Cowboys 2012 Draft: How Good Is Dallas At Assembling A Draft Board?

the only year I was upset really was 2009, do the exact opposite of whatever you did in 2009 guys, because that was awful

they gotta stop having leaks of their boards too, that is not a good look for the franchise having your draft board leaked
yeah its cool for the fans, but it just gives too much insight on how we do things in the war room

DeMarco was obviously a great home run find for the scouting department, but the one guy I really want to see is Radway, I thought he was a lock for the 53 until he went down, Ogletree made some money this year that he would not have if Radway didnt go down like that

I agree, they do a good job on these UDFA types to late rounders who find success somewhere in the NFL

the problem I see is they rely on these UDFA’s to be a part of every position, thats a major fault I have about that theory
it works out occasionally, more here than anywhere else lately but they depend on it too much

Wrong box? Or am I missing something?

Also, good article. I guess the Boys are not afraid to invite the players they like and double secret draftboards be damned. Reminds me of Garrett attending the USC pro day and taking a personal look at Tyron Smith. That pretty much cemented the pick for me.

The Cowboys are going to make a definitive statement on their vision for the remainder of the Romo Era with their first round pick this year.

Looking forward to your upcoming posts, Rabble!

but it looks like Ol Dave Campo landed on his feet. He’s going to be the DC for the Kansas Jayhawks. Good for him.

Have Chia build it for them.

Hard to really know much about what happens in the war room as they build the board unless you look back at the one that was leaked and assume that it was legit. If so, you can see how they saw that group of players and how they panned out.

On the other hand, how far removed are we from 2009’s draft (and I use that term VERY loosely) where they had to be drunk and throwing darts at names on a list of players tacked to the wall? Not that far. That was Tom Ciskowski’s board that t hey were picking from.

In the end, I’m not sure you can evaluate this kind of thing without looking closely at players they passed over at the positions they drafted (i.e. Felix over Mendenhall, etc.) but who were drafted by other teams shortly thereafter.

Even then, if you think you’ve got some bearing on how well they rate players by position, the unsolvable variable is draft strategy. Dallas’ has never really had a draft strategy in the post-Tuna era because Jerry’s been almost whimsical in the way he deals with draft picks.

Still, I’d love to see you delve into this more deeply with a look at the players we selected versus those we passed over. It may be painful, but it also might be revealing.

Thought provoking and timely. Well done.

haham hair references aside i have always thought kiper doesn’t have a clue, he’s not a scout, he just has contacts

but do RBs play defense now? :)

I think an OLineman might have helped Romo stay on his feet instead of being sacked six times against the Giants. Carter may be a player but when he got healthy he couldn’t get on the field and this was despite two guys playing who were pathetic.

Plus where are the day two players or does the scouting department and Jerry high five after day one, year after year, and take the next day off?

Ciskowski is a great evaluator of talent and we’re lucky to have him.

I’ve been harping on the same thing for 3 years. Jerrah can save millions in FA salary on the Defense by simply signing 1 key FA…..Miami’s NT named Paul Soliai or drafting a stud NT (i.e. D. Poe) in the DRAFT (which is always a crap-shoot in my opinion)!!!!!

By having a big-boy NT that can push the pocket and simply moving RAT to DE, we’d have 3 above-average elite pass rushers (Ware, RAT, Spencer) and 1 elite NT to push the pocket and plug-up the middle runs that have plaqued us for years!!!! We’ve ALL seen for the past 3 years how elite QBs like Eli, Brees, Rogers, Vick, Brady, Peyton, etc. etc. just simply step up into the pocket to avoid Ware or Spencer’s outside speed rush. If we had a stud NT to push the pocket, the QB would be stepping up into one of two DE’s or NT for an easy sack OR they’d be sacked or stripped of the football by Ware or Spencer.

That would be a god-send for our average secondary and two inside LBers who’d be running around trying to man-up on elite WRs and TEs. The opposing Team’s OC would have to ensure the ball comes out real quick which would make interceptions by Sean Lee or Bruce Carter or our secondary MORE LIKELY than years past. We’ve all seen how PICKS happen when Rob Ryan’s defense can pre-diagnose the probable offensive play call!!!!

Yes, we still need another CB to replace Newman but Janoris Jenkins or Dre Kilpatrick or other draftable CB should be available in the 1st and 2nd RDs. If not, our stashed CB Mario Butler (6’1" 195lbs) may be ready to assume a starting or nickel role after one year on the practice squad and a full off-season with our elite Strength Coach.

And, yes, we still need an elite OG to replace Kosier. Therefore, if we don’t have the cap money to sign both FA Paul Soliai and FA Carl Nicks or similar FA’s, either sign Paul Soliai and draft OG DeCosta or sign OG Carl Nicks and draft NT D. Poe. Looking at these two options, signing Paul Soliai and drafting OG DeCosta appears to be the better choice!!!

And, then draft another CB in the 2nd RD to compete with Mario Butler . In the 3rd RD, we’d draft RB Terrance Ganaway (RG3’s sidekick at Baylor Univ) who’s 6’1" and weighs 241lbs of stud-muscle (plus he ran for 1,541 yds and 21TDs this year). Ganaway would be a poor-man’s Brandon Jacobs but with MUCH MORE speed. Demarco and Ganaway would be our Ahmed Bradshaw & B. Jacobs for years to come!!!! In 4-6 RDs, we’d draft another FB (to backup Fiametta), another TE with speed and hands, and any other BPA.

Last but NOT least, Jerrah should try his damnest to pry away and sign QB MATT FLYNN from Green Bay. This kid is the real deal and we’d SAVE years and years of trying to find another QB to replace Romo someday due to always drafting late in the FIRST ROUND!!!!