Grade the Dallas Cowboys Draft

beware_d-ware · Apr 30, 2022

I gave it a C-

Tyler Smith was a high-risk reach for need, when we had two great low-risk need guys (Linderbaum and Jermaine Johnson) sitting right there. That pick's simply a miss.

Sam Williams was another high-risk gamble. He has the talent to justify his pick, but I'm just done with the character red flag guys, they bite us every single year. Travis Jones was right there.

Jalen Tolbert was a fine pick. Good measurables, great production.

Day 3 went really well. Jake Ferguson fills a need, Damone Clark is a zero-risk huge-reward gamble, and John Ridgeway will be playing snaps this year.

I'm OK with rounds 3-7, but our first two premium picks were just bad calls.

texbumthelife · Apr 30, 2022

I give it a C+

I didn’t outright hate any of the picks, but for a team that’s made it’s living drafting at the apex of BPA and need, they seemed to go away from that this year.

The Smith pick makes a lot more sense if the intention is to plug him in at G right away. Even on the interior, however, he’s going to need a lot of work and is more of a project than I’d like to see them take in the first.

Williams is the quintessential Cowboys upside athlete pick. He’s definitely not a 3-down guy right now, but he’s a plug in situational pass rusher. Again, the second is a little high for me for a kid who is a situational player.

I really don’t know much about Tolbert, so I am trying to stay optimistic. I just didn’t think WR was as much of a need as a lot of people.

Ridgeway might be their best pick, imo. He’s a monster that can anchor and push. He’ll be a factor day one.

My biggest gripe with this draft has less to do with the draft than with the Cowboys overall philosophy. If they’d actively tried to address their needs on the OL and DL they could have make much higher value picks, especially early on IMO.

I’m excited to see the kids get out there and see who actually clicks and is ready for the bright lights, but at first glance this draft doesn’t look like it immediately makes the Cowboys any better. And, after a FA that was a lateral move at best, the Cowboys still need big improvements to be a legitimate SB contender.

Havic · Apr 30, 2022

btcutter · Apr 30, 2022

Don't like the philosophy of Cowboy draft. It appears they target players and was glued to them. When better players were still on board they were not able to adjust on the fly and just took who they had targeted before the draft.

Round 1 pick especially when picking toward the end of the first you need to be very flexible and pick the best player on your board. After 1st round you can target players in round 2-7 since grades are much closer together.

LB Clark has upside but there's also a chance he never play again which mean we STILL need another LB. With so many 5th rounders we should have found another LB who can contribute immediately. Personally I rather have a 4th round LB than the TE we picked up.

Kicker should have been selected. He would have contributed immediately and saved cap space. For a team who is so conscience of the cap why wouldn't we do that. Instead we pick bunch of developmental players most of which won't be on the team in a year...maybe not even this year.

Nexx · Apr 30, 2022

btcutter said:
Don't like the philosophy of Cowboy draft. It appears they target players and was glued to them. When better players were still on board they were not able to adjust on the fly and just took who they had targeted before the draft.

Round 1 pick especially when picking toward the end of the first you need to be very flexible and pick the best player on your board. After 1st round you can target players in round 2-7 since grades are much closer together.

LB Clark has upside but there's also a chance he never play again which mean we STILL need another LB. With so many 5th rounders we should have found another LB who can contribute immediately. Personally I rather have a 4th round LB than the TE we picked up.

Kicker should have been selected. He would have contributed immediately and saved cap space. For a team who is so conscience of the cap why wouldn't we do that. Instead we pick bunch of developmental players most of which won't be on the team in a year...maybe not even this year.

They just signed the Texas Tech kicker

john van brocklin · Apr 30, 2022

J12B said:
After learning more about Tyler Smith and how he was already seen as more of a Guard in the NFL, I'm really liking this draft.

Jalen Tolbert is my favorite pick because he fits a huge need and was great value at #88.

First impressions of Sam Williams was that a lot of his sacks were more of a result of good coverage. But then I saw Ole Miss ran a 3-3-5 a lot on defense. So he was getting home on a 3 man rush. Now he'll be going with 4 and Micah blitzing on occasion. He's got huge potential.

Ferguson was a solid pick as well. He'll be able to play behind Schultz for this year and develop. I see him as our starter in 2023.

LB Clark is going to be a huge steal. May need a half a season to get on the field or could red shirt this year. As a 5th round pick, I'm good with that type of risk.

Don't know much about the other selections but from the little I've seen of Bland, I think he could be contributor in a couple of years. Highly doubt he sees a lot of playing time in 2022 given the depth at CB position.

Wish we could have got a RB in at some point.

B+

I would really like to give it a incomplete and come back in 3 years.
The truth is we just don't know at this point.

btcutter · Apr 30, 2022

Nexx said:
They just signed the Texas Tech kicker

Hardline · Apr 30, 2022

Post this again in three years and I'll grade it.

Floatyworm · Apr 30, 2022

JBS said:
Schultz is gone after 22. One day you will realize this.

Round 1: No. 24 Tyler Smith, OT (Tulsa).......Trying desperately to sell the fans this is Larry Allen 2.0....Not buying it. He sounds like a good kid...but look @ his body of work. Led college football in holding penalties. Coaches think they can coach that out of him. Let's hope they have more success than what they did with Conner Williams.

Round 2: No. 56 Sam Williams, DE (Ole Miss)....Another reach....Some teams took him off their boards because of character....Boom or bust pick. I have questions about how good of an athlete he really is....and will his motor run 100%.

Round 3: No. 88 Jalen Tolbert, WR (South Alabama)....Nice production in college last year.....but thought he bombed the combine. Think he is going to struggle to get separation on the next level.

Round 4: No. 129 Jake Ferguson, TE (Wisconsin)....this pick really feels like a 2023 pick......And this Schultz's last year. Basically the same kind of player....a receiving threat...thinking they wanted more of a blocker....but that got wiped out earlier in the 4th.

Round 5: No. 155 (from Browns) Matt Waletzko, OT (North Dakota)....This pick sure looks like they are already washing their hands of Josh Ball....And really.....I'm not buying that this kid will ever see the field either. Sure sounds like Philbin was pounding the table for this kid...which...so far....I haven't been a real fan of his work either.

Round 5: No. 167 Daron Bland, CB (Fresno State)......Like this pick. Kid is under-rated. And @ this point...getting anybody to get Anthony Brown out of here is a good move.

Round 5: No. 176 Damone Clark, LB (LSU).......Might be the steal of the draft. And sadly.....may have marked the exit for LVE. Kid just looks like an old school thumping MLB in the Randall Godfrey mold.

Round 5: No. 178 John Ridgeway, DT (Arkansas)....Love the attitude.....sounds like a bully.....but let's see how he responds once he gets hit in the mouth by Martin. Guys like him always have a plan until he gets hit in the face.....probably working in a bar in 2 years.

Round 6: No. 193 (from Browns) Devin Harper, LB (Oklahoma State)....an intriguing pick....feels like the Keanu Neal replacement. And for a 6th rounder...worth a flyer.

As for the Undrafted free agents.....liking the class way better than the drafted kids.

JBS · Apr 30, 2022

Floatyworm said:
Round 1: No. 24 Tyler Smith, OT (Tulsa).......Trying desperately to sell the fans this is Larry Allen 2.0....Not buying it. He sounds like a good kid...but look @ his body of work. Led college football in holding penalties. Coaches think they can coach that out of him. Let's hope they have more success than what they did with Conner Williams.

Round 2: No. 56 Sam Williams, DE (Ole Miss)....Another reach....Some teams took him off their boards because of character....Boom or bust pick. I have questions about how good of an athlete he really is....and will his motor run 100%.

Round 3: No. 88 Jalen Tolbert, WR (South Alabama)....Nice production in college last year.....but thought he bombed the combine. Think he is going to struggle to get separation on the next level.

Round 4: No. 129 Jake Ferguson, TE (Wisconsin)....this pick really feels like a 2023 pick......And this Schultz's last year. Basically the same kind of player....a receiving threat...thinking they wanted more of a blocker....but that got wiped out earlier in the 4th.

Round 5: No. 155 (from Browns) Matt Waletzko, OT (North Dakota)....This pick sure looks like they are already washing their hands of Josh Ball....And really.....I'm not buying that this kid will ever see the field either. Sure sounds like Philbin was pounding the table for this kid...which...so far....I haven't been a real fan of his work either.

Round 5: No. 167 Daron Bland, CB (Fresno State)......Like this pick. Kid is under-rated. And @ this point...getting anybody to get Anthony Brown out of here is a good move.

Round 5: No. 176 Damone Clark, LB (LSU).......Might be the steal of the draft. And sadly.....may have marked the exit for LVE. Kid just looks like an old school thumping MLB in the Randall Godfrey mold.

Round 5: No. 178 John Ridgeway, DT (Arkansas)....Love the attitude.....sounds like a bully.....but let's see how he responds once he gets hit in the mouth by Martin. Guys like him always have a plan until he gets hit in the face.....probably working in a bar in 2 years.

Round 6: No. 193 (from Browns) Devin Harper, LB (Oklahoma State)....an intriguing pick....feels like the Keanu Neal replacement. And for a 6th rounder...worth a flyer.

As for the Undrafted free agents.....liking the class way better than the drafted kids.

agreed on all fronts

Pass2Run · Apr 30, 2022

I gave it an A.

Solid picks, and talent throughout.

TequilaCowboy · Apr 30, 2022

Acceptablename said:
Their getting some good reviews online. I think they had a smart draft.
The first pick is going to be popular soon and he can bust …. Sam sounds good and his high lights are good of course. etc etc.
They really came through in the 5th round I just think it was an organized attack on the draft from the back.
A solid B
My complaint is kicker

Jonathan Garibay, K....from TT signed UDFA.. he will fit in nicely. Great leg, and hardly misses XP... I gave Dallas a B+...after day 3 draft. Raised it from C- previously.

cowboyec · Apr 30, 2022

B with a chance to be an A.

Praxit · Apr 30, 2022

..sorry guys, I didn't follow. But most of you scored a B. Good enough for me. Lets just hope to win the Div again. Anything more is frosting.

conner01 · Apr 30, 2022

Cowpolk said:
Way to early to grade this draft but I did for the hek of it

Today it’s a guess lol
In 3 years it will be obvious
But I felt they did pretty solid
And did above average today

conner01 · Apr 30, 2022

EPL0c0 said:
I think Ferguson has a shot to see the most playing time.

I think Smith gets moved to OG and plays out of position but learns from Tyron Smith. Does he start? Maybe b/c OG depth is ...not deep.

Williams will be part of the DE rotation, no doubt. He'll play

I'm curious about Ridgeway and if he can push Trysten Hill out of the way to get more snaps.

Don’t think hill has much to do with ridgeway
So far what I’ve seen from hill he’s doing fine pushing his own self out the door

Hawkeye19 · Apr 30, 2022

It is a B for me. They addressed their needs that they forced themselves to because they are allergic to free agency.

There we better players on the board at a few picks— but they went with the safe need selection.

They also could have moved up or down— but they stood pat which just seemed like a lack of energy and creativity to me.

Balt stands pat and takes the best available player that is a blinking red light. Dallas stands pat and takes the last best player available to fit their roster hole.

But— I do like some of these prospects when it’s all said and done. Solid B

conner01 · Apr 30, 2022

darthseinfeld said:
I give it a solid B. Would like more instant gratification from 24, and they passed on the better player, but I did like Smith as a prospect.

Williams and Tolbert should contribute next year. Williams can walk in as a pass rush specialist and Tolbert can walk in as a #3.

I dont think Ferguson is a lock to to take over for Shultz, but he is a good candidate to take a look at and see if you have a starting TE caliber talent.

Waletzko and Bland are them hedging their bets on Ball and Wright.

Clark could be a huge get. We will see how his recovery goes

Ridgeway could take Bohanna's job, and may play more snaps. He may even be able to play 4i

All in all a good haul. Nothing earth shattering, but pretty good

Ferguson just strikes me as a second TE but that’s not bad
I suspect we will be looking TE again next year if Schultz walks
With the cost of FA WR’s you need to look every year
Clark could be a real steal
I think ridgeway is a better NT than Bo
Waletzko seems like a guy who is technically sound but not physical enough
It’s easier to make a guy stronger than it is smarter so he has a decent shot
I didn’t like the smith pick because of who else was there but if he buys into being a guard with his physical traits he could be a really good run blocker and pass blocking at guard is easier than outside so he’s kind of a boom or bust guy. The boom could be a big boom if he buys in
I gave a B minus but I thought today they did pretty well
In 3 years we will know how well our grades were lol

Plankton · Apr 30, 2022

I gave it a C+. To a certain extent, I'd like the draft more if the team actually tried to participate in free agency prior to the draft. Being that they didn't, they forced need based picks, and it remains to be seen how well they hit. I like Tyler Smith the kid, and love his play demeanor and ability to move people. But, he is in need of significant technique work with both hand placement and footwork, and being that he has played all of two snaps at LG, the transition could take some time to take. I was not a fan of the Sam Williams pick - the production was terrific, but the red flags are scary, and as a player, he is very straight linish, and I question his ability to bend enough to maximize his speed around the edge and his ability to redirect his charge. If he has cleaned up his act, he has a chance to be a good contributor, but that remains to be seen. Jalen Tolbert was the best pick of the first two days - he is a good route runner, has good play strength, and has better hands than concentration at times. I think he will be a solid player from the jump.

For today's selections, Jake Ferguson is a very similar player to Dalton Schultz, but a better blocker. He will be a chain mover in the passing game, but will offer little after the catch. I liked the selection overall. In the fifth, Matt Waletzko gives the Cowboys an intriguing ball of clay to work with - he is very long levered, but managed to bench 28 reps with 36 inch arms, which is impressive. The step up in competition is steep, and he will need to improve his lower body strength to be able to hold up. I would expect a redshirt year out of him. DaRon Bland is the Dan Quinn model of corner - tall, long, aggressive. At worst, he will be a core special teamer, and could push a CJ Goodwin off the team with his ability to be a gunner on punt coverage. Long term, he could be in the mix as a 3rd/4th corner, or a nickel safety. Damone Clark is a potential grand larceny steal if his neck heals up properly. He can be a three down linebacker, and another dog on special teams. Well worth the risk of selecting him. John Ridgeway offers the ability to absorb double teams in the run game with zero pass rush ability. Ultimately, with the degree of passing done in the league, I'm not sure how much he would play, but he can be a rotational 1T. Finally, Devin Harper offers straight line speed, and will be a core special teamer. I wouldn't expect much more than that.

I think that they missed opportunities in this draft on guys like Jermaine Johnson in the first, Nik Bonitto or Travis Jones in the second, and Jamaree Salyer throughout the fifth round.

One other note: For a team that claims to be working on cleaning up penalties, their draft raises some questions. Smith, as has been widely discussed, committed 16 penalties last season at Tulsa. Sam Williams committed nine penalties last season at Mississippi. Jake Ferguson committed six false start penalties last season at Wisconsin. Seems like this is not a problem in their eyes. Sometimes, the results you get in the pros can be explained by what the player did in their prior stops. Keep this in mind with these players.

CowboyChris · Apr 30, 2022

C+

I feel like we got some good players, we basically drafted for need, we surely didn't draft BPA, I don't see any superstars in the bunch except maybe Williams...and that's a big maybe.

What irked me the most.... was there were hundreds of trades in this draft, and we didn't make a single one, which means our clowns in the FO are simply clueless. almost as clueless as in FA.

ultimately theres a good chance that this grade can go higher, alot of our picks will need some time to develop, and be coached up, while other teams are going for broke to win now.

Grade the Dallas Cowboys Draft

Grade the Cowboys 2022 Draft

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