A general consensus on Demarcus Lawrence....

[theSHOW]

Bottom line is this draft trade was for need. Not exactly the same as drafting for need but when you trade too much to get there it basically is the same as drafting for need.

The other problem with this trade is that it makes you have to hit on the top two guys you drafted just like the Claiborne year. If not the draft is garbage, much like the Claiborne year.

or much like the Frederick year.

 

[Iago33]

or much like the Frederick year.

Frederick was a trade down. We got Frederick + ... Lawrence was a trade up. We got Lawrence instead of 2 players. Why do people keep comparing the two trades?

 

[AsthmaField]

Frederick was a trade down. We got Frederick + ... Lawrence was a trade up. We got Lawrence instead of 2 players. Why do people keep comparing the two trades?

I think he was just basically saying, you hit on the trade (up or down) and it makes your draft... or if you miss on the trade (up or down) and it kills your draft.

Of course, I'm not him, so I'm guessing.

That is true though. Had Frederick not been a good player, everyone would have said that Dallas should have sat pat and taken the best player available, regardless of how the third rounder they gained turned out.

This year, if Lawrence turns out to be a bad player, people will say they should have stayed put and taken BPA and kept the 3rd.

Fortunately, Dallas scouted correctly on Frederick and he solidified the entire O line. He is a fantastic player. What made it even better is that Williams looks like one of the better WR's Dallas has drafted in a long time. I wouldn't trade either Frederick or Williams straight up for Floyd now. Either one of them looks like a better player than Floyd by a long shot.

Hopefully, Lawrence turns out as good as those guys. One thing that is encouraging to me is that Dallas has been doing real well with its evaluations for a while now. Their early picks have been money, except for Claiborne (possibly). However, they hadn't spent the time studying him like they should have because they never thought they'd have a shot at him. When they got a chance to go up real cheap, they simply went by common perception about Mo... which was that he was possibly the best defensive player in that draft. Dallas, however, hadn't done their due diligence on him so they should have passed.

Lawrence, like Frederick, Smith, Dez, Lee, and other recent picks, was one of the guys they spent a lot of time on... and after really looking long and hard at him, they had him rated as the 20th best player in this draft. That is encouraging.

If they scouted him correctly for their system, then the trade is a no doubt good move. I realize that you and others still see it as giving away another player... but I don't see it that way. I see it like Dallas coming out of the first 3 rounds with two blue chip players. I see Martin as one of the best OL that I've seen in recent years, and what is close to the final piece in one of the better OL in football... and I see Lawrence as a blue chip player at one of the most important positions (and one of the hardest to fill) on the team.

Honestly, a good pass rushing WDE is worth their weight in gold. He will do more for the defense than just about anyone else would. IF Dallas scouted correctly, that is. Recent history for both Dallas and Marinelli points to them being correct.

I look at it like this: In the last two 1st rounds, the last two 2nd rounds and the last two 3rd rounds, Dallas has come away with:

Travis Frederick
Zack Martin
DeMarcus Lawrence
Gavis Escobar
JJ Wilcox
and
Terrance Williams

That is 6 really good players/prospects and frankly, I'm happy with that group.

 

[Tex]

Their early picks have been money, except for Claiborne (possibly). However, they hadn't spent the time studying him like they should have because they never thought they'd have a shot at him

I dont believe that for a second. They scouted him they just may of missed. I dont think he is a bust YET but he might be. But it wont because they didnt scout him and study him. That would be beyond ridiculous. The Cowboys better be scouting every single player in the draft as the way things shake out on draft day can change big time in the last couple months before or even hours before the draft these days.

Tex