We got a "B"! Tony Moss at TSN was nice enough to take into account the Cowboys not drafting until Sunday. Here's his analysis:
The Cowboys were the last team in the league to make their first pick, and used it on Jason Williams, the first player below the FBS level to be selected. Williams is extremely athletic but will need some polish. The same goes for Brewster, who looks like a depth guy at one of the guard slots. McGee, the first selection of the fourth round, projects as the eventual backup to Tony Romo. Butler and Brandon Williams are pure edge pass rushers who could compete to play in a situational role if things go well. Hamlin was one of the top pure strong safeties available and could also contribute early. Buehler, the first kicker selected, has a huge, erratic leg and looks like a kickoff guy. The club's final four selections could all be long shots.
Bottom Line: No sure-fire impact players when your first pick comes in the third-round, but Dallas did a good job of adding depth to a team that needed it.
Grade: B
Adam Schein said Dallas had a solid draft, giving love to the David Buehler (yeehaw!) and Mike Mickens picks. Schein even proclaimed that Roy Williams "could end up being the single best receiver in the NFL East this year."
More VRR after the jump, including some stuff on unheralded and unloved draft pick John Phillips, the TE from Virginia.
New linebacker, Victor Butler, will already have his own welcoming committee in San Antonio come training camp.
Offensive lineman, Robert Brewster, was a player the Cowboys certainly had their eye on before the draft, being both interviewed at the combine and brought into Dallas for a visit.
Brewster was a mainstay on the Cardinals' offensive line the past four years, starting all 50 games and contributing to one of the Mid-American Conference's most powerful offenses. The Cincinnati native, who allowed just two sacks in 2008, was a first-team All-MAC performer each of the past two seasons.
[snip]
He will participate in a Cowboys mini-camp beginning Friday. Brewster said the Cowboys plan to give him a look at guard and tackle in mini-camp.
Cowboys' TE coach, John Garrett, may have been the main recruiting tool for Dallas' drafting of UVA tight end John Phillips as well as the signing of UVA wide receiver Kevin Ogletree. Garrett, a former Cavalier assistant coach when both players were brought in as freshmen, provided the Cowboys' coaching staff some perspective on Phillips and Ogletree.
Garrett remembers the Cavaliers' first day in pads during training camp in August 2005. Virginia coach Al Groh challenged his players to make a positive impression in a kickoff-coverage drill.
"Well, John raced down there, knocked over a guy and tackled the kickoff returner inside the 20," Garrett recalled with a laugh. "I mean, he just smashed into the wedge, and we were like, 'Who is this guy?'
"John Phillips loves football, he loves to compete. . . . He is just sort of intangibly the consummate player that Al Groh wants in his program: a smart, tough, reliable, dependable player who loves football."
If you don't know much about Dallas' special teams coach, Joe DeCamillis, Nick Eatman has a nice write-up on him. Our own Jim Vance did a profile on Joe D. a couple of weeks ago.
Here's some guys who could've been Cowboys.