2014 draft class doesn't look bad

[JoeyBoy718]

I like Hitchens but I'm wondering where he fits. We currently have 5 solid LBers on the roster and we'll probably only be able to keep 3 of them next year (McClain, Lee, Carter, Durant, Hitchens). And 3 of those guys will most likely be fighting for WLB (Lee, Durant, Hitchens). Lee will definitely be the starter but we'll need insurance if he goes out. I'd like to keep Durant because he's a leader and versatile, but I see us keeping Hitchens. And I don't know if we'll keep Carter. He might command too much money, and he likely would only play in the base defense (McClain and Lee would be our nickel LBers).

 

[AmericanCowboy]

EVERY CB drafted in round 1 this past 5 years has had bad games and has had fans blasting him at some point.
PP was a bum after the Denver game and was rough his rookie year as well.
Revis was torched after falling from shutdown status.

CB get beat and get insulted. It happens.

Mo is a good Cover CB. He is no where near a complete football player yet but he was drafted for his ceiling.
Chances are good he will be fine long term if not ever truly worth the 6th overall selection. ---very few players ever are.

Mo is not a good cover corner at all. He was like the worst rated corner in football before he got hurt.

Guy has literally no chance of reaching his ceiling- he never really had ahigh one to begin with.

 

[xwalker]

It's early but this yrs crop not looking bad. Martin was a home run. Hitchens can play and thank goodness we have him with our depleted lb corp. pattmon has made an impact ( free agent pick up)and now if Dlaw can step up. Looking like a solid draft

I posted dozens of times back in the off-season that Hitchens was a good pick based on his game footage. He has already played more and better than the average for a 4th round pick.

 

[Doomsday101]

I like Hitchens but I'm wondering where he fits. We currently have 5 solid LBers on the roster and we'll probably only be able to keep 3 of them next year (McClain, Lee, Carter, Durant, Hitchens). And 3 of those guys will most likely be fighting for WLB (Lee, Durant, Hitchens). Lee will definitely be the starter but we'll need insurance if he goes out. I'd like to keep Durant because he's a leader and versatile, but I see us keeping Hitchens. And I don't know if we'll keep Carter. He might command too much money, and he likely would only play in the base defense (McClain and Lee would be our nickel LBers).

Hitchens is on a rookie deal he is going no where until 2018. I'm afraid that Carter may be the guy who is gone next season. Durant I think they can get a deal done at a decent cost, Ro will likely cost us more and then we have Carter not to mention the return of Lee so I think it comes down to Ro or Carter in terms of long term contracts

 

[xwalker]

EVERY CB drafted in round 1 this past 5 years has had bad games and has had fans blasting him at some point.
PP was a bum after the Denver game and was rough his rookie year as well.
Revis was torched after falling from shutdown status.

CB get beat and get insulted. It happens.

Mo is a good Cover CB. He is no where near a complete football player yet but he was drafted for his ceiling.
Chances are good he will be fine long term if not ever truly worth the 6th overall selection. ---very few players ever are.

Mike Jenkins has started over 60 games in his career in a position where you gotta carry 4 guys to every game. He was a "solid" draft pick.

Felix Jones was the "bad" pick. he only "played" in 50 games total for his career and played a position where teams routinely get by with mid round picks.

I don't think Claiborne is as bad as most people believe. His criticism is all based on where he was drafted. With the current CBA, teams need production from draft picks to make the cap work. Based on that concept, he is a bad pick because he has not contributed what he should have based on where he was drafted; however, that does not mean that he can't play or can't improve.

Having said all of that and agreeing that the past few years that Cowboys have done a decent job of drafting, I do wonder if they failed to follow their process on the Claiborne pick. It seems that the Rams called them with the trade offer and they made a quick decision to make the trade up. It seems like they were not trying to trade up and didn't really do their homework on Claiborne. The Cowboys seem to do well with draft picks that they meet with and work out like when Callahan had a private workout with Fred or they spent a lot of time with T. Williams. I'm more supportive of Jerry than most, but I feel like the Rams called him directly and the Cowboys just jumped at the offer because the Rams were not asking for the moon. They had never even met with Claiborne. I think the learning issue and lack of mental and physical toughness might have been determined if they had really studied him in detail.

I feel good about the Lawrence pick, because he is one of those picks that they really studied and that they really wanted.

 

[Plankton]

I don't think Claiborne is as bad as most people believe. His criticism is all based on where he was drafted. With the current CBA, teams need production from draft picks to make the cap work. Based on that concept, he is a bad pick because he has not contributed what he should have based on where he was drafted; however, that does not mean that he can't play or can't improve.

Having said all of that and agreeing that the past few years that Cowboys have done a decent job of drafting, I do wonder if they failed to follow their process on the Claiborne pick. It seems that the Rams called them with the trade offer and they made a quick decision to make the trade up. It seems like they were not trying to trade up and didn't really do their homework on Claiborne. The Cowboys seem to do well with draft picks that they meet with and work out like when Callahan had a private workout with Fred or they spent a lot of time with T. Williams. I'm more supportive of Jerry than most, but I feel like the Rams called him directly and the Cowboys just jumped at the offer because the Rams were not asking for the moon. They had never even met with Claiborne. I think the learning issue and lack of mental and physical toughness might have been determined if they had really studied him in detail.

I feel good about the Lawrence pick, because he is one of those picks that they really studied and that they really wanted.

If a draft selection was made with a first round pick where the player did not have a full workup done on him by the team, then to me, that shows incompetence at the highest of levels.

The fact that it was a top 10 pick, and they traded a second rounder to move up would make it even more egregious.

Truthfully, I think they did work him up, and believed that they could work with him on any deficiencies. The big issue is that they are having him play in a defensive scheme that doesn't match up with his skill set, and I think he is a player that doesn't play with confidence when he isn't comfortable.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

I also like Davon Coleman from the undrafted free agent class; and they were actually scouting fellow Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton and noticed Coleman on the film instead.

 

[vlad]

It is really hard to admit the huge mistake with Claiborne, and how costly that pick is showing in 2014. He is Mike Jenkins version II cost twice as much and IMO will not have a pro bowl selection to his name.

I wouldn't compare him at all to Jenkins in terms of performance. People soured on Jenkins because of that avoided contact play vs NY and I get it, but he MORE than made up for it the last year here with us when he played his guts out with that jacked up shoulder and then got kind of the shaft (not that the team owed him anything but he did play for the team that year and his teammates have said as much) when they drafted claiborne.

My guess is the Cowboys figured his shoulder was always going to be an issue more than he was a bad character person. That year before though he was playing that 2nd half as well as can be - he was a monster. shame it didn't work out. Note this is not a knock on Mo.

 

[xwalker]

If a draft selection was made with a first round pick where the player did not have a full workup done on him by the team, then to me, that shows incompetence at the highest of levels.

The fact that it was a top 10 pick, and they traded a second rounder to move up would make it even more egregious.

Truthfully, I think they did work him up, and believed that they could work with him on any deficiencies. The big issue is that they are having him play in a defensive scheme that doesn't match up with his skill set, and I think he is a player that doesn't play with confidence when he isn't comfortable.

I'm sure they did study his game film and were aware of the Wonderlic score, but I don't think they really focused on him. A big part of them drafting better is that after 2009, they reduced their draft board from about 240 players to about 120 players and they would dig deep on those 120. You might miss a few good players with this strategy, but you'll get less bad picks.

I think the bad 2009 draft was the first step in changing their process and then the Floyd ordeal in 2013 caused their next step forward in the drafting process. The scouts and coaches not being on the same page about Floyd got Ciscowski demoted and got McClay promoted. I feel pretty good about the people they have in place now (McClay with support from Garrett and Stephen). They did manage to keep Jerry from drafting Manziel this year.

I was skeptical about Claiborne that high, if for no other reason than he had average measurable(s) other than having extra long arms. I expected a CB drafted that high to have elite (Patrick Peterson) type measurable(s).

 

[xwalker]

I wouldn't compare him at all to Jenkins in terms of performance. People soured on Jenkins because of that avoided contact play vs NY and I get it, but he MORE than made up for it the last year here with us when he played his guts out with that jacked up shoulder and then got kind of the shaft (not that the team owed him anything but he did play for the team that year and his teammates have said as much) when they drafted claiborne.

My guess is the Cowboys figured his shoulder was always going to be an issue more than he was a bad character person. That year before though he was playing that 2nd half as well as can be - he was a monster. shame it didn't work out. Note this is not a knock on Mo.

Jenkins did irritate them in the off-season before his final year when he was intentionally missing off-season work.

Jenkins was a quality cover guy, IMO. He just wasn't a team-first type of guy.

 

[xwalker]

I also like Davon Coleman from the undrafted free agent class; and they were actually scouting fellow Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton and noticed Coleman on the film instead.

It looks like we'll get to see Coleman this week. I liked both Coleman and Bishop in the preseason.

 

[Risen Star]

If a draft selection was made with a first round pick where the player did not have a full workup done on him by the team, then to me, that shows incompetence at the highest of levels.

The fact that it was a top 10 pick, and they traded a second rounder to move up would make it even more egregious.

Truthfully, I think they did work him up, and believed that they could work with him on any deficiencies. The big issue is that they are having him play in a defensive scheme that doesn't match up with his skill set, and I think he is a player that doesn't play with confidence when he isn't comfortable.

Packaging your 1st and 2nd round picks on a cornerback, after you just signed one to a 50 million dollar contract, shows a glaring lack of understanding the game. You literally couldn't get less bang for your buck than that. It never stood a chance from the get go. Flush the money and the picks. It was a complete waste.

 

[JohnsKey19]

Hitchens is on a rookie deal he is going no where until 2018. I'm afraid that Carter may be the guy who is gone next season. Durant I think they can get a deal done at a decent cost, Ro will likely cost us more and then we have Carter not to mention the return of Lee so I think it comes down to Ro or Carter in terms of long term contracts

Unless Carter blows up over the next 8 weeks, not sure what he's done consistently to demand much of anything long-term in free agency. I like the player but he's been wildly inconsistent. If anything, perhaps Rob Ryan convinces the Saints management to give Carter a nice deal based on what he did in 2012 in Ryan's defense. Outside of that possibility, Can't imagine there being much money out there for him elsewhere.

McClains history works in our favor. Is one good season in Dallas enough to convince GMs the subpar showings as a Raider and multiple retirements are behind him? Jerry himself may not be convinced but we'll see.

Ideally, I'd love to have McClain, Lee, Carter and Hitchens as the top 4 LBs.

 

[ConstantReboot]

EVERY CB drafted in round 1 this past 5 years has had bad games and has had fans blasting him at some point.
PP was a bum after the Denver game and was rough his rookie year as well.
Revis was torched after falling from shutdown status.

CB get beat and get insulted. It happens.

Mo is a good Cover CB. He is no where near a complete football player yet but he was drafted for his ceiling.
Chances are good he will be fine long term if not ever truly worth the 6th overall selection. ---very few players ever are.

Mike Jenkins has started over 60 games in his career in a position where you gotta carry 4 guys to every game. He was a "solid" draft pick.

Felix Jones was the "bad" pick. he only "played" in 50 games total for his career and played a position where teams routinely get by with mid round picks.

Mo is not and will never be a good cover corner. He should not have been a top 10 pick to begin with. I don't think he will last much longer in the NFL because he can't cover and he can't tackle. Thats a bad combination if your a corner that was regarded as the 2nd coming of Deion.

 

[xwalker]

I like Hitchens but I'm wondering where he fits. We currently have 5 solid LBers on the roster and we'll probably only be able to keep 3 of them next year (McClain, Lee, Carter, Durant, Hitchens). And 3 of those guys will most likely be fighting for WLB (Lee, Durant, Hitchens). Lee will definitely be the starter but we'll need insurance if he goes out. I'd like to keep Durant because he's a leader and versatile, but I see us keeping Hitchens. And I don't know if we'll keep Carter. He might command too much money, and he likely would only play in the base defense (McClain and Lee would be our nickel LBers).

I think they re-sign Durant and McClain:
WLB Lee
MLB McClain
SLB Durant

Then Lee or Durant will get injured and Hitchens will replace the injured player.

I doubt that both Carter and Durant are re-signed. I don't get the feeling that Marinelli is a big fan of Carter.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Packaging your 1st and 2nd round picks on a cornerback, after you just signed one to a 50 million dollar contract, shows a glaring lack of understanding the game. You literally couldn't get less bang for your buck than that. It never stood a chance from the get go. Flush the money and the picks. It was a complete waste.

TOTAL COMPLETE WASTE.

Sorry but I never understood the pick. I was hoping for Mark Barron to be honest. If we had picked Barron our Safety situation would have been solved by now and we can use those 4th round picks on something else besides Safeties from small schools.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Hitchens is on a rookie deal he is going no where until 2018. I'm afraid that Carter may be the guy who is gone next season. Durant I think they can get a deal done at a decent cost, Ro will likely cost us more and then we have Carter not to mention the return of Lee so I think it comes down to Ro or Carter in terms of long term contracts

I agree Hitchens is going nowhere. But don't you think keeping Durant over Carter creates a logjam at WLB and a hole at SLB? Lee will be the WLB. Durant and Hitchens are more suited for WLB but can both play MLB if needed. Neither really seem like a SLB, which is the only position Carter really plays well. I think Hitchens' ceiling is a Durant. But if Carter commands a lot of money, I agree I see him gone. I also think Durant may have earned a look from another team at a starting position.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I think they re-sign Durant and McClain:
WLB Lee
MLB McClain
SLB Durant

Then Lee or Durant will get injured and Hitchens will replace the injured player.

I doubt that both Carter and Durant are re-signed. I don't get the feeling that Marinelli is a big fan of Carter.

Why do you think they filled in Wilber in Carter's role when Carter was injured? I just don't know if they view Hitchens or Durant as SLB. Both of them are clearly better than Wilber. Marinelli himself said Durant is more suited for WLB (but he did play both sides in Detroit, since the OLBs just stayed on the same side).

 

[crashintonickdm]

zach martin should've been a home run. you have to hit 1st round picks.

 

[xwalker]

Why do you think they filled in Wilber in Carter's role when Carter was injured? I just don't know if they view Hitchens or Durant as SLB. Both of them are clearly better than Wilber. Marinelli himself said Durant is more suited for WLB (but he did play both sides in Detroit, since the OLBs just stayed on the same side).

Durant was SLB last season. I think their top concern is getting the best player at WLB and MLB with SLB as an after thought.