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Cowboys Top 10 Biggest Draft Busts Of The Jerry Jones Era: #4

Our continuing series looking at the Top 10 Biggest Draft Busts Of The Jerry Jones Era rolls on with #4. The guidelines - Must have been drafted during Jerry Jones' era (1989 - present), needs to be a player chosen in the 1st or 2nd round. Anybody below that is excused for sucking. It's not a list of the worst players, but a list of the worst value to the team, based on lack of contributions and when they were drafted. Also, certain intangibles can be thrown into the mix.

4. Ebenezer Ekuban (1999, 1st round, #20, DE, North Carolina)

Ekuban actually played in the NFL for 9 seasons, so he's not your typical bust. But for the Cowboys, he has to be considered a major bust given he was the 20th overall pick in the draft in 1999. At that spot in the draft, you expect to get an impact player, that's not what Dallas got.

Star-divide

In five season with the Cowboys, Ekuban was the regular starter in only two years (2002, 2003). During those two years as a starter he managed a total of 3.5 sacks. His best season came as a backup in 2000 when he somehow got 6.5 sacks. But that was really the only year he made a major impact.

He left for the Cleveland Browns in 2004 and also played for the Denver Broncos. The worst part of this for Dallas was that he actually became a much better player once he left the Cowboys. In five seasons for Dallas he totaled 12.5 sacks. That's barely over 2 sacks a year on average (he did miss most of the 2001 season). But in four seasons after he left Dallas, he had 24 sacks, averaging 6 a year. Dallas never really got what they wanted out of him, then to add insult to injury, he played much better after leaving the Cowboys.

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Rather than him being outright terrible

It was more about opportunity cost. Drafted after in Rd 1 – A Winfield, P Kerney, A Wilson. At least we didn’t take Dimetrius Underwood. Wait a minute…

We live life forwards and understand it backwards

by tdships on Apr 24, 2011 8:40 PM CDT reply actions  

Dude Ekuban and Underwood remind me of Madden 2002

The Cowboys were the worst rated team in the game i believe. Underwood was like 50 rating. There were younger better FA in the game . . .

by liquidblake on Apr 24, 2011 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions  

And we just plain suck at drafting

Dimertrius Underwood actually made the Vikings look like a massive joke. First they draft him after learning of the warning signs Michigan was giving the Vikings. Then he signs a contract and shows up for one session of training camp. Then he leaves to join a cult, not good. To top it off, the comedy that is the Vikings manages to let time run out on their first round draft pick in 2003, a season that ends with the biggest touchdown catch in Arizona Cardinals history. Thank goodness that, though we do suck, we are not a comedy.

by Jessy S on Apr 24, 2011 11:40 PM CDT reply actions  

A perfect example of opportunity lost

And a lack of drafting skill. In retrospect , this IS deserving of a top 5 bad pick.

First, they traded pick 140 to move up from 22 to 20. The lost pick isn’t so bad, but the unwillingness to pick their #2 DE choice shows how much they valued Ebu. Apparently he was rated WAY above the competition? Geez.

These DE would have been better AND each was an all pro:
30 Kearney
38 Rucker
75 Stills
109 A Smith
153 Coleman

Trading up would have been a great move too:
16 Kearse

Kearse, Rucker, Stills were clearly better prospects in everyone’s eyes.
The choice of Ekuban reflects arrogance, ignorance, wishful thinking or maybe JJ just liked the guy. It seems that the CEO’s personal affection for the face-of-the-draft is a requirement for being the 1st pick.

Whatever it is that makes the Cowboys fall in love with a prospect, beyond reason, is what frustrates me the most about this team.

by the_hat on Apr 25, 2011 1:47 AM CDT reply actions  

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