No Successful NFL Team Drafts Best Player Available

kskboys

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it is BPA but for your NEED its the same thing they have 3-4 players at each pick and they take the best of those 4 that is BPA..you are making this complicated with a long winded post..I guarantee you if the top 3 they have at 17 are gone and somehow a Herbert or Tua dropped there we are taking them over a need position..you dont pass up on talent like that goes for the top WR even though a high draft pick not needed they would take one.. no team is 100% set at every position so you could take BPA and still be good..

trade them in few years or trade the player they will replace because they will be cheaper IE of TUA or Herbert there , it opens up trading Dak in 2021 or even before the trade deadline if somehow they looked ready by then and we somehow out of the playoff race..want and example MM drafted Rogers in the 20s even though Farve played 3-4 more years and it set the franchise up at qb for the next 10 years..i agree most boards have top postion of need and look there first but a generational talent falls to you that you dont need, YOU TAKE THEM AND YES SUCCESSFUL TEAMS DO THSI, HOW IS IT THAT NE DRAFTED JG AND JB EVEN THOUGH TB WAS SET FOR WHILE .. they got high draft picks for them and now have Stidenm and most likely goes after another in the first..NE wasn't a successful team? they picked BPA nearly all the time.. they dumped the higher contract player and went young..
No it's not. Drafting BPA as opposed to drafting need are polar opposites.
 

Bizwah

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I hear Cowboys fans talk a lot about drafting the best player available. No team is successful drafting the best player available (BPA). Ask the Detroit Lions who drafted Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Calvin Johnson in almost consecutive drafts.

You draft the best available player of need (BAPON), ranking the players by grade, then by positions, ranking your needs in priority (prioritized needs), and then you make your BAPON draft board. You can trade up or down using BAPON but you better stick with the board. The 2005 draft that is on ESPN2 today shows how it worked correctly. Parcells wanted to change to a 3-4 Defense and need players. To go to a 3-4 D you better have and outstanding pass rusher at OLB that can also drop in coverage when needed. You also need a DL that can hold up at the line of scrimage and then be able to rush the passer (275 to +300 pound DL).

The Cowboys had DL as there no.1 priority position of need in 2005, and no. 2 was OLB. When the Cowboys came to pick in the 1st round of the 2005 draft, they had a dilemma. Demarcus Ware was the BAPON on the draft board, but the no.1 priority position of need fit was Marcus Spears, DL, LSU from Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge, and Nick Saban Coached. Parcell's loved Ware saying he reminded him of a retired LB in FL (LT), however his no. 1 priority need was not the no.1 player on the draft board. So the Cowboys personnel department (Jeff Ireland, others) had to conveince him to stick to the board and draft Ware then hope that Spears fell to their 20 pick in the 1st round or they could trade up to snatch him. Parcells did not want to take the risk but he also knew about the Cowboys not sticking with the BAPON draft board leading the all the sorry Larry Lacewell drafts that he required Jerry Jones to fire for Parcells to Coach the Cowboys. So, the Cowboys stuck with the BAPON and drafted future Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor OLB Demarucs Ware. The remainder of the draft BAPON was used and the Cowboys went for 4-3 to 3-4 in one draft, creating a playoff/super bowl caliber defense that continued through the lousy coaching and coaching carousel of Son of Bum, and that Red Head clapping idiot who finally wasted what was drafted in 2005.

BAPON was the method used by Gil Brandt/Wooten during the Landry years (20 consecutive winning seasons) before Landry got more involved in personnel decisions in the mid/late 80's. BAPON was used masterfully by Jimmy Johnson/Ackles/Wooten to build the Cowboys Dynasty of the 90's. BAPON was totally neglected during the Jerry Jones/Lacewell years. BAPON was brought back during the Parcells years (see the trade down in 2004 that lead to the 2 1st round picks in 2005). Neglected again during the Jerry Jones/Tom Ciskowski years. After the 2013 fiasco (trade down not using BAPON) BAPON was brought back by Will McClay. However Jerry still can mess it up when he listens to coaches vs. scouts see the Hill DT pick, and the waste of former 1st round pick Taco Charlton, who had as many sacks as Demarcus Lawrence in less games last year for the Dolphins as Lawrence cost per sack total was $4M less than Taco.

When you draft the Best Available Player of Need according to your draft board, you will pass on Johnny Football, and draft a OG from Notre Dame named Zach Martin. Keep yourself and your coaches out of the selection process, and never draft the best available player without looking at prioritized needs or you will end up with 4 WR as your number one pick 4 out of 5 years.

The Baltimore Ravens disagree
 

MLB53

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Dallas did two things,
First they picked the best player available and fill a big need in WR slot position.
Second they filled a big need at coming WR in the future.
So they filled DT and DE and Safety in FA and have been told the DE players on suspension should also be returning per the P.A.
Good Draft so far..
 

plasticman

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I agree...best available player of need. The Cowboys first pick was Mr. Cowboy Bob Lilly. They had Tubbs the LB, traded for Eddie Lebaron, signed Don Meredith the year prior, and needed the DT keep the OL off of Tubbs and rush the passer both necessary to run the Flex.
Then in 1969 and 1970 they selected back to back RB's in the first round and were heavily criticized for it. Of course, everyone changed their mind when Calvin Hill got hurt and Duane Thomas took over. Later, they combined to help Staubach and the Cowboys to their first championship and what many consider to be their best offensive season.

Two seasons later, in 1972, they draft RB's in both the 1st and 2nd round.

In a four year period they have drafted three RB's in the 1st round and 1 in the 2nd. At the end of this they still have Dan Reeves and Walt Garrison. There didnt seem to be a need for this, they ended up cutting their 1972 1st round pick after two seasons.

I say they didn't SEEM to need all these RB's, at the time it was strictly BPA. However, a year later the WFL forms and the Cowboys lose both Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas, so I dont know. Then again, you could give Landry a squad of rookie free agents and he is going to make something out of them. Case in point, in 1981 they start two undrafted rookie free agents in the defensive backfield and set a franchise record for INT's in a season.

LOL....I'm rambling....don't know if I am agreeing or disagreeing, just stoked that we finally have some football in our lives.
 

erod

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I hear Cowboys fans talk a lot about drafting the best player available. No team is successful drafting the best player available (BPA). Ask the Detroit Lions who drafted Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Calvin Johnson in almost consecutive drafts.

You draft the best available player of need (BAPON), ranking the players by grade, then by positions, ranking your needs in priority (prioritized needs), and then you make your BAPON draft board. You can trade up or down using BAPON but you better stick with the board. The 2005 draft that is on ESPN2 today shows how it worked correctly. Parcells wanted to change to a 3-4 Defense and need players. To go to a 3-4 D you better have and outstanding pass rusher at OLB that can also drop in coverage when needed. You also need a DL that can hold up at the line of scrimage and then be able to rush the passer (275 to +300 pound DL).

The Cowboys had DL as there no.1 priority position of need in 2005, and no. 2 was OLB. When the Cowboys came to pick in the 1st round of the 2005 draft, they had a dilemma. Demarcus Ware was the BAPON on the draft board, but the no.1 priority position of need fit was Marcus Spears, DL, LSU from Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge, and Nick Saban Coached. Parcell's loved Ware saying he reminded him of a retired LB in FL (LT), however his no. 1 priority need was not the no.1 player on the draft board. So the Cowboys personnel department (Jeff Ireland, others) had to conveince him to stick to the board and draft Ware then hope that Spears fell to their 20 pick in the 1st round or they could trade up to snatch him. Parcells did not want to take the risk but he also knew about the Cowboys not sticking with the BAPON draft board leading the all the sorry Larry Lacewell drafts that he required Jerry Jones to fire for Parcells to Coach the Cowboys. So, the Cowboys stuck with the BAPON and drafted future Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor OLB Demarucs Ware. The remainder of the draft BAPON was used and the Cowboys went for 4-3 to 3-4 in one draft, creating a playoff/super bowl caliber defense that continued through the lousy coaching and coaching carousel of Son of Bum, and that Red Head clapping idiot who finally wasted what was drafted in 2005.

BAPON was the method used by Gil Brandt/Wooten during the Landry years (20 consecutive winning seasons) before Landry got more involved in personnel decisions in the mid/late 80's. BAPON was used masterfully by Jimmy Johnson/Ackles/Wooten to build the Cowboys Dynasty of the 90's. BAPON was totally neglected during the Jerry Jones/Lacewell years. BAPON was brought back during the Parcells years (see the trade down in 2004 that lead to the 2 1st round picks in 2005). Neglected again during the Jerry Jones/Tom Ciskowski years. After the 2013 fiasco (trade down not using BAPON) BAPON was brought back by Will McClay. However Jerry still can mess it up when he listens to coaches vs. scouts see the Hill DT pick, and the waste of former 1st round pick Taco Charlton, who had as many sacks as Demarcus Lawrence in less games last year for the Dolphins as Lawrence cost per sack total was $4M less than Taco.

When you draft the Best Available Player of Need according to your draft board, you will pass on Johnny Football, and draft a OG from Notre Dame named Zach Martin. Keep yourself and your coaches out of the selection process, and never draft the best available player without looking at prioritized needs or you will end up with 4 WR as your number one pick 4 out of 5 years.
Teams that draft for need early lose.

Always.
 

Playmaker3128

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It isn't that we've drafted poorly. In alot of peoples estimations we've drafted pretty well. Sure you have some misses but i think we've done a good job over the years with Mcclay heading the scouting department. Our problem has and always way coaching. (well maybe recently, we never really put an oline around romo).

Making the flashy pick is what made us a dumb franchise 10 years ago. There is a difference between doing that and having a top player who's too good to pass up fall to you at 17.
 

Kingofholland

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Lol, the Cowboys took BPA and they had a need at WR-3 so it wasn't anything like the Lions situation at all. I wasn't a fan of drafting a WR in the first round based on the depth of the WR position. However, Lamb is a unique talent and certainly is exciting to think about how he can help this offense. Chaisson and Mckinney felt like the only other guys there, but Chaisson is a raw talent and carries a lot of risk. Mckinney ran a slow 40 time and is still available. It's possible the Cowboys could have another shot at Mckinney in round 2. Lot of good defensive options in round 2 among dbs and dline to pick from. Cowboys made the right pick.
 

coult44

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I hear Cowboys fans talk a lot about drafting the best player available. No team is successful drafting the best player available (BPA). Ask the Detroit Lions who drafted Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Calvin Johnson in almost consecutive drafts.


You draft the best available player of need (BAPON), ranking the players by grade, then by positions, ranking your needs in priority (prioritized needs), and then you make your BAPON draft board. You can trade up or down using BAPON but you better stick with the board. The 2005 draft that is on ESPN2 today shows how it worked correctly. Parcells wanted to change to a 3-4 Defense and need players. To go to a 3-4 D you better have and outstanding pass rusher at OLB that can also drop in coverage when needed. You also need a DL that can hold up at the line of scrimage and then be able to rush the passer (275 to +300 pound DL).

The Cowboys had DL as there no.1 priority position of need in 2005, and no. 2 was OLB. When the Cowboys came to pick in the 1st round of the 2005 draft, they had a dilemma. Demarcus Ware was the BAPON on the draft board, but the no.1 priority position of need fit was Marcus Spears, DL, LSU from Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge, and Nick Saban Coached. Parcell's loved Ware saying he reminded him of a retired LB in FL (LT), however his no. 1 priority need was not the no.1 player on the draft board. So the Cowboys personnel department (Jeff Ireland, others) had to conveince him to stick to the board and draft Ware then hope that Spears fell to their 20 pick in the 1st round or they could trade up to snatch him. Parcells did not want to take the risk but he also knew about the Cowboys not sticking with the BAPON draft board leading the all the sorry Larry Lacewell drafts that he required Jerry Jones to fire for Parcells to Coach the Cowboys. So, the Cowboys stuck with the BAPON and drafted future Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor OLB Demarucs Ware. The remainder of the draft BAPON was used and the Cowboys went for 4-3 to 3-4 in one draft, creating a playoff/super bowl caliber defense that continued through the lousy coaching and coaching carousel of Son of Bum, and that Red Head clapping idiot who finally wasted what was drafted in 2005.

BAPON was the method used by Gil Brandt/Wooten during the Landry years (20 consecutive winning seasons) before Landry got more involved in personnel decisions in the mid/late 80's. BAPON was used masterfully by Jimmy Johnson/Ackles/Wooten to build the Cowboys Dynasty of the 90's. BAPON was totally neglected during the Jerry Jones/Lacewell years. BAPON was brought back during the Parcells years (see the trade down in 2004 that lead to the 2 1st round picks in 2005). Neglected again during the Jerry Jones/Tom Ciskowski years. After the 2013 fiasco (trade down not using BAPON) BAPON was brought back by Will McClay. However Jerry still can mess it up when he listens to coaches vs. scouts see the Hill DT pick, and the waste of former 1st round pick Taco Charlton, who had as many sacks as Demarcus Lawrence in less games last year for the Dolphins as Lawrence cost per sack total was $4M less than Taco.

When you draft the Best Available Player of Need according to your draft board, you will pass on Johnny Football, and draft a OG from Notre Dame named Zach Martin. Keep yourself and your coaches out of the selection process, and never draft the best available player without looking at prioritized needs or you will end up with 4 WR as your number one pick 4 out of 5 years.

Wait, how many Championships has Willy McClay won? How many rings does Smith, Martin, Frederick, have? How many did D-Ware win in Dallas? The Big Tuna won absolutely nothing.
When you make a statement like “no successful team” we need to have a discussion about teams not named the Cowboys from 1996 through 2020. You discussed Dallas and Detroit. No Dallas or Detroit team has been successful in a quarter of a century regardless of what the draft strategy has been.

Lamb was the BPA from probably pick 6-8 forward, Jones would have made a Moss like mistake if he would’ve passed him up.
 

luckyman76

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Wait, how many Championships has Willy McClay won? How many rings does Smith, Martin, Frederick, have? How many did D-Ware win in Dallas? The Big Tuna won absolutely nothing.
When you make a statement like “no successful team” we need to have a discussion about teams not named the Cowboys from 1996 through 2020. You discussed Dallas and Detroit. No Dallas or Detroit team has been successful in a quarter of a century regardless of what the draft strategy has been.

Lamb was the BPA from probably pick 6-8 forward, Jones would have made a Moss like mistake if he would’ve passed him up.

I never thought Lamb would be available. There is no world where we do not pick him. He is the best WR in the draft and I think the 6 on the board is a very accurate position for where he should have gone. You cannot pass on a talent like that and we do need him. Picking Fulton or Gladney there would not have made sense. If Henderson was there I think that was the pick. All of the safeties with McKinney and Delpit are available and you can still get Fulton and Diggs later so one of those 4 should be the pick unless they decide to blow up the board and draft Hurts. I think there is going to be another run on WR in the early 2nd.
 

Motown12

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Disagree back at you...Not if you are converting for 4-3 to 3-4 on defense and have the 11 pick in the draft. I agree that the trust in Romo was maybe too much. But the Cowboys had Drew Beldsoe and Tony Romo on the roster. Also, Jerry the Dumbo GM Jones made a 2004 trade of the 2005 third round pick for Drew Henson. So QB was not a prioritized need in 2005.

If he was the BAPON then you still draft Ware, Spears, and trade back in the 1st round to draft Rodgers. But QB was not a prioritized need with Bledsoe and Romo on the roster or they would have to had traded Henson or Romo because you are not going into camp with Bledsoe, Romo, Henson and Rodgers for the 2005 season.

I respectfully disagree with your disagreement. Parcells was so focused on upgrading the defense with his types of players to play his system , which I don't think anyone could argue with back then, that they got tunnel vision. They passed on a future first ballot HOF at QB in AR, to draft Marcus Spears at #20 who was very average in Dallas.

At QB we had an old and immobile/stop gap type of QB in D. Bledsoe, and at the time T. Romo was not much more than a FA who in 2 years had shown some flashes that intrigued them but they had no idea if he could ever be a legit starter in the NFL.

So per your logic we were right to pass on a first ballot HOF QB in Rodgers because we needed to fix the defense, and Bledsoe/unknown and raw Romo at QB were solid. So they drafted a mediocre DL in M. Spears. Umm no...that's what get teams in trouble. Remember the great 95 draft with Shane Hannah and Co? Jerry's reasoning at the time? Because no one could possible come in and contribute right away to the best NFL roster in the NFL. Fast forward a couple years and your stars are getting old and a combination of the salary cap and terrible drafts allowed this roster to get average to bad pretty quickly. How about the 2009 Special teams draft? Of course great organizations have a master plan but you can't get to a point where you are so rigid that you can't adapt and think big picture. That's what gets you Zack Martin at OG even though you have more pressing needs.

Everyone knows this team has serious needs on defense that need to be addressed in the draft. But if a great WR falls into your lap and the grade between him and your best available defensive player is significant, you take him.
 

DanA

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I’d argue that dumbing it down to BAPON can not possibly be the best way to approach the draft. Your relying on too little information. To make a nuanced decision. Rigid cookie cutter approaches IMO are lazy.

With the Ceedee Lamb decision there are hundreds of factors that need to be considered. But something worth mentioning is that McCarthy in his last season as coach played 11 personnel 78% of the time with a DVOA of +22%. IMO getting talent slowing us to play 11 personnel successfully is crucially important and the difference between Ceedee Lamb and Cedric Wilson is as big an upgrade as we could have made.

With Aldon Smith, Randy Gregory, and Tyrone Crawford I’m not sure he’d get half the reps the first two years that a WR would.
 

eastsideboy

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The Lions didn’t suck because they took the best player available. They sucked because:

1. The players they chose were wrongly evaluated.
2. The team overall sucked.

We forced the Taco pick based on your strategy. How did that work out? I’m just sayin’.
Don't forget about t hill. :facepalm:
 

blueblood70

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No it's not. Drafting BPA as opposed to drafting need are polar opposites.
disagree if you have 3 players on your board and best player at 17 was one of the 3 you take the BPA vs the other 2 who might have been bigger needs..BTW the DC FO an dallas the reactions around the league, taking CEEDEE was exactly the right move..it was BPA even though KC was avaible..

now I hope they trade up to take best Defender they can in round 2..thinking Mckinney
 

Diehardblues

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BPA refers to best available at a position of need.

If WR is BPA every year at your draft spot you don’t keep selecting WR’s. Lol

Was WR as a position of dire need after using our 1st round pick last year for Amari and signing him to a 5 year 100 million deal .

This is the pick I would have expected if we hadn’t signed Amari.
 

eromeopolk

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Lol, the Cowboys took BPA and they had a need at WR-3 so it wasn't anything like the Lions situation at all. I wasn't a fan of drafting a WR in the first round based on the depth of the WR position. However, Lamb is a unique talent and certainly is exciting to think about how he can help this offense. Chaisson and Mckinney felt like the only other guys there, but Chaisson is a raw talent and carries a lot of risk. Mckinney ran a slow 40 time and is still available. It's possible the Cowboys could have another shot at Mckinney in round 2. Lot of good defensive options in round 2 among dbs and dline to pick from. Cowboys made the right pick.
Yes you are right "need at WR-3" with the best available player....BEST AVAILABLE PLAYER OF A NEED RANK HIGHEST ON THE DRAFT BOARD.

I agree with you. Lamb was higher ranked by every draft expert over Chaisson (1 year wonder) and McKinney (never take an good safety in the 1st only super great ones). He fills a big need as the Cowboys are in shoot gun a lot with 3 WRs. They also have insurance with Cooper's injuries.

But watch it! You have used 2 1st round picks at WR in back to back years and the Cowboys lost critical games because they let the Rams run over them for +250 yards in a playoff game, the Bears and Bills QBs run up and down the field, and could not stop an Eagles offense with a bunch of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string practice squad players on offense.

As for as Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory, the Cowboys have been trying to rely on unreliable players on defense for years under Jerry the Dumbo GM Jones personnel policy of risk reward. How has that worked out? Greg Hardy, Pac Man Jones, Randy Gregory, Alonzo Spellman, David Irving...etc. For those players and until proven otherwise consistently, "bye Felisha"
 

DallasBlockersClub

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I hear Cowboys fans talk a lot about drafting the best player available. No team is successful drafting the best player available (BPA). Ask the Detroit Lions who drafted Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Calvin Johnson in almost consecutive drafts.

You draft the best available player of need (BAPON), ranking the players by grade, then by positions, ranking your needs in priority (prioritized needs), and then you make your BAPON draft board. You can trade up or down using BAPON but you better stick with the board. The 2005 draft that is on ESPN2 today shows how it worked correctly. Parcells wanted to change to a 3-4 Defense and need players. To go to a 3-4 D you better have and outstanding pass rusher at OLB that can also drop in coverage when needed. You also need a DL that can hold up at the line of scrimage and then be able to rush the passer (275 to +300 pound DL).

The Cowboys had DL as there no.1 priority position of need in 2005, and no. 2 was OLB. When the Cowboys came to pick in the 1st round of the 2005 draft, they had a dilemma. Demarcus Ware was the BAPON on the draft board, but the no.1 priority position of need fit was Marcus Spears, DL, LSU from Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge, and Nick Saban Coached. Parcell's loved Ware saying he reminded him of a retired LB in FL (LT), however his no. 1 priority need was not the no.1 player on the draft board. So the Cowboys personnel department (Jeff Ireland, others) had to conveince him to stick to the board and draft Ware then hope that Spears fell to their 20 pick in the 1st round or they could trade up to snatch him. Parcells did not want to take the risk but he also knew about the Cowboys not sticking with the BAPON draft board leading the all the sorry Larry Lacewell drafts that he required Jerry Jones to fire for Parcells to Coach the Cowboys. So, the Cowboys stuck with the BAPON and drafted future Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor OLB Demarucs Ware. The remainder of the draft BAPON was used and the Cowboys went for 4-3 to 3-4 in one draft, creating a playoff/super bowl caliber defense that continued through the lousy coaching and coaching carousel of Son of Bum, and that Red Head clapping idiot who finally wasted what was drafted in 2005.

BAPON was the method used by Gil Brandt/Wooten during the Landry years (20 consecutive winning seasons) before Landry got more involved in personnel decisions in the mid/late 80's. BAPON was used masterfully by Jimmy Johnson/Ackles/Wooten to build the Cowboys Dynasty of the 90's. BAPON was totally neglected during the Jerry Jones/Lacewell years. BAPON was brought back during the Parcells years (see the trade down in 2004 that lead to the 2 1st round picks in 2005). Neglected again during the Jerry Jones/Tom Ciskowski years. After the 2013 fiasco (trade down not using BAPON) BAPON was brought back by Will McClay. However Jerry still can mess it up when he listens to coaches vs. scouts see the Hill DT pick, and the waste of former 1st round pick Taco Charlton, who had as many sacks as Demarcus Lawrence in less games last year for the Dolphins as Lawrence cost per sack total was $4M less than Taco.

When you draft the Best Available Player of Need according to your draft board, you will pass on Johnny Football, and draft a OG from Notre Dame named Zach Martin. Keep yourself and your coaches out of the selection process, and never draft the best available player without looking at prioritized needs or you will end up with 4 WR as your number one pick 4 out of 5 years.


Zach Martin was consistently ranked in the top 10-15. Johnny Football wasn't. Your reference fails.
 
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