I'm admittedly not sure why this has gained steam as a concept.
DAL is a team with like 5/6 questionable 'starting' spots. (OC, SS, DT3, RDE, CB1/2, TE. Of those, WR3 plays the least snaps.
And WR3 was manned by a top 5 WR3 last year. Cobb produced significantly but this team didn't feel it was worth 9m a year. (Smartly, imho). So it now worth pick 17? Your only pick in the top 50 and hopefully your only top 20 pick in the next 2-3 seasons???
Naw fam.
But 17 looks like BPA may be a WR?? It does. So does rounds 2-5 FWIW.
Teams generally don't grade dudes 1-125. DAL has graded them in areas. Elite, R1, R1/R2, R2, R2/3 et al.
Then you can play with them in an are to get to a specific number. I.E. this player was out 5th ranked player....
But if he wasn't elite... and 4 were. And 15 guys were R1... he is essentially just the same as 5-19. Splitting hairs area.
But when pick 51 comes around you may only have 1 or 2 R2 rated guys left. (The team seldom has even 20 guys rated R1 and def seldom had 50+ rated R2 or higher. So now you have say RB rated R1, a WR rated R1 and a DT rated R2/R3 to choose from. RB isn't a realistic option. Not just because of Zeke but Pollard and your positional value here is simply low. So that kinda leaves a WR(say maybe local kids Jaylon Reagor or Denzel Mims) or a DT like also local kid Justin Madubuike. Round 2 is now a really tough call.
Now let's talk Dane Brugler. (BUY HIS GUIDE!!)
He is essentially the best guy doing this stuff now.
Far better than the Espy guys who have mailed it in for years now.
His WR rankings have 4 legit R1 guys.
2 more R1/R2
5 more R2
He has TWENTY-SIX players rated through R4/R5.
That's A LOT.
Compare.
RB: 13
DL: 15
OL: 15 OT, 6 OG, 5 OC so same 26 TOTAL OL as just WR.
S: 11 but none R1 or even R1/R2.
19 CB suggest it is also a deep group.
So what does Dane project DAL to do in his Mar 4 three round mock?
17. Dallas Cowboys – C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida (rated his CB2)
51. Dallas Cowboys – Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M (rated his DL2)
82. Dallas Cowboys – Malik Harrison, LB, Ohio State (rated his LB8)
(Dane knows DAL FO guys and you can see that reflected in his mock. Heavy big school powerhouse choices here; Defensive rebuild focus)
What about WR?
Available at 17.
21 Pit of Despair - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State
22. Buffalo Bills – Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU
Available at 51.
60. Baltimore Ravens – Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado --Dallas kid BTW.
62. Green Bay Packers – Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
64. Seattle Seahawks – KJ Hamler, WR, Penn State
Available at 82.
88. New Orleans Saints – Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty
89. Minnesota Vikings – Gabriel Davis, WR, UCF
90. Cleveland Browns (via HOU) – Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
So you enter Round 4 now
drafted CB2, DL2, LB8....
and with THIRTEEN more WRs rated at least R4/R5.
R4 options include UT's combo of Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay, Dallas and SMU WR James Proche, and Boise State Wr John Hightower who has eerily Gallup-like numbers.
And 9 other guys who'd be a decent or better value.
There is zero reason to overdraft a WR this year.
You have a 20M WR1, a big play monster at WR2 and plenty of ST/depth WR.
A R4 or R5 WR could come in and lead that group of back ups with starting upside.
None of that draft depth even touches on the fact WR is the only position where talent like Dez Bryant and Antonio Brown sits unsigned.
