Cowboys’ “flawed” draft thought process

[Verdict]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

 

[kevinhickey]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

I would address either DE or OT in the first. I would pick the OT first if that player was higher or even on my draft board because of Tyron Smith is nearly done. I would just move that player to LG position until Tyron hangs it up or just can’t protect Dak’s blind side.

 

[DFWJC]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

Dallas definitely went BPA he last 2 years in-round 1

 

[WillieBeamen]

I was told they draft well though

 

[CowboyRoy]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

You lost me at Taco Center? What the heck are you talking about?

Last two drafts have been Lamb and Parsons. Both were BPA types. Your point doesnt even fit.

 

[AsthmaField]

The only time that I can think of where Dallas did what you’re talking about is the year they picked Taco. They really needed DE and CB and that draft was crazy deep at Corner. They saw the DE’s going fast and, like you said, they decided to take Charlton because there were so many good CB’s that year.

So yeah, they did that in that one draft… but I can’t really remember another time they did that.

To be fair to the Cowboys, I agreed with that strategy in that particular draft. Chidobe Awuzie was actually a guy that I thought would go in round 1 and I feel like the team got very good value with that pick… something that would not have happened had they taken an edge rusher in that second round.

Had Dallas used that exact same idea that year but had drafted TJ Watt instead of Taco, I don’t think that you’d be making this thread… in large part because it isn’t really something the team does.

They messed up with that first round pick, for sure. If you want to blame them, then blame them for a **** job of evaluating Taco (and Watt) that year. Their thought process was fine under those circumstances, IMO.

I didn’t like Taco one little bit in that draft. Once they picked him, I hoped for the best but I think deep down, I knew that putz wasn’t going to be worth a crap. I also said that Watt was too small for a DE too… so what do I know.

Anyway, I’m just saying that except for that one particular circumstance, I don’t think this is a “consistent error” that Dallas continues to make. They did it that one year, did a bad job of talent evaluation, and ended up wasting a first round pick. Their second and third round picks were fine (Awuzie and Lewis) and reflected the strength of that draft (CB). They did as BPA probably dictated in those two rounds.

They just missed on Taco’s dumb ***.

 

[Verdict]

The only time that I can think of where Dallas did what you’re talking about is the year they picked Taco. They really needed DE and CB and that draft was crazy deep at Corner. They saw the DE’s going fast and, like you said, they decided to take Charlton because there were so many good CB’s that year.

So yeah, they did that in that one draft… but I can’t really remember another time they did that.

To be fair to the Cowboys, I agreed with that strategy in that particular draft. Chidobe Awuzie was actually a guy that I thought would go in round 1 and I feel like the team got very good value with that pick… something that would not have happened had they taken an edge rusher in that second round.

Had Dallas used that exact same idea that year but had drafted TJ Watt instead of Taco, I don’t think that you’d be making this thread… in large part because it isn’t really something the team does.

They messed up with that first round pick, for sure. If you want to blame them, then blame them for a **** job of evaluating Taco (and Watt) that year. Their thought process was fine under those circumstances, IMO.

I didn’t like Taco one little bit in that draft. Once they picked him, I hoped for the best but I think deep down, I knew that putz wasn’t going to be worth a crap. I also said that Watt was too small for a DE too… so what do I know.

Anyway, I’m just saying that except for that one particular circumstance, I don’t think this is a “consistent error” that Dallas continues to make. They did it that one year, did a bad job of talent evaluation, and ended up wasting a first round pick. Their second and third round picks were fine (Awuzie and Lewis) and reflected the strength of that draft (CB). They did as BPA probably dictated in those two rounds.

They just missed on Taco’s dumb ***.

I always appreciate your posts and value your opinions. But it’s not just about the first round.

How many times have we heard Stephen Jones say that we took player A because we thought we could fill another position later in the draft.

Joseph was a classic example of that. We took him where we did because of depth at other positions. That’s one example of many.

We did that with Frederick too but that pick worked out. The Taco draft though was a glaring example of what I am talking about.

 

[morasp]

On some of the Cowboys picks I agree with that premise and we could probably be a better team if the they at least followed BPA on day 1 and 2.

Last year Parsons was easily the BPA After that the only BPA was Cox.

The year before Lamb and Diggs were easily the BPA

It's interesting that when Jerry mentioned the draft Lamb and Parsons were reasons we might not take offensive line in round 1.

 

[CowboyoWales]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

If we fill in the gaps of this post and precise, it appears you want a DE at 24 and not a Guard.
You can't get away from the fact that at 24 the BPA conversation is going to include Kenyon and/or Zion, now if you want to introduce positional value fine, but our FO will reduce the need of an Edge as Micah will be moved there for a number of snaps.

 

[cnuball21]

The only time that I can think of where Dallas did what you’re talking about is the year they picked Taco. They really needed DE and CB and that draft was crazy deep at Corner. They saw the DE’s going fast and, like you said, they decided to take Charlton because there were so many good CB’s that year.

So yeah, they did that in that one draft… but I can’t really remember another time they did that.

To be fair to the Cowboys, I agreed with that strategy in that particular draft. Chidobe Awuzie was actually a guy that I thought would go in round 1 and I feel like the team got very good value with that pick… something that would not have happened had they taken an edge rusher in that second round.

Had Dallas used that exact same idea that year but had drafted TJ Watt instead of Taco, I don’t think that you’d be making this thread… in large part because it isn’t really something the team does.

They messed up with that first round pick, for sure. If you want to blame them, then blame them for a **** job of evaluating Taco (and Watt) that year. Their thought process was fine under those circumstances, IMO.

I didn’t like Taco one little bit in that draft. Once they picked him, I hoped for the best but I think deep down, I knew that putz wasn’t going to be worth a crap. I also said that Watt was too small for a DE too… so what do I know.

Anyway, I’m just saying that except for that one particular circumstance, I don’t think this is a “consistent error” that Dallas continues to make. They did it that one year, did a bad job of talent evaluation, and ended up wasting a first round pick. Their second and third round picks were fine (Awuzie and Lewis) and reflected the strength of that draft (CB). They did as BPA probably dictated in those two rounds.

They just missed on Taco’s dumb ***.

It was actually a great strategy that netted them Chido and Lewis which were great picks.

Taco also wasn’t a teach…he was slated by most to be a fringe 1st rounder he just busted. Happens to every team.

 

[ThreeandOut]

It was actually a great strategy that netted them Chido and Lewis which were great picks.

Taco also wasn’t a teach…he was slated by most to be a fringe 1st rounder he just busted. Happens to every team.

The main issue, with the exception of TJ Watt (who has played LB his entire career), is that the first round DE class was bad overall that year. A lot of teams busted on those picks.

 

[fivetwos]

I have been sitting thinking about how to quantify my thoughts on consistent error in how the Cowboys approach the draft. Here’s a consistent theme in where I think the Cowboys are doing a disservice.

Let’s say that this draft is deep in edge rushers (this one is supposed to be) and it is anticipated that some think that you might be able to get a good one in the third or maybe even the fourth round. The Cowboys take that literally and say we are pretty sure that we can get one in the first four rounds.

What do we know about hood edge rushers? They tend to ho early, but I digress. Lol

At pick #24 BPA is an edge rusher and he’s a tier higher than any other edge rusher on the Cowboys draft board. In fact they are surprised he is there. But the Cowboys NEED a player at “X” position. Let’s call that player a “Taco” at Center. He is a couple of tiers lower than BPA but hey if we don’t get one we won’t find one, so they reach for need and take Taco Center. (Net result : sub par player with high bust potential).

In round #2 they see that there has been a run on OTs so they say if we don’t get one here, then there won’t be one here, even though BPA is an edge rusher.

In round #3 they have targeted a tight end to replace Schultz there, and they “think they can get an edge rusher in RD 4” so they take the tight end.

In round 4 it becomes clear, early on that there is a run on edge rushers and they will be long gone by the Cowboys pick. So in the end, in a deep class of edge rushers (high dollar position) the Cowboys don’t get one.

Draft haul mediocre players who don’t change the landscape. Hindsight on draft class Cowboys pass on three top 20 edge rushers in a stout edge rusher class.

This happens every year.

I think I see your point more than a couple of the comments above, but I don't know that the team is 100% guilty of that.

It's more like my overall critique of 99% of media and fan team mocks.....

List of perceived team needs, and trying to fill them all within one draft in order of perceived availability.

It never ends up that way.....but I do think Jerry and son fixate on position a little more than I'd prefer.

Admitting to wanting BPA corner at 44 last year really annoyed me.....and they seem to be paying the price already.

 

[VACowboy]

Most glaring failure to draft BPA that I can remember is Hill instead of Thornhill. Safety was a hug need, to boot.

 

[AsthmaField]

I always appreciate your posts and value your opinions. But it’s not just about the first round.

How many times have we heard Stephen Jones say that we took player A because we thought we could fill another position later in the draft.

Joseph was a classic example of that. We took him where we did because of depth at other positions. That’s one example of many.

We did that with Frederick too but that pick worked out. The Taco draft though was a glaring example of what I am talking about.

I appreciate that.

With Joseph, they were absolutely going to draft CB in round 1 had either Horn or Surtain fallen to them. They had to quickly move to plan B when neither did, which was to take their BPA.

They came in to the draft badly needing a CB and when they had to pivot in round 1, they did what many teams would do… they took their highest rated corner in round 2.

To me, that doesn’t seem like an example of what they did in the Taco draft. I’m not saying that I know there aren’t examples of that in other drafts… but I can’t think of any.

Let me put it this way: To me, this doesn’t seem like a problem with how the team drafts.

 

[Verdict]

If we fill in the gaps of this post and precise, it appears you want a DE at 24 and not a Guard.
You can't get away from the fact that at 24 the BPA conversation is going to include Kenyon and/or Zion, now if you want to introduce positional value fine, but our FO will reduce the need of an Edge as Micah will be moved there for a number of snaps.

I’m not against a guard at 24. What I am saying is that sometimes the Cowboys outsmart themselves. Sometimes in an attempt to fill 4 holes instead of three they end up filling none.

Thank God they didn’t take that approach when Parsons was on the board. But they probably did take that approach in rounds 2 and 3 last year.

 

[Verdict]

It was actually a great strategy that netted them Chido and Lewis which were great picks.

Taco also wasn’t a teach…he was slated by most to be a fringe 1st rounder he just busted. Happens to every team.

He was a reach. He could not have been BPA by a long shot.

 

[Verdict]

Most glaring failure to draft BPA that I can remember is Hill instead of Thornhill. Safety was a hug need, to boot.

Yes

 

[AsthmaField]

It was actually a great strategy that netted them Chido and Lewis which were great picks.

Taco also wasn’t a teach…he was slated by most to be a fringe 1st rounder he just busted. Happens to every team.

No, it wasn’t a reach, I agree. However, I didn’t like the player at all, although I hoped for the best once he was a Cowboy. I actually was wanting them to pick Awuzie in the first, so I ended up happy. Had they gone Chido in round 1 and Taco in round 2, I would have been applauding them.

 

[CowboyoWales]

I’m not against a guard at 24. What I am saying is that sometimes the Cowboys outsmart themselves. Sometimes in an attempt to fill 4 holes instead of three they end up filling none.

Thank God they didn’t take that approach when Parsons was on the board. But they probably did take that approach in rounds 2 and 3 last year.

Yep, last year was a panic as they were certain they were getting Surtain or Horn.

 

[AsthmaField]

He was a reach. He could not have been BPA by a long shot.

I’m not going to argue about BPA because we will likely never know where he was on the cowboys BPA board. However, early in that draft process, Charlton was being mocked and talked about as a top 15 player in that draft. After the combine his stock began falling a little and the late first was about where analysts had him going.

Personally, I didn’t like Taco and I wouldn’t have taken him… but nobody really said a thing about Dallas taking him where they did… well nobody except for fans here, which doesn’t count because many fans here don’t like any of the Dallas picks (see Parsons, Micah).

So, while I didn’t see it as a reach, it certainly was a bad pick. Bad pick.