sales mode and signs a bunch of undrafted free agents. Go Jerry Go.

because he isn’t that good because if he was, he could have been very productive because Romo likes throwing to his TEs.

We’re getting top 5 or 6 ratings from most of the draft reviews that I am seeing. I have to agree, since our biggest weaknesses, RB and CB, are now strengths. If we can’t get Barber signed, Choice and Jones is a great thunder and lightning, and if we do, we have great depth. Our special teams (another weakness) and team speed were dramatically improved, and I am excited about the possibilities with Bennett.

Let me start with the positives, because if you give me the RB and the CBs we ended up with last week, I would take it laughing. F. Jones is a great addition. Jenkins + Pacman instantly makes our secondary one of the best in the league. When’s the last time you could say that??? I also don’t agree that we had needs at NT or WR. Though I would like to have seen us take a safety at some point, but we’re only talking depth here. In all, I really like the fact that we picked up THREE CBs and TWO RBs this week…. turning our two weakest positions into team strengths.

Now for my reasons the draft is not an A+....

Mendenhall would have been a coup. And I don’t buy their argument regarding Jones being the more complimentary back. If we wanted to add a speed/ 3rd down back, we could have done that with our second round pick – there were still many quality speedy RBs on the board… passing on Mendenhall is simply unforgivable.

Bennett MIGHT be a stud, but I don’t see any guarantees that he will be any better than Fasano. And we basically traded up TWO ROUNDS … PLUS GAVE AWAY AKIN… to make the change. Sorry, justifying this seems like lipstick on a pig.

Finally, and to finish on the positive, the trade today not only added two picks to next year’s draft (AND THAT IS HUGE), but allowed us to grab some EXCELLENT small school prospects, in addition to a quality #3 RB. The UDFA pick-up of Marcus Dixon also looks promising. While we didn’t address the SS depth, every other position on this team is looking very solid, from the starters on down.

At first announcement of Bennett at 61 I was upset, but I am starting to warm up to it. Garrett will get he and Witten on the field and that should be tough to defend. Lot’s of trades where I felt we could have landed some good late round talent, but depending on what happens in the ‘09 draft my grade could change.

Was a smart selection. Jones is the best fit for this team, and I’m not in the camp of those who credit the selection to JJ’s Arkansas homerism; his vaunted ‘wow’ factor could have been much more pronounced with Mendenhall, but he passed him up in favor of what he and the staff obviously thought was the best pick at the time. That pleases me.
I love, love, love Jenkins at 25. Still can’t believe he was there, and while I lie Cason and Flowers he’s in a different tier of prospects,and that upgrade is more than worth those two selections.
Bennet’s not a guy that I thought was especially necessary, but the scouting staff fell in love with his abilities and were delighted to see him drop to 61. Let me say this as one who was rooting for a DaJuan Morgan selection the whole time; I like the Bennett pick now. This kid is athletic almost beyond belief for a TE. To put it most simply, he’s also a very capable basketball player. And what I love most about it is his willingness to do the dirty work. He’s reportedly a fearsome blocker who gets in the trenches not only willingly, but eagerly. Bennett could have helped us enormously throughout last year, and most significantly against the Giants in the playoffs.
To me, the Choice pick was a little depressing. I look at that guy’s scouting report and see a poor man’s MB3 (keeping in mind that MB3 was himself perceived to be a poor man’s MB3 as a fourth round draft pick in ‘05) which signals the departure of the Barbarian. The team tried to offer Barber a reasonable contract, and now that he has declined they are preparing for contingency plans. I like Choice the player, but the pick was not necessarily a need at that point unless one subscribes to the theory that MB3 will be wearing a different jersey.
Scandrick was a third-round talent who slipped to the fifth. Good bargain, and yet another terrific special teamer. This seems to have been a recurring theme throughout both days; Jerry is trying to build a killer ST squad for every situation. Scandrick blocked seven kicks in college, and will surely be an edge rusher on punts and field goals.
One other thing gave me hope for the future; Jerry continued to wheel and deal and wasn’t compelled to make any knee-jerk moves. He was enthralled by Bennett, but allowed him to fall into his lap. He had to be salivating when Jeff Otah dropped, but let the situation play out and ended up with two studs. He dealt current picks for greater value down the road, and It’s impossible to find fault with that logic. (straight up fourth for an ‘09 3rd? I’ll do one every chance I can.) And instead of going with the talented receivers when they dropped, he grabbed the talented cornerback who contribute right off the bat and let other teams roll the dice on a 50-50 proposition.
All in all, an A-. Terrific draft.