Can you believe we got Dez Bryant at 24?

[Mactin]

That is going to a top WR for years and years to come.

 

[XxTDxX]

I think people are also underestimating the importance of the fact that he did not participate in the combine. I think had he been in top form at the combine and running around making crazy catches people would have fell in love with him as a prospect and taken a risk on him earlier. He also weighed in at his pro day at 227 which was great for the Cowboys because he was bigger than he should have been and subsequently ran slow times. Dez's playing weight these days is about 215 so the added 12 lbs were helpful in aiding his draft day slide.

All in all a combination of no combine/poor pro day and his off the field issues were reasons he slid to 24 and I am not surprised he slid that far..

That being said, when you look at him from a talent standpoint he is a top 5 talent.. Easily more of a special talent coming out of school than guys like Justin Blackmon who went top 10. Only guy in recent years who was as good of a WR prospect in my opinion was Julio Jones.. AJ Green was also a great prospect but doesn't have the physical abilities like Dez and Julio.

So while his talent makes 24 seem ridiculous his pre draft performance and off the field issues make it seem reasonable.

 

[TwentyOne]

The four players you mention:

• Dez Bryant: Top 3 WR talent in the NFL, however, as late as the middle of last season there was talk of the Cowboys moving on from Dez and that he was never going to get it. Add to that the team of full time mansitters that had to be assigned to Dez to make sure he didn't get in trouble and I think it's understandable why he slid to 24.
• Lee: Would have been a 1st round pick if not for concerns about his injury history. That injury history has been concern as a Cowboy.
• Carter: Would have been a 1st round pick if not for concerns about his injury history. That injury history has been concern as a Cowboy.
  
• Murray: Would have been drafted higher if not for concerns about durability. Durability has been concern with Murray as a Cowboy.

As a whole - this group of 4 players you highlighted all have the potential to be top 5-10 in their positions in the NFL. Dez is already there. The other three have to provide they can do it on the fiend and not on the trainer's table.

Good post. And unlike others i'm not sold on Dez. He had a good second half season. First let him continue that for 1 or 2 more years and then im ready to celebrate.

 

[NumOneQB]

In terms of raw talent, he's the best player on the Cowboys roster without question. Now, can he stay focused and play at his highest level? We'll see....

 

[CowboysLover1234]

Not really, he was a trouble maker so I was not surprised he dropped, why would anybody be surprised?

 

[OhSnap]

That's hyperbole. Since when is 1100 yards and 9 TDs in your 3rd season considered a bust as a late first round WR. I actually think that's above average production myself.

I don't even think those numbers would be considered "bustish" for a top 10 WR.

Heck, even CJ was barely putting up those numbers in his 3rd season as the #2 overall pick and no one was calling him a bust.

I think the only thing people were saying about Bryant is that he wasn't playing up to his full potential yet and was showing some problems with making correct route adjustments.

Regardless, his numbers over his first 3 years in the league are in the elite category when you look at his numbers versus some of the all-time greats.

He progressed pretty much the same as all the greats. I think he just couldn't do it quick enough for Cowboy fans. They just didn't have anyone else to lean on while he was brought along so it was painfull to watch at times. Moss had Carter, Owens had Rice. Bryant had Williams He had to learn it by being thrown into the fire.

 

[OhSnap]

Not really, he was a trouble maker so I was not surprised he dropped, why would anybody be surprised?

How you figure he was a trouble maker? Suspended for lying about meeting Deon Sanders?

 

[ringmaster]

This.
He was not remotely a bust and was, in fact, already putting up great numbers given his experience.
The expectation were higher though, and he is finally matching or exceeding those expectations.

No he wasn't a bust at all before his monster resurgence last season he had like 10 TDs and 900 yards during the 2011 season and if that is considered a bust then I would take that every day and twice on Sunday.