Before the draft this year, I read a many different opinions as to what position and/or who we should draft with our 1st pick. From a TE to DL, folks had their favorites. Add the fact our first pick was late in the 2nd rd, Dallas seemingly could have gone any direction. The talk seemed to lean more towards adding to our defense, exp after the drumming we received by the Rams.Safety seemed to be the majority vote, although many before last year were screaming for a top DT talent. As we all know, we did indeed draft a DT in Trysten Hill. I don't hate the pick, as he seems to have potential.. but its widely known that DT tend to take time to mature into star players, not to mention he will most certainly be regulated to rotational duties.
That said, I recently read an article by Gil Brandt as he opined who could be this years top Rookie risers. Tony Pollard (came in 4th place)headlined the article which caught my attention. Of course, I couldn't help also notice that KC S Juan Thornhill was ranked 3rd on this list (I encourage to read the article). Thornhill was the player I coveted before the draft. Dallas had the pick of the litter at the Safety position when they were on the clock.Yet as it turns out, they passed on all of them.
Now ,I don't by any means hate Jeff Heath like many on this forum. I believe he's a solid player and his value exceeds his contract status. In today's NFL and Cap manage, that goes long way in evaluation and roster building. Besides, our Boys demonstrated a very solid defense most of last year.. and yes, Heath was a starter. On the other hand, could we upgrade? Absolutely, hence all the Earl Thomas speculation. There again, salaries come into play. Even Earl Thomas supporters were teetering when they found out how much he was asking for.
I know this is the long way of saying... This is why I wanted a 'cheaper' solution and would have loved to have drafted a promising young safety like Thornhill.
That said, Dallas seemily has a "backlog" of talent along the DL. Of course, there was no way of knowing this at the time. Yet, it seems inevitable that Dallas will have to release a talented DL when roster cuts come around. If Dallas had a crystal ball, I'd like to think Dallas may have taken a Safety. My thought was.. if Xavier Woods becomes what he's shown during camp, Thornhill & Woods could have been dynamic duo at safety. This would have gone a long way to resolve our biggest problem on defense.. Turnovers. Heath could rotate in to cover TEs or obvious run plays.
I digress by saying.. I will be keeping a close eye on Thornhill and Trysten Hill careers. I realize drafting players isn't perfect science, but I'll be interested nonetheless.
Who was your pet cat in the draft? And how are they looking so far?
. That would have been a disaster and Dak would have prob never been drafted.
