2015 NFL Draft grades....

[Risen Star]

Put them in here.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/05/02/2015-nfl-draft-grades-winners-losers

Dallas Cowboys: B

Dallas had a desperate need for better cornerback play, and it stepped up with the 27th pick to select Connecticut's Byron Jones, a workout warrior who did wonders at the combine but looks pretty good on tape, too. Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory fell out of the first round due to off-field concerns, but Jerry Jones was ready and willing to grab him with the 60th pick. Gregory has freakish speed, but at 6'5" and with a playing weight of around 225 pounds, he'll have to put on some bulk to deal with NFL blockers. Dallas signed right tackle Doug Free to a new deal this off-season, which gives third-rounder Chaz Green from Florida time to develop. He could wind up as Free's eventual replacement.—DF

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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...guars-dolphins-ravens-cardinals-score-highest

Dallas Cowboys

Best Pick: It has to be their first, corner Byron Jones from Connecticut. He is a good cover player who fills a major need. They had to be happy he was there when they picked.

Questionable move: Taking Randy Gregory in the second round. I like the move, but it is one that will be questioned with Gregory's off-field concerns. I think he might end up paying off big time.

Third-day gem: Fifth-round defensive end Ryan Russell has the look of a nice edge player, but he doesn't always produce. Can the Cowboys get it out of him on regular basis? If so, they could have a backup player.

Analysis: This draft will be defined by how Gregory turns things around. If he can do that, it will be a great draft. If not, big miss. I do like Jones a lot. Gregory is the key.

Grade: B-

 

[Risen Star]

My own grade....

I said going in if CB was the pick in round 1, I wanted it to be Byron Jones. I personally don't care about his workouts, I care more about his position flex. He gives you options now and down the road. I took Gregory off my board after failing the combine drug test. To steal Todd! Todd! Todd! Todd! Todd! McShay's term, it's the double D. Dumb or dependent. I don't want that kind of player in the locker room. However you can not dismiss the talent. It's boom or bust with the eventual outcome greatly impacting the overall grade of this class. I like Chaz Green, just not in the 3rd round. He was kind of the poor man's Cameron Erving in this class. Another case of position flexibility. Jeremy Langford was still on the board. That stings but it's tough for me to really criticize this pick with as much value as I see having Green on this roster.

Damien Wilson is a scheme fit if not value at the choice. A run and chase backer. It didn't surprise me we liked him, but again I thought there were better options on the board. Russell is interesting. He offers potential versatility, which seems to be a theme for this class. This must be a pet cat of the defensive coaches as Russell is a career underachiever so far. I didn't get the Nzeocha pick. He's athletic but extremely raw and more of an UDFA. Hated the pick. I thought Gibson was a nice flyer in the 7th round. He's got potential on the left side. That's big. The trade back into the round costing a 2016 6th round pick for Swaim seems wasteful to me. Sure, there's a spot for a blocking TE on the roster but that's something I think you can take care of in UDFA or even after cuts in the preseason.

Overall I think it's more of a C type class, grading conservatively on Gregory. If he pans out, the grade goes up.

 

[darthseinfeld]

My own grade....

I said going in if CB was the pick in round 1, I wanted it to be Byron Jones. I personally don't care about his workouts, I care more about his position flex. He gives you options now and down the road. I took Gregory off my board after failing the combine drug test. To steal Todd! Todd! Todd! Todd! Todd! McShay's term, it's the double D. Dumb or dependent. I don't want that kind of player in the locker room. However you can not dismiss the talent. It's boom or bust with the eventual outcome greatly impacting the overall grade of this class. I like Chaz Green, just not in the 3rd round. He was kind of the poor man's Cameron Erving in this class. Another case of position flexibility. Jeremy Langford was still on the board. That stings but it's tough for me to really criticize this pick with as much value as I see having Green on this roster.

Damien Wilson is a scheme fit if not value at the choice. A run and chase backer. It didn't surprise me we liked him, but again I thought there were better options on the board. Russell is interesting. He offers potential versatility, which seems to be a theme for this class. This must be a pet cat of the defensive coaches as Russell is a career underachiever so far. I didn't get the Nzeocha pick. He's athletic but extremely raw and more of an UDFA. Hated the pick. I thought Gibson was a nice flyer in the 7th round. He's got potential on the left side. That's big. The trade back into the round costing a 2016 6th round pick for Swaim seems wasteful to me. Sure, there's a spot for a blocking TE on the roster but that's something I think you can take care of in UDFA or even after cuts in the preseason.

Overall I think it's more of a C type class, grading conservatively on Gregory. If he pans out, the grade goes up.

I knock the class because of no HB, but there is a good, maybe very good chance it produces 4 starters within two years in Jones, Gregory, Green and Willis. Those are good results. Willis could be the first, as I think he is a better fit at SAM then Hitchens and could see him winning that out of camp. Too bad we lost Rawls, I actually think he could have pushed Randle for the starting job

 

[waving monkey]

Reasonable analysis RS.There are a couple of puzzling picks a little underwhelming after the third pick.
Gregory I am high as a kite on and yes he has to prove a lot but its pot smoking and not stealing,fighting
and he shows good locker room behavior. I am very hopeful for the kid. This entire off season we really
addressed significant needs and I bet we're not finished. Good review

 

[tm1119]

Byron Jones was a very good pick. To me the only 2 options were Brown and Jones, and while I may have preferred Brown I by no means have a problem with Jones. Not often you see a kid with his athletic traits with such a good head on their shoulders. He should have a bright future in Big D. A

Gregory I'm fine with in the 2nd...I know he didn't really have any other option but he was definitely saying all the right things at the draft. Hopefully he really does want and get the Dez treatment so we don't have to worry about him getting in trouble. The reward far outweighs the risk on this pick. A

I've said it a bunch already but Chaz Green was the only pick I really didn't like. Not in the 3rd at least. He seemed like an obvious need pick vs bpa. We went into the draft needing a swing tackle and when a few guys went earlier than expected we took a guy who they liked at a spot that was probably a round + early. Not the end of the world but I definitely think we passed on a handful of guys who were much better prospects overall. D-

Wilson in the 4th wasnt even on my radar so not much for me to say here. The fit is a little puzzling for me as I thought we already payed free agents to play the role he will. Future depth was needed though I guess as Brinkley, Rivers, McClain, and probably even Lee aren't here for the long term. I'll just have to go with Rod/Eberflus/Bisaccia on this 1 since they proved me wrong last year. Certainly would not have been my choice here but I won't call it a bad pick. C

I was a fan of Russell throughout the process and even made a post with a bunch of guys I thought could be steals late that included him. He's long, has good bulk, and adequate athleticism. Keep him in a 4-3 his JR and SR year and I think his draft stock would have been a lot different. Good pick here. B+

Nzeocha seems like a waste of a pick but it's the 7th so it's whatever.

Gibson is a solid potential pick who could be an NFL LT if everything goes well for him.

Also don't understand why we used next year's 6th for a TE that most likely would have been an UDFA.

I'll give the 7th a C.

Overall I'd give this class a B-. We missed an opportunity to get a good front 7 player in the 3rd that could contribute right away and become an eventual starter imo.

 

[Macnalty]

Nzeocha IMO is the kamikaze glass eater for special teams he is a new kind of crazy on the field now that Harris has departed, personality very much like the kicker we had a couple of years ago that would race the DB's and beat them, David Buehler.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I've said it a bunch already but Chaz Green was the only pick I really didn't like. Not in the 3rd at least. He seemed like an obvious need pick vs bpa. We went into the draft needing a swing tackle and when a few guys went earlier than expected we took a guy who they liked at a spot that was probably a round + early. Not the end of the world but I definitely think we passed on a handful of guys who were much better prospects overall. D-

He could be our starting ROT next year. A D- is not just an exageration, is an extreme one.

 

[tm1119]

He could be our starting ROT next year. A D- is not just an exageration, is an extreme one.

just because we drafted him you're slotting him as the possible starting RT next year? THAT is what I call an extreme exaggeration. The is no argument that he wasn't the top rated player on the board, but rather the player the front office liked best at a position of need. That's not how a team should draft in my opinion.

Honesty question...did you ever even watch Green play before we drafted him?

 

[CowboyChris]

Grade D

While i would've liked to have had Gurley or Gordon in the 1st, they simply went to high for us, I'm not knocking the team for that, but fate wasnt on our side, especially since RB's havent been going in the 1st round lately. Very Unfortunate, example: Jets got an early XMAS with Williams falling to them. We got no favors.

Byron Jones

I dont know how many of you really knew this guy before the combine, i know i didnt, amazing workout and the broad jump is sensational, but is he truly just a guy who shot up the draft boards cause of that combine performance? I felt CB was one of our biggest needs going into the draft, his position versratilty is nice, best case scenario is he starts at rcb and Scandrick can get back to covering the slot. NOTE: wouldve preferred Malcolm Brown here.

Randy Gregory

It's pretty stupid failing a drug test before the combine as many of us stated. I was against taking him and probably would've took him off the board completely, his weight of 225-230 whatever he is, Is a concern of mine, I dont like the feeling about worrying about a player staying out of trouble, that will follow Gregory for along time. but after listening to his interviews before and after the selection, I saw a guy who knows he messed up, and looks the part of really wanting to clean himself up and become a player in this league, i truly believe that. I dont expect him to be an every down player, i would be happy if he comes in on passing downs and brings pressure and force offenses to have to account for him.

Chaz Green

Intially I didnt like this pick in this round, i felt he was taken a round or 2 early, but I understand the thought process here with Parnell moving on, Green seems to look like a good prospect, I hope he comes to camp and pushes Free for RT, A 3rd rounder in my books should be able to come in and start for us, I dont see that in Green at least not intially. NOTE: At the time i was really hoping for a DT here, Xavier Cooper, Bennett, and my pet cat Jarrett were all available.

SO after the first 3 rounds what have we netted? A CB/S who should get playing time whether its corner or safety, a DE who needs to stay clean and bulk up, who will not start and come in on passing situations, and a backup T who will be our swing tackle. how does that make you feel??

Day 3, I heard Norm Hitzges say he wouldve traded all our picks from round 4-7 for Duke Johnson, Im not sure that wouldnt have been a good idea, neverthless lets look.

Damien Wilson

Last year i made the point several times, that Hitchens was every bit as valuable to us as was Zach Martin, lot of people have referenced Wilson to a Hitchens type player, I'm cool with that as Hitchens is one of my favorite players on this team already, BUT i didnt see the need to take a LBer here, especially since we spent some resources in FA in 3 other LB's and resigning McClain. it kinda sucked that Buck Allen and Mike Davis both went right in front of us here, our war room was asleep here. and again Jarrett and Bennett were available.


Ryan Russell

First thing i read about him was "Classic example of a "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" guy in college. Wasn´t as productive as tools would indicate but worth a flier. Stopped reading after that. wouldve preferred a CB, DT, maybe even a OG. Dont see the need here, we're crowded at DE as we are at LB.

7th Round
Mark Nzeocha, Laurence Gibson, Geoff Swaim

I'm a little intrigued with Swaim cause I always thought an upgrade at blocking TE is needed.

I'll wrap all this up with a couple of points:

I'm tired of hearing this term position flexability, ie the guy can play outside and can also play inside, can play LB but also give you a good special teamer, can play T and can move to guard, i value that, BUT i dont like it when that player is mediocre at both.

Noone can give an accurate grade at this point on anyones draft, we all have our opinions, so for now my grade is low, but that doesnt mean we had a bad draft.

 

[Derinyar]

I wonder if this is the case.

NFL process : scouts are assigned to given areas and watch tape from the teams in their area pretty consistently. They know who the guys from smaller schools are early. They then wait to see if the measurables at the combine match up to what they are seeing on tape to confirm what draft grade they think they see on the guy.

Media process : they probably don't have the time to watch football games from every school consistently so likely stick to the power schools in the power conferences mostly. Then the combine happens and a guy from a smaller school has great numbers. They then start watching tape of that guy to see if its just workout of if the talent shows on the tape. When the talent shows on the tape he starts shooting up the board.

Byron Jones had great workout numbers at the combine, but according to most media scouts he also had very good tape to back it up.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

YEAH ...

..they get a B+ from me, but this Draft could fall off or jump up for a lot more reasons than Randy Gregory.

 

[ThreeandOut]

Damien Wilson

Last year i made the point several times, that Hitchens was every bit as valuable to us as was Zach Martin, lot of people have referenced Wilson to a Hitchens type player, I'm cool with that as Hitchens is one of my favorite players on this team already, BUT i didnt see the need to take a LBer here, especially since we spent some resources in FA in 3 other LB's and resigning McClain. it kinda sucked that Buck Allen and Mike Davis both went right in front of us here, our war room was asleep here. and again Jarrett and Bennett were available.

Every year there are highly rated players that end up getting drafted much later than expect (e.g. Jarrett and Bennett). When a player starts falling into the 5th round (or later), the teams are delivering a pretty clear verdict on what they think about that prospect. In most cases, the teams are correct in their evaluations and the media evaluations are wrong. These players may seem like bargains now, but chances are they won't be considered bargains two years from now.

 

[Gaede]

Failure to get a running back and instead grabbing prospective backups drops the grade for me

The team 'let the draft come to them' and in doing so missed out on several good RB prospects.

I'm a big fan of the Gregory pick because of the upside, but part of me is wondering whether we would've been better served grabbing Duke or Coleman at that pick instead.

I think when all is said done, we'll get three contributors from this draft.

C

 

[big dog cowboy]

just because we drafted him you're slotting him as the possible starting RT next year? THAT is what I call an extreme exaggeration.

No I listen and read what is written and said about him from the Cowboy brass. This isn't that hard to figure out. He is taking Parnells place this year as the swing tackle. It's got nothing to do with me and my opinion. Zero exaggeration.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

I like how people freak out about passing Bennett and Jarrett. Newsflash: everyone passed them up numerous times. Their grades were wrong.

No running back is equitable to a top pass rusher.

 

[tm1119]

No I listen and read what is written and said about him from the Cowboy brass. This isn't that hard to figure out. He is taking Parnells place this year as the swing tackle. It's got nothing to do with me and my opinion. Zero exaggeration.

My point was let's see him step on the field before we anoint him anything. As of right now he's a rookie that has a lot to learn.

 

[big dog cowboy]

My point was let's see him step on the field before we anoint him anything. As of right now he's a rookie that has a lot to learn.

Oh I absolutely agree with that. But I will add that I like what I heard.

 

[jobberone]

I don't think Green is the swing tackle this year. Weems is the swing tackle IMO. Green is the heir apparent at RT and was a good pick due to Free's health issues and age. Also, he costs less. Not so long ago most everyone was laughing at Free and throwing him under the bus. I've always said he was a solid player but one who could be replaced or upgraded. This is a clear sign we are ready at some point to move on from Free in the next two years ASSUMING Green is truly a RT who just needs work on his technique. The draft in the third says what they think.

The first two picks were need picks but can be looked at as a player in the tier they picked. Gregory is clearly a top ten talent without the off field issues but it is what it is. He fell into the second and that's probably where he belonged.

Those saying players in the third should start just aren't looking at the facts. I've posted charts and graphs as well as analysis of same for several years on what to expect from players picked in the first two days including by position. Third rounds picks generally don't start although some contribute.

I don't know the other players well enough to comment. I will say if you get significant snaps from a player after round four you have done your homework and gotten a bit lucky.

 

[Future]

If ever there was a year where you need to wait 3 years before you judge a draft class, this is it.

Russell, Nzeocha and Gibson all have high ceilings and could be contributors. Green could end up starting this year if Free gets hurt.

I think there's a ton of potential to really love in this class, even if there are only a couple of guys making contributions right away.

 

[sureletsrace]

Byron Jones was a very good pick. To me the only 2 options were Brown and Jones, and while I may have preferred Brown I by no means have a problem with Jones. Not often you see a kid with his athletic traits with such a good head on their shoulders. He should have a bright future in Big D. A

Gregory I'm fine with in the 2nd...I know he didn't really have any other option but he was definitely saying all the right things at the draft. Hopefully he really does want and get the Dez treatment so we don't have to worry about him getting in trouble. The reward far outweighs the risk on this pick. A

I've said it a bunch already but Chaz Green was the only pick I really didn't like. Not in the 3rd at least. He seemed like an obvious need pick vs bpa. We went into the draft needing a swing tackle and when a few guys went earlier than expected we took a guy who they liked at a spot that was probably a round + early. Not the end of the world but I definitely think we passed on a handful of guys who were much better prospects overall. D-

Wilson in the 4th wasnt even on my radar so not much for me to say here. The fit is a little puzzling for me as I thought we already payed free agents to play the role he will. Future depth was needed though I guess as Brinkley, Rivers, McClain, and probably even Lee aren't here for the long term. I'll just have to go with Rod/Eberflus/Bisaccia on this 1 since they proved me wrong last year. Certainly would not have been my choice here but I won't call it a bad pick. C

I was a fan of Russell throughout the process and even made a post with a bunch of guys I thought could be steals late that included him. He's long, has good bulk, and adequate athleticism. Keep him in a 4-3 his JR and SR year and I think his draft stock would have been a lot different. Good pick here. B+

Nzeocha seems like a waste of a pick but it's the 7th so it's whatever.

Gibson is a solid potential pick who could be an NFL LT if everything goes well for him.

Also don't understand why we used next year's 6th for a TE that most likely would have been an UDFA.

I'll give the 7th a C.

Overall I'd give this class a B-. We missed an opportunity to get a good front 7 player in the 3rd that could contribute right away and become an eventual starter imo.

You practically thieved the words from my mouth. Agreed.