BTB: Cowboys have the best player graded draft among all teams

[TheRat]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2013...s-all-seven-cowboys-draft-picks-as-2nd-to-3rd

 

[Teague31]

Yet yahoo sports gave us a F

 

[SportsGuru80]

I'm pleased with the overall value of this draft.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Yet yahoo sports gave us a F

Grades are so stupid, it takes 3 yrs to properly grade a draft

If 5 of the 7 are still on the team in 3 yrs, lets see what they say then

 

[big dog cowboy]

The entire draft class did not miss a single game due to injury, suspension or anything else in 2012. In contrast to previous drafts, where the Cowboys took calculated risks on injured players, this may be one of the healthiest draft classes in recent memory.

Holy moly.

 

[Nation]

It's a little alarming to see Seattle, Green Bay, New England, and San Fran towards the bottom of the average rankings list, as those are all teams that historically draft well.

 

[Nation]

But it does speak to the idea of a "middle class" on the Cowboys roster

 

[Parcells4Life]

To me considering there were only 20-25 AT MOST 1st round graded players, that means we did an outstanding job. Plus wasn't Magee ranked a 4th round pick?!

Obviously they're all "paper tigers" at this point but kudos to the scouting department. Nice when NFL.com ranks it as the best and not just people using the Cowboys own board.

 

[Keystone_Heavy]

It's a little alarming to see Seattle, Green Bay, New England, and San Fran towards the bottom of the average rankings list, as those are all teams that historically draft well.

New England is an interesting team. They have more drafted players flunk off their team than anyone else in the NFL, and have for a good while IIRC. Yet they still win. I think that its a case of the guys who ARE constants for them being really, really valuable.

Anyways, its good to see a source that thinks we got good value for our picks. I think, considering the positions that they play, every one of them will get a CHANCE to see a healthy amount of playing time. Lets hope they pan out.

 

[funkytown]

Draft started out crazy for us because we traded down with a top 5 talent sitting in our laps. Then we took a guy "draft experts" had rated as a 2nd or 3rd rounder at 31.

Frederick fills a huge need on this team. They may have reached a little, but offensive linemen were flying off the board. The rest of the draft they got great value at each pick. I'm happy with the overall draft class.

For once Jerry and Co. didnt go for a wow player and he gets killed. We are the most scrutinized organization in all of sports. No matter what we do we get criticized.

 

[big dog cowboy]

New England is an interesting team. They have more drafted players flunk off their team than anyone else in the NFL, and have for a good while IIRC. Yet they still win.

Let's see what happens when Tom Brady leaves.

 

[Nightman]

The media and some fans are having a field day with the idea Dallas panicked in the first round. They had multiple trade downs in place beforehand in case the draft went the way it did. None of their top guys were still there and they decided they could get TFred at 31 and picked up Williams in the process(who also had the highest grade of any of the picks). The run on OL/DL was unprecedented, but they were still ready. To get 7 2-3rd rated players when they only started with 6 picks is a very good draft.

 

[Hoofbite]

It's a little alarming to see Seattle, Green Bay, New England, and San Fran towards the bottom of the average rankings list, as those are all teams that historically draft well.

I don't think it is all that shocking. Picking at the end of the round means you have less to work with and the odds of catching a guy who's falling are likely less as well. The vast majority of the playoff teams are in the bottom half of that list.

Looking specifically at the 49ers, they had too many picks relative to the number of drafted players you'd expect to make their team. 11 picks and how many foreseeable spots available? Wouldn't shock me if they carpet bombed sleepers at the end of their draft just hoping that one of those guys could turn out. Three 7th round picks (2 of which are compensatory picks in the last 8 picks of the draft) will drop your average pretty significantly.

Any team with a higher than normal number of compensatory picks is gonna get dinged and any team that trades away their 7th rounder is likely to avoid getting dropped because of a horribly low rated player.

Atlanta had three 7th round compensatory picks and Seattle had two. They'd both be ranked significantly higher without having to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

Based on the rankings, Dallas did very well with their last 3 picks. Good value in the 3rd but not good in the 1st or 2nd. I think given the choice most teams would rather lose value or score a lower grade in the 6th or 7th round as opposed to the 1st or 2nd. There's an element of certainty with the grades in the 1st or 2nd that doesn't exist in the 6th or 7th round or even in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th.

All things considered, not too jacked with the start but a little more pleased with the finish. I wish the team would have gotten better value for the trade down and I wish they would have went another direction with the following 2 picks.

Frederick pick has grown on me though whereas the TE and WR are still picks I feel were luxury.

 

[Eskimo]

I am not convinced Escobar is quite the luxury pick that most here seem to think. I think Witten has lost a step definitively the last couple of years and is no longer that dangerous seam threat that guys like Gronk and Graham are presently. This accordingly has had a major effect on how defenses play us versus the risk of Witten burning them big downfield like he used to earlier in his career. Escobar should be able to bring that back to the team and should also allow Witten to have some breathers which he has rarely been afforded the last few years because no one could step into his shoes and contribute in the passing game.

I think we all also need to start accepting the notion that he may not play more than 2-3 more years. I'm not saying that as definite but he is going into his 11th season now and has absorbed a lot of punishment going over the middle. Even though Gonzo has been around longer and caught more balls he may have absorbed less punishment than Witten overall because of the style of his play.

I really hope that they manage to bring Escobar's blocking up to average status and I think Woicik will need to work on his strength and Wes Phillips will need to work a lot with him on his blocking technique.

As for Hanna, we do need 3 TEs and he brings something to the team that neither Witten or Escobar do. That is blazing speed that the defense cannot matchup with easily while still having some size and some blocking ability. We need to continue working packages to get him on the field given the headaches he seemed to be causing towards the end of the year.

 

[rwalters31]

Let's see what happens when Tom Brady leaves.

Maybe after this year when he finds out that Wes Welker has left the building.

 

[Smith22]

I am not convinced Escobar is quite the luxury pick that most here seem to think. I think Witten has lost a step definitively the last couple of years and is no longer that dangerous seam threat that guys like Gronk and Graham are presently. This accordingly has had a major effect on how defenses play us versus the risk of Witten burning them big downfield like he used to earlier in his career. Escobar should be able to bring that back to the team and should also allow Witten to have some breathers which he has rarely been afforded the last few years because no one could step into his shoes and contribute in the passing game.

I think we all also need to start accepting the notion that he may not play more than 2-3 more years. I'm not saying that as definite but he is going into his 11th season now and has absorbed a lot of punishment going over the middle. Even though Gonzo has been around longer and caught more balls he may have absorbed less punishment than Witten overall because of the style of his play.

I really hope that they manage to bring Escobar's blocking up to average status and I think Woicik will need to work on his strength and Wes Phillips will need to work a lot with him on his blocking technique.

As for Hanna, we do need 3 TEs and he brings something to the team that neither Witten or Escobar do. That is blazing speed that the defense cannot matchup with easily while still having some size and some blocking ability. We need to continue working packages to get him on the field given the headaches he seemed to be causing towards the end of the year.

excellent post. I love me some Witten, but we can't expect him to last forever. the man has taken some serious shots over the years

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I am not convinced Escobar is quite the luxury pick that most here seem to think. I think Witten has lost a step definitively the last couple of years and is no longer that dangerous seam threat that guys like Gronk and Graham are presently. This accordingly has had a major effect on how defenses play us versus the risk of Witten burning them big downfield like he used to earlier in his career. Escobar should be able to bring that back to the team and should also allow Witten to have some breathers which he has rarely been afforded the last few years because no one could step into his shoes and contribute in the passing game.

I think we all also need to start accepting the notion that he may not play more than 2-3 more years. I'm not saying that as definite but he is going into his 11th season now and has absorbed a lot of punishment going over the middle. Even though Gonzo has been around longer and caught more balls he may have absorbed less punishment than Witten overall because of the style of his play.

I really hope that they manage to bring Escobar's blocking up to average status and I think Woicik will need to work on his strength and Wes Phillips will need to work a lot with him on his blocking technique.

As for Hanna, we do need 3 TEs and he brings something to the team that neither Witten or Escobar do. That is blazing speed that the defense cannot matchup with easily while still having some size and some blocking ability. We need to continue working packages to get him on the field given the headaches he seemed to be causing towards the end of the year.

Very good point. I have no issues with grabbing Escobar as long as they actually use him. Given his frame and overall strengths, they will really be doing a disservice to him and the fans if they do anything other than put him in an Aaron Hernandez role in the offense.

 

[Cowboys22]

While I like the draft overall, this is a little misleading. All their picks were rated as 2nd-3rd round players and eventual starters which leads to an overall good grade but they didn't get a single player rated as a day 1 starter. All it really means is that per that rating, they reached in the first round, we're solid in the 2nd and 3rd, and got good value the rest of the way. They didn't reach for players no one ever heard of thinking they were smarter than everyone else.

 

[Miller]

Yet yahoo sports gave us a F

True, and while F is harsh, the critique was basically what every othe publication hinted at...reach in first, a S and WR who are raw and need a year or so and didn't address Dline or more Oline.


http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--2...--the-49ers-have-a-super-draft-222459529.html

It was less than six months ago that Dallas owner Jerry Jones put himself on notice as GM of the Cowboys, saying he would have fired himself. Well, based on the early returns from this year's NFL draft, Jones once again has cause for self-dismissal.
The Cowboys were the only team to earn a failing grade for their performance in the draft, an effort that included a trade down and the subsequent selection of a player they could have gotten rounds later.
For the most part, the NFC performed well, led by teams such as San Francisco, Minnesota, Atlanta and, yes, Tampa Bay.
Here's an early assessment of how the NFC teams fared:
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys

Travis Frederick (Getty)Analysis: Last year, the Cowboys received a B after an aggressive move up the board to get cornerback Morris Claiborne. This year they traded down, and the grade bottomed out with it. Three of first four picks are guys who might not play significantly this year. The consensus around the league is that Frederick was a reach. Escobar was a fine pick, but then Williams and Wilcox are two guys who might not play for two years. Considering the Cowboys have Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, Williams was an unnecessary luxury (particularly after the Escobar pick). Wilcox can be an in-the-box safety, but he’s so woefully inexperienced that it’s going to take awhile.

 

[Eddie]

Yes, amazing draft.

All our draftees were projected to be 2-3 round players.

We drafted a 3rd round player in the 1st round, and 2nd round players in rounds 4, 5, and 6.

I think I'm in the twilight zone.