My thoughts on the Cowboys draft.
by FunCowboysFan on Apr 28, 2008 2:47 AM CDT
12 comments
My thoughts on the draft.
Once again I will disclose I wrote this elsewhere but it pertains to his blog as well.
Ok, like most arm chair GM's out there I have my own thoughts on what the Cowboys -should- have done in the draft and what they actually did do. As worthless as those thoughts are, here goes...
What I wanted:
Trade one of those first rounders (along with maybe a 3rd rounder) for an established veteran WR. Seemed to be a few who might be available in Chad Johnson, Roy Williams, or Anquan Boldin
What Happened:
By most accounts the Boys tried to do exactly that but couldn't find anyone willing to deal. Can't dance without a partner, I guess.
What I wanted:
Use the other 1st rounder to draft a starting quality cornerback.
What happened:
They moved up from #28 to #25 to grab Mike Jenkins. #1 or #2 corner on most teams boards. The guy has the size, speed, and hands to be a receiver. Might be something special at CB. Love this pick.
What I wanted:
In a draft deep at the RB position, I was hoping after the first two on my wish list came true the Cowboys would be able to snag a speed back to compliment Marion Barber in the second round.
What happened:
Obviously the Cowboys valued this need even more than I did. Not only did they use the #22 pick in the draft to snag Felix Jones, they passed up Mendenhall (who NOBODY though would fall that far) in the process. Apparently the team has a ton of faith they will be able to sign MBIII to a long term contract. As long as that's true, then Jones was the best choice here since he provides the homerun threat they are missing with MBIII and gives them a helluva kickoff return guy on special teams. IF, however, Barber doesn't re-sign they will regret passing on Mendenhall. No way Jones is an every down back in the NFL.
In the 2nd round they took a TE who should be the perfect compliment to Jason Witten. Very similar in style and ability. Great pass catcher and good blocker. Might see more two TE sets next year if they don't come up with a vet receiver via trade and Terry Glenn can't go.
What I wanted:
The Cowboys came into this draft as a deep team in most areas. I wanted 2 CB's, 2 RB's, and a TE to replace Fasano who was traded just before the draft.
What happened:
That's exactly what they did. 2 RB, 2 CB's and a top grade TE.
Bonus: Trader Jerry came into the 2nd day of the draft (rounds 3-7) with but 3 picks left. He managed to parlay those three by virtue of 6 trades into several more picks including a 3rd and a 4th round pick in next years draft.
Side note: A lot of Cowboys fans wanted to see a WR drafted. Not me. I wanted no part of this class of WR. Look at the Redskins...what did they draft? 4 or 5 pass catchers hoping to find ONE worth a damn? The Cowboys didn't need to throw darts at a position and hope to hit on one. And even Jerry was reined in when he WANTED to move up to take a receiver but the rest of the war room said NO. After 20 years, he's finally learned to listen to the experts he hires. ;-)
All in all I'd grade this draft as a definate A for Jerry. Turns into an A+ if he's able to ink Marion Barber to a long term deal in the near future.
What do you think?
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So-so draft
I wanted a space eating NG and Red Bryant was there for the taking. Jerry did a lot of trading and ended up losing out on him.
Overall I’m not displeased with the draft. Some people are dogging the pick of Jones over Mendenhal, but Jones averaged over 1,000 per season as a complimentary back. If bothe he and the Barbarian get 1,000+ in a season we are going to be kicking serious tail. Plus, the field position improvement from his kick returns will be a big improvement.
plus Felix has less mileage
the other guy had 230+ carries last year. That is never a great sign.
W: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
by hubcityraider on Apr 28, 2008 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Felix Jones and Choice
are a sure sign that the cowboys have no intention of resigning MB3 to a big contract. I like MB3 and i think he is the heart and soul of the run game, but im not about to pay him long term anything close to what he wants.
im also gonna throw out the opinion that if Jones isnt capable of being a #1 running back and starter for a playoff calibre team, then that 22nd pick is a wasted pick. I like Jones, i hope he destroys, but Mendenhall has something i liked better in a runner. Im not convinced there is an issue with Felix and running the ball 20+ times, but if it is an issue its a complete waste of a pick.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
I disagree with your reasoning about MB3
If the Cowboys have no intentions on signing MB3 to a long term deal, they would have selected Mendenhall for sure. By taking Jones, they are planning on inking MB3 longterm. Choice was insurance against injury or if MB3 simply demands too much.
In Romo we Trust
choice
is MB3 when he was drafted.
you cant say that drafting 2 RB’s in the 1st 4 rounds is direct evidence that they are sure to sign MB3. to me in todays salary cap, thats a sure sign that the cowboys are digging their heals in and will make MB3 drop his salary demands and stay or take his check and go.
ill give ya a hint: running backs gotta take their cash when they can or retire poor and MB3 aint a premier running back. hes a very good one. very good ones can be replaced. the cowboys know it, and if push comes to shove, MB3 isnt a cowboy for his entire career.
also think MB3 has 3 or 4 years left before his body blows out and you dont sign runners like that to longterm deals. cowboys know it.
.500 or bust!
Bad Vibes Kill Rallies!
"Well, we are one of the cheapest teams in Major League Baseball"
-Tom Hicks 4/8/2008
if the Cowboys were really digging their heels in
regarding MB3, they would have drafted Mendenhall in a heartbeat, that gives them better leverage than just acquiring Jones and Choice.
In Romo we Trust
Mendenhall will have to share the load
in Pittsburgh as well. The league is becoming a 2 back league, all RBs share the load, even RBs like LT and AP.
In Romo we Trust
Agreed
If they didn’t think they would re-sign MB3, they would have picked Mendenhall. The choice was there to make. People are reading too much into the similarities between Choice and MB3. I think it’s really more of a character thing…if you’re drafting a RB in a later round that is lacking in premier speed or size, you have to have the heart that MB3 and Choice display.
Results vs Need
If you look at the draft in this context, believe we did as much as we could. Areas of need:
RB, CB, WR and to an extent Safety. We covered the first two quite well, I’m even coming around on the F Jones vs Mendenhall choice.
Of all the positions of need, the only one we coul afford to stand pat on was WR. This tells me T Glenn is about even odds to contribute this year, or someone fromn the group of Stanback, Hurd, Austin is going to step forward. Worked out OK last year, except when TO was hurt.
The CB situation is better than it’s been in a while and I’m not factoring in PacMan(more on that in a bit). You can assume this foreshadows a move of A Henry to safety next season in place of Hamlin if we can’t keep him, or Roy Willy should we choose not to keep him.
PacMan, on the other hand will be lucky to stay out of jail, much less ever get on a playing field. The ‘extortion’ payments no one in authority has been told about are really beginning to look like payment for services rendered. I could be wrong, but I tend to look at it as consistent with past behavior. Our risk has been covered, so we’re fine there.
Looking to next year, WR has to be a priority, along w OL with Columbo FA coming up-we simply have to know whether one of our developmental tackles can step up by then.
All-in-all a very solid result. You’re never going to plug all your holes – we addressed what we could and look to have a clear plan moving forward
Felix Jones may turn into a WR
with his speed and versatility – ala Westbrook. Don’t really know how he will do until he gets coached up a year or two.
My opinion Mendenhall may not be the type of back for our system. And We have two or three others on the FA and draft list this year that provide good competition. Will we keep MBIII? I don’t know and I don’t know if our salary cap can afford what he can get elsewhere. As Jerry says we are now paying premium for QB and WR and OL and I suspect will have to pay serious money in the next few years to retain our defense. If we go uncapped then Jerry and NY teams are top dogs with far more money to spend (revenue sharing would change then as well).
that makes no sense lee
saying that Mendenhall wouldn’t fit our system as he’s just a faster and more elusive version of MB3. I think 220 lbs beasts do well in our system.
In Romo we Trust
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