[kartr]

Originally Posted by Cogan

I love the fact that JJ & Co. wheeled & dealed to get us an extra 1st rd. pick in the 2008 draft, one that almost without question is much deeper & more talented than the 2007 version.
I also like how the Cowboys were able to trade down to get half of Clevelands' picks, which were early in each round.

However, we could & should have used those picks so much more wisely according to our needs & the talent available. Having said that, here is what I would have done given the picks we had, and the talent still available when each pick came up:

[View Full Quote]1-26-Anthony Spencer, OLB/DE, Purdue, 6-3, 265, 4.7. I really liked Dan Bazuin due to his sack totals in his career, & at the East-West Shrine game, but Bazuin doesn't have nearly the flexibility required to make the move from DE to OLB. Also, Joe Thomas & Levi Brown, the two top rated OTs in the draft, both rated Spencer as the hardest player to block in their college careers. Now, DWare has that perfect counterpart to protect him from so many double teams.

3-67-Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno St., 6-1, 205, 4.38. Although McCauley didn't have as good a Sr. year as he did as a Jr., many feel it was due to a change in coaching philosophy to negative reinforcement. McCauley didn't respond to it, and went into a shell. A player's coach like Phillips would have been perfect to help McCauley regain his confidence, and become the CB he was before-one of the most complete prospects physically and a shutdown corner entering last season.

4-103-Manual Ramirez, OG/OC, Texas Tech, 6-3, 325, 5.25. A big, powerful mauling blocker in the mold of a Larry Allen. Was moving up many team's boards as more learned how physically he played, even in a pass-happy offense. Packs a powerful punch as one of college football's strongest players, (benches 550 as an NFL rookie), and moves players off the line. Although not nearly as athletic as Allen, Ramirez projects as a solid anchor for years to come. Could have moved right in to replace Marco Rivera.

4-122-Doug Free, OT/OG/OC, Northern Illinois, 6-7, 320, 5.1. Big, durable, athletic and intelligent player who could be reliable at either OT spot. Makes great use of his quick feet & good understanding of the game to dominate in his division. Hard worker who moves well for his size. Once he gets stronger and learns to deliver a more devastating hand punch, will get an opportunity as the heir apparent to Flozell Adams. Great value pick at #122.

6-178-Matt Toeaina, DL, Oregon, 6-2, 300, 5.0. Big, thickly built, naturally strong, with good mass distribution. Plays physical & controls blockers. Great worker with outstanding football character. Has the bull strength to push the pocket. Team captain and type of player teams seek in the locker room to push his teammates. Very competitive. Versatility allows him to line up inside or outside. Scrappy overachiever who is built to play a big man's game and can earn a roster spot as an interior plugger. Team needs an heir to Ferguson to start honing NOW.

6-195-Courtney Taylor, WR, Auburn, 6-2, 205, 4.5. Very good size and athletic ability-good body dexterity, quickness, and feet. Competes hard. Intelligent with natural hands. Is tough and will put his body in harm's way. Gets into & out of his routes quickly, getting his head around to find the ball. Makes sight adjustments and reads coverages on the run. Runs well in pads. Good yac production, (yards after catch). Good blocker. Above all, unlike Stanback, he really is a WR! Great value here, since most had him going around 85-100.

7-212-Courtney Brown, CB, Cal-Poly, 6-1, 200, 4.32. Along with McCauley, the team has really increased the speed in the secondary, and given the defensive coaches more options. Appears to have regained speed & agility after a torn knee ligament in '04. A dynamic athlete with great size, Brown has tremendous upside. Again, great value here at #212.

7-237-Brandon Siler, LB, Florida, 6-2, 240, 4.6. Unbelievable Siler is still here at #237, but what a steal. It doesn't matter that he is an ILB. You can never have enough players with his ability & speed, intelligence, and excelleration. Only makes the defense much better, and forces Bradie James to prove his worth. Siler is a playmaker who runs side to side in a heartbeat.

I think if you compare the players I picked to the ones Jones & Co. picked, you will have to concede I would have given us an A across the board. Add Jerah's extra pick next year, and it's a slam dunk A+.

OK, let me have it.

I agree with most of your take, we could have done so much better, but I don't like the players that much.

I would have taken Chris Houston and Quentin Moses in the second round to pair with Newman and Ware. I wouldn't have traded 3 draft picks to get Spencer. These two picks in the second complete the pass rush and corner problems.
In the 3rd round I would have taken Jason HIll and Tony Hunt. These picks gives a young 'Chad Johnson at receiver' and a quality rb for depth who could start in Julius gets hurt or underachieves(Hunt can do anything that Barber does and more).
In round four, the picks are Paul Soliai and Doug Free who we did draft in the right place. Soliai can back up Ferguson and replace in the future.

In round five we should have taken Troy Smith, he's having a tremedous camp right now. We haven't drafted a qb in 6 years. What's plan B, if Romo fails.

In round six, we should have taken Corey Hilliard(rt) out of Okla. State and Marcus Hamilton of VA.

I like Courtney Brown, he's a McCauley clone at a much cheaper price.

These picks address all of our needs, Oline,backup qb,wr,rb depth,cb,pass rusher at lb giving us quality depth for now with several possible future starters. We could have completed the rebuilding process by adding Early Doucet of LSU to go with Jason Hill in the first round next year and Andre Woodson at qb in the second round. Some might question whether we had picks or the number of picks I have in certain rounds. Some of the players I had us drafting was based on the fact that we traded away some picks rather arbitrarily.

Why trade both second round picks, why take Marten who's too slow to play left tackle and too light to play right tackle. Why take a project WR when we could have had a stud like Hill. Quentin Moses has been likened to Jason Taylor, so why trade 3 draft picks to Philly just to get Spencer, who like a lot, but we gave up too much to get him, and I don't like who we traded those three picks to. Philly swept us last year, so now we're giving them three picks to continue. We got one good player and they got 3 out of the deal.