Here I am again, your friendly neighborhood purveyor of FanPost goodness, to ask that you take a few moments of your precious online Cowboys-surfin' time to check out what some of your fellow BTB members have been a tap-tap-tappin' on their keyboards. Yep, you guessed it; its FanPost of the Week time again, and I'm comin' atcha with what will prove to be many draft season editions.
Indeed, the Cowboys blogosphere has been filled to burstin' of late with player profiles, top twenty fives, mock drafts, etc. In order to garner FPOTW recognition in the draft realm, therefore, its necessary to go above and beyond the draftnick's call of duty. One man who has been going so religiously is my boy ChiaCrack. The admirable and energetic Crack has been peppering the interwebs with copious draft opinions, lists, observations, etc. Almost a week ago, he offered up a revised, post-Combine version of his "big board" (with a tip of the hat to our own O.C.C., who helped Chia with the cool charts and graphics!). An impressive feat is made all the more so with the inclusion of a set of positional ranking charts. Co here and check out Crack's fine, fine work.
Because we tend to be so inundated with the aforementioned drafting speculations, its a refreshing treat to come across somebody who offers a new take on the draft. This week's winner has done precisely that. I'm pleased to announce another new entrant into the Pantheon of great FanPosters, an occasional poster, but a consistent and informed presence in the comments sections: greatwhitenorth. A couple of days ago, North crafted a brilliant tongue-in-cheek rubric for conducting the draft in Jerry Jones' style. To draft like Jerruh, for example, one has to make a big publicity splash (and thus put money in the bank) with the first pick and trade down like mad. My favorite was this:
Rule #3: Round 3 is for Proving You’re Smarter Than Everyone Else. Raw talents, character concerns, positional misfits, and plain ol’ reaches litter the third rounds of Jerry’s draft history. This is the round where the draft often turns into a flea market; there is value to be had if you can sort through the junk. Jerry hasn't been a very good bargain hunter, so he prefers to use this round for gambling or trading (3 of the past 6 drafts have seen Jerry trading his third round pick.) Expect the third round pick to surprise, then disappoint.
Speaking of money, North's witty observations are consistently on it. They'd be side-splitting if they weren't so painfully true. The draft has ballooned into a giant, bloated industry, and one which only rarely delivers on its promise. Therefore, its necessary to have someone like North around to throw a few darts at this balloon to let some of its hot air out now and again. This stuff is a must-read. I encourage you to go here and check it out, pronto.