A Look at the Current Depth Chart

[BAT]

They don't really have a lot invested at the guard position so much as they have a lot of bodies at the guard (and center) position.

Let's say they do draft DeCastro at 14, giving the Cowboys:

DeCastro
Livings
Bernadeau
Nagy
Arkin
Kowalski
Costa

7 guys competing for, what, 6 interior OL spots (3 starters, 3 reserves)? Pencil in DeCastro at RG and Livings at LG with potentially everyone else getting a shot at Center. Are you really going to lose any sleep if you have to cut ties with Phil Costa? Do you really think having to release one of the worst starting centers in the league last year is enough to make drafting DeCastro "not align with reality?"

Bernadeau is the guy that is getting starter's money. Not to mention Jerry has stated that he is looking for a pass rusher in the first round, specifically because he addressed the interior of the OL in the off season.

Jerry may be blowing smoke before the draft, but history tells us that Jerry always tips his hand.

For this very reason, Jerry will not draft a CB in the first round. Because he already invested resources to that position. Jerry's ego is such that he believes in his solutions and the draft will support that ego. Now, these positions (OG, CB, et al) may be addressed later to supplement his off season moves, but not to supplant them.

 

[theogt]

How is four years, $11 million starter money?

 

[Hoofbite]

How is four years, $11 million starter money?

It's not.

But supposedly Callahan told Bernadette that he was going to play one of the G positions.

 

[visionary]

Needs in order:

OC>OG>NT>DE>safety

 

[Oh_Canada]

Defensive line without question!

Next would be safety

Then interior OL

Cox
Brockers/Coples
Barron

I'm almost positive if we stay at 14 one of those 4 will be our guy

I'm with you except I don't see a good enough safety in the second round unless Harrison Smith falls to #45....which is very possible I guess.

I'd also be ok with a trade back for Konz in the first, but with the next two picks helping to shore up the "d"-any combo of Irvin, Reyes, McClelllin, Curry, Branch, Worthy, Crick, Winn and Smith would suit me fine.

 

[Dhragon]

It's not.

But supposedly Callahan told Bernadette that he was going to play one of the G positions.

Hopefully he told him he could compete for the spot and not just hand him the starter job outright. It would be stupid to tell a JAG that he got the starter job before that player could prove that he might be more than the JAG he had been.

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

It's not.

But supposedly Callahan told Bernadette that he was going to play one of the G positions.

He'll still need to win the job, reagdless of which position he ends up playing.

 

[kmd24]

I can't tell you how much I disagree with your post, but at the same time know the team agrees with you. I believe Brockers is going to be our pick. He shouldn't be, but probably will be.

God I hope not. Guy is going to be a monumental bust. I'd much rather see us take Cox there if he's available and we're set on DL. Both guys are going to be projects, but I'd rather have a project with a motor and work ethic than one who's big and, from what I understand, lazy.

I agree with you that Crick is much better value than either in the 2nd.

I would love to get a peek at Dallas' board just to see if they stick to BPA like they did last year and to see where they have DeCastro.

 

[JackWagon]

Defensive Front 7 should be the pick. Specifically DE or a stud NT. Of course Jerry thinks he is smarter than everyone else so he will get tricky and trade back / up or whatever and screw this up. Just watch.

 

[Mash]

I know nothing about the draft....I rarely watch college football...

But from what I have been reading and my personal preference.......I think we need to concentrate on the OL .....a pass rushing LB or DE.

I can live with Poole as our safety...same with Sensi ....another CB would be nice too.

So I guess.....1) OL 2) Pass Rusher 3) CB

Now it just comes down to who is there when are number is called at 14....my best best would be a trade down.

I dont want Brockers.....I dont want Poe.....I dont want a safety in the 1st round either....I just get a bad vibe with these guys....but then again...I know nothing about these players.

Im hoping for DeCastro but I really think he will be gone by the time our pick comes up.

A pass rushing stud would be my pick then. Hopefully a trade down if so.

JMHO

 

[Denim Chicken]

Man some of your guys must have been watching a different team than I was last year. I saw an offence, that had it’s issues, but kept us competitive in almost every game; and a defense which pretty much let the opposing team pass down the field at will. I’m hoping we stay at 14 and pick the best DE available.

 

[Idgit]

Man some of your guys must have been watching a different team than I was last year. I saw an offence, that had it’s issues, but kept us competitive in almost every game; and a defense which pretty much let the opposing team pass down the field at will. I’m hoping we stay at 14 and pick the best DE available.

This is a group that *****ed about Tony Romo, Jason Garrett, and the offense for the first five weeks of the season, then convinced themselves we were going to have a shot at the Superbowl over the next six weeks, then finally decided we didnt have a chance after all because of our secondary. It's no surprise there's little consensus about what to do to fix the roster.

 

[jterrell]

1st, great thread!!!

It speaks of why various people disagree about draftees.

I'd alter your depth chart list slightly:

OT...Smith, Free, Parnell (3, likely to carry 4.)
OG... Livings, Nagy, Arkin (4, Likely to carry 4.)
C...Bern, Kowalski, Costa (2, Likely to carry 2.)

We will likely try both Nagy and Bern at OC early.
Livings is one starting OG.
Arkin is trying to win a job at OG but goes in as the swing OG to start.

When I look OL and think like a GM I'd be more likely to take an OT in round 1 than an OG. Why? Because Free makes so much money. If I get a future starting RT at 20-45 (i.e. trade down or with R2 pick) I can cut Free and use his cash elsewhere in 2014. His cash would have brought Ben Grubbs (or any OG/OC not named Nicks) EASILY this year.

 

[Wulfman]

I realize that, for many of you, this is going to sound like something you've heard before. That would be because I've said it before.

A DE is NOT going to be the guy that gets an explosive push in the pass rush in a 3-4 defense most of the time. It's simply not their primary job function. Their job, along with the NT, is to stand their guy up and control their particular gap, allowing the LBs behind them to come in, move to the ball, and make the tackle without getting blocked by a 320+ lb. O-lineman. If they can get some push up the middle, that's great, as it helps to collapse the pocket. That's something Ratliff has done very well in his career, although it was certainly not as good as it has been in past years. But that rush is their secondary task, not their primary one.

The pass rush in this defense comes from the guys playing OLB, like D-Ware. Spencer is supposed to be the other guy, but at this point, he is what he is. And what he is at this point is an average pass-rusher who plays the run fairly well. If you have an elite secondary, that's good enough to get the job done most of the time. If you have the Cowboys' secondary, and that secondary is completely healthy, it might be good enough. If Jenkins is only 85% or they have an injury, it's nowhere near good enough. In that case, they would need to have better pressure opposite D-Ware.

I think the Cowboys are going to draft a C, but not in the first round. I agree on Blake, Hos, and think he's going to be their target in round 3 if he's there. And that's a good thing, because I think the C position is a huge question mark.

But I also think the pass rush has to be better, and that would mean someone who can, at the very least, rotate in and pin their ears back to get to the QB. If Melvin Ingram is there at #14, take him. But I'll be shocked if he's still on the board. If he's not, they should look to trade back to #20 or so, pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd rounder, and take the best available (according to your board) out of Barron, Upshaw, Mercilus, and Gilmore.

Since I think you can get by with Pool next to Sensabaugh, I likely go with Upshaw despite some of the negative stuff I've heard from his workout. I'm sure that Garrett & company picked Saban's mind about those guys. I'll also say this...if Garrett was convinced by Saban that Barron could be anywhere close to what Woodson was for us--especially since Jason played with Woody--I'll be shocked if he doesn't get the call, especially if they trade back.

Oh, and as for the D-line. Sorry guys, but as much as I'd like to improve the overall group, it simply isn't a high priority to me in this draft UNLESS someone with a first round grade slides to you at #45.

 

[Denim Chicken]

If they can get some push up the middle, that's great, as it helps to collapse the pocket.

Exactly what we need. Edge rush, IMO, was fine last year, but QBs simply stepped up in the pocket to avoid since there was no pressure up the middle. I cant count how many time I saw Ware end up behind the QB last year

 

[Wulfman]

Exactly what we need. Edge rush, IMO, was fine last year, but QBs simply stepped up in the pocket to avoid since there was no pressure up the middle. I cant count how many time I saw Ware end up behind the QB last year

That was true towards the end of the year, specifically, and was an indication that Ratliff was wearing down as the season went on. And I'm not saying that another D-lineman that can help in that rotation wouldn't be a good thing. But I disagree that our outside pressure was fine last year. It was fine on D-Ware's side. But I couldn't count the number of times that an above average pass rusher would have gotten to the QB for a strip, sack, or pressure, and Spencer simply didn't. He was close so many times without getting there that I was calling him "Almost" Spencer, and I wasn't the only one.

Elite pass rushers are more valuable and more likely to be taken in the first round of the draft than a 3-4 DE or NT unless they are ELITE. None of the D-linemen, with the possible exception of Coples, is really elite this year, and he's best suited for DE in a 4-3, IMHO.

 

[Denim Chicken]

That was true towards the end of the year, specifically, and was an indication that Ratliff was wearing down as the season went on. And I'm not saying that another D-lineman that can help in that rotation wouldn't be a good thing. But I disagree that our outside pressure was fine last year. It was fine on D-Ware's side. But I couldn't count the number of times that an above average pass rusher would have gotten to the QB for a strip, sack, or pressure, and Spencer simply didn't. He was close so many times without getting there that I was calling him "Almost" Spencer, and I wasn't the only one.

Elite pass rushers are more valuable and more likely to be taken in the first round of the draft than a 3-4 DE or NT unless they are ELITE. None of the D-linemen, with the possible exception of Coples, is really elite this year, and he's best suited for DE in a 4-3, IMHO.

I could be wrong, b/c I’m not really a stats guy, but I believe I recall that Spencer was average when compared to other #2 OLBs, but when you compare Spears/Hatcher/Coleman to other DEs, that where you see a significant drop off.

It’s tough to tell who will be elite at DE , but I think Cox has a tremendous upside and I like the fact that he can be moved around and got significant pressure up the middle in College.

 

[Woods]

That was true towards the end of the year, specifically, and was an indication that Ratliff was wearing down as the season went on. And I'm not saying that another D-lineman that can help in that rotation wouldn't be a good thing. But I disagree that our outside pressure was fine last year. It was fine on D-Ware's side. But I couldn't count the number of times that an above average pass rusher would have gotten to the QB for a strip, sack, or pressure, and Spencer simply didn't. He was close so many times without getting there that I was calling him "Almost" Spencer, and I wasn't the only one.

Elite pass rushers are more valuable and more likely to be taken in the first round of the draft than a 3-4 DE or NT unless they are ELITE. None of the D-linemen, with the possible exception of Coples, is really elite this year, and he's best suited for DE in a 4-3, IMHO.

One of the questions I have regarding Coples is whether he would actually prefer to play end in a 34. I think he could prefer playing end in a 43 instead. It's a more glamorous position, generally speaking. I don't know if he has motivational issues, like has been suggested by some. But I think it's important to know how his motor would run as a 34 end.

 

[Wulfman]

One of the questions I have regarding Coples is whether he would actually prefer to play end in a 34. I think he could prefer playing end in a 43 instead. It's a more glamorous position, generally speaking. I don't know if he has motivational issues, like has been suggested by some. But I think it's important to know how his motor would run as a 34 end.

I agree whole-heartedly, and I have heard some of those same whispers. Just don't think it's a good fit, for all that the guy looks to be a dynamic playmaker.

 

[kmd24]

I could be wrong, b/c I’m not really a stats guy, but I believe I recall that Spencer was average when compared to other #2 OLBs, but when you compare Spears/Hatcher/Coleman to other DEs, that where you see a significant drop off.

Spencer was tied for 12th/28 among 3-4 OLB's with 6 sacks.

I don't have an official source for pressures, but profootballfocus had him ranked 9th/28 in QB pressures with 35.

That's pretty good for the OLB not named Ware. I don't see a lot of guys to improve the position in the draft.