2 Dallas Draft Day Trends

[masomenos]

If you look at our past three drafts, our strategy seems pretty clear. We draft to improve our passing ability and to improve our pass defense. In the past three years, we've drafted 26 players, 16 have focused on the passing games.

QB - Stephen McGee - Long term development at QB
OLB - Victor Butler - Pass rusher
OLB - Brandon Williams - Pass rusher
CB/FS - DeAngelo Smith - Coverage
S - Michael Hamlin - Coverage
CB - Mike Mickens - Coverage
WR - Manuel Johnson - Receiving threat

CB - Mike Jenkins - Coverage
TE - Martellus Bennett - Receiving threat
CB - Orlando Scandrick - Coverage
OLB - Erik Walden - Pass rusher

OLB - Anthony Spencer - Pass rusher
OT - Doug Free - Strength in pass blocking
WR - Isiah Stanback - Receiving project
DB - Courtney Brown - Coverage
DB - Alan Ball - Coverage

Of those players who were not drafted to help the passing game, two were kickers and eight were players who's strength focused on the run game. That's a 2/1 advantage in favor of focusing on passing and stopping the pass.

Another trend is that we've really targeted athletes with early and mid round picks.

Jason Williams was one of the fastest LBs in the draft.
Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall.
Mike Jenkins over Antoine Cason.
Super athletic Martellus Bennett.
Anthony Spencer was one of the most athletic DEs/3-4 OLBs.
Isiah Stanback was a tremendous athlete.
Doug Free, known as Doug "Freak" for his athleticism.

Even guys like Brandon Williams were noteworthy in athletic ways, such as burst.

There are a couple things that I would be willing to wager on, concerning our first couple of picks.

1. They will be players whose strength relates to the passing game.
2. They will be players who are noted for their athleticism.

 

[masomenos]

Also, I forgot to mention the use of draft picks to acquire Roy Williams, another player who was brought in to help the passing game.

 

[AbeBeta]

Well, since there are only a few positions you would not classify as related to the passing game ... interior OL, RB, and inside LB ... it really isn't surprising at all that we've taken more player who fit that category as you've defined it.

 

[Hoofbite]

Also, I forgot to mention the use of draft picks to acquire Roy Williams, another player who was brought in to help the running game.

FIFY.

 

[lkelly]

Ironic that a team so fixated on the passing game has an undrafted free agent at QB, an undrafted free agent as their #1 WR, a third round pick as their franchise TE, and hasn't drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since 1981.

 

[jobberone]

They probably play football well, too.

I'd like to see the draft broken down for defense vs offense. Without looking I'd say defense wins over the last decade.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

Another trend is we tend to draft players who have played college football.

Additionally, every draft pick from the past three years has been players with a Y chromosone.

 

[Paniolo22]

Also, get out every team roster in the NCAA DI and DII, NAIA, etc. Every year, they take someone that the mainstream has not scouted. At least it is in the 6th or 7th rounds when this takes place, not like the Raiders.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Additionally, every draft pick from the past three years has been players with a Y chromosone.

That is debatable....

 

[masomenos]

Well, since there are only a few positions you would not classify as related to the passing game ... interior OL, RB, and inside LB ... it really isn't surprising at all that we've taken more player who fit that category as you've defined it.

While almost any position can relate to the passing game, not every player has a strength in the passing game. An interior OL can definitely have an impact on the passing game, if that's where the players talents lie. Likewise, an inside LB can be drafted for having a specialty in coverage. As another example, a TE can be drafted as a passing asset (like Marty B) or as a blocking asset (like Phillips).

Sure, WRs and DBs are always going to be drafted for their impact in the passing game. However, we don't draft WRs like other teams do. If you look at a team like Pitt., they've drafted a WR every year for the past five years. They've looked for pass catchers in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th rounds. It boils down to a difference in philosophy.

Also, if you look at what Pitt. has done with their first picks in the past two drafts, neither of them were players who help the passing game or the pass defense. It has been years, maybe over a decade, since we didn't use a high pick on a player who's strength lied in the passing game.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Another trend is we tend to draft players who have played college football.

Additionally, every draft pick from the past three years has been players with a Y chromosone.

:laugh2: Now this is research!

 

[masomenos]

They probably play football well, too.

I'd like to see the draft broken down for defense vs offense. Without looking I'd say defense wins over the last decade.

I don't know about over the last decade, but over the past three seasons it's been 13 defensive players, 11 offensive players and 2 kickers.

 

[lkelly]

It has been years, maybe over a decade, since we didn't use a high pick on a player who's strength lied in the passing game.

I wouldn't have categorized Felix Jones as a passing game pick. He had 39 catches in his career at Arkansas. Other early round picks that would be a stretch to consider passing game oriented: Bobby Carpenter, Marcus Spears, Al Johnson, Andre Gurode...

 

[masomenos]

I wouldn't have categorized Felix Jones as a passing game pick. He had 39 catches in his career at Arkansas. Other early round picks that would be a stretch to consider passing game oriented: Bobby Carpenter, Marcus Spears, Al Johnson, Andre Gurode...

Well in that case I was really just talking about our first round picks, as compared to Pitt's. They took a non-pass rushing DT and a RB in the first in the past two years. We traded our first for a WR and drafted a CB the same year we drafted Felix. In the Spears year, we also took Ware. It's been a long, long time since we haven't used one of our first picks on someone to help the passing games.

I'd argue for Carpenter being a pick to help the the defensive passing game, considering his coverage ability and what was thought to be decent pass rushing skills. At the least, I don't think he was ever considered to be a pick that would be strong against the run.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Great thread, Masomenos...

I would just stick with the last three drafts. Parcells wanted big, strong guys at every position, and of course except when you get the rare freak (Demarcus), those guys will be slower and worse in the passing game on both sides of the ball (Bradie, Anthony Henry). Wade is more open to speed and quickness and general playmaking regardless of size on offense, and of course is less worried about getting overpowered on defense.

That's my explanation for it.

 

[JPostSam]

this thread is hilarious. first, for the overreaching "analysis," and second, for the excellent "counteranalyses."

and, seriously, to the OP:

who a team drafts depends on SOOOOO many things:

what are the team's needs based on skill of current players
what are the team's needs based on age of current players
what are the team's needs based on contracts of current players
which highly-rated players "fall" to them (and the rating depends on how your team rates players)
which kind of players (talented but troubled? less skilled but diligent and "coachable"?) the coaches want to have
etc.

also, remember that teams never get exactly whom they want, where they want them, when they want them.

fortunately, linebacker james francis was taken right before we "settled" for emmitt smith.

 

[ShiningStar]

can we also say with great research and with tons of knowledge we use our draft picks for players or trades?

 

[masomenos]

this thread is hilarious. first, for the overreaching "analysis," and second, for the excellent "counteranalyses."

and, seriously, to the OP:

who a team drafts depends on SOOOOO many things:

what are the team's needs based on skill of current players
what are the team's needs based on age of current players
what are the team's needs based on contracts of current players
which highly-rated players "fall" to them (and the rating depends on how your team rates players)
which kind of players (talented but troubled? less skilled but diligent and "coachable"?) the coaches want to have
etc.

also, remember that teams never get exactly whom they want, where they want them, when they want them.

fortunately, linebacker james francis was taken right before we "settled" for emmitt smith.

I think you may have missed the point a little bit. We don't really draft based on need, instead we tend to draft the best player who falls to us. As it turns out, a lot of times, that best player happens to be very athletic. We can take one of two things from that, either it's coincidence or a players athleticism factors highly into our grade. This may seem like a given but it's not. Some teams are more willing to take less polished, athletic guys and others look for more polished players, even if they aren't the most athletic. It's a difference in draft philosophy that boils down to what kind of risk/reward ratio teams are willing to take. The Cowboys tend to be willing to invest fairly high draft picks and take risks on athletic guys who need development (e.g. Martellus Bennett, Jason Williams, Isiah Stanback, etc). Even position conversions projects like Anthony Spencer tend to carry higher risks. To a large extent, the first three factors you list are non-issues for Dallas and don't seem to get much consideration.

The other two factors are what I was trying to delve into, namely, who do we rate highly (unpolished athletes over polished, less athletic players) and what types of players do we most often draft (players who have strength in the passing games).

 

[Gaede]

Another trend in recent years is in the later rounds: the team looks for consistent, productive starters from bigger schools, usually with some leadership qualities...Guys in the Jay Ratliff mold

For example, V. Butler, B. Williams, Alan Ball, Stephen Hodge, M. Hamlin, Tashard Choice, Manny Johnson

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Also, I forgot to mention the use of draft picks to acquire Roy Williams, another player who was brought in to help the passing game.

hes better at blocking than catching.