Complete Summary of Cowboys who were ranked Top 10 by GM/Coaches/Players in ESPN

[CouchCoach]

Sorry, any ranking that has our TE as the highest isn't accurate.

Schultz isn't the highest in anything.

 

[RS12]

DT

Top 3: Aaron Donald, Jeffery Simmons, Chris Jones

I am envious. All three teams in playoffs and they were a big part.

 

[CouchCoach]

Many times last year he was at LB because we needed help at LB
Rushing the passer all day takes him out of many of the run plays
I think Quinn is smarter than most of us here
He wants him making plays
That’s rushing on pass plays and stopping the run on run plays
Seems pretty logical to me
But some here think they are smarter than Quinn so they want him setting on the edge all day

Quinn re-invented himself as DC last year. Truly played the hand dealt him and I respect the hell out of that. He wasn't trying to fit square pegs in round holes like Nolan or Ryan did.

What intrigues me is him pulling out of the HC candidate ring to come back for this season. There might be something more to that we don't know but he evidently likes what he has to work with on the D side.

Quinn showed the league something last year. He liked the Cover 3 but he changed to fit his personnel and he put his guys in their best positions to be successful.

Shame that came apart when the Niners came to town and everybody knew exactly what they had to do to win and they did it. That day, Shanahan outcoached Quinn.

 

[Techsass]

I think we’ll be better against the run this year. I expect bigger contributions from several youngsters.

I don't know if I "expect" that. I certainly hope for it but I have seen plenty of these promising rising youngsters fizzle.

I do think the Cowboys are going to have to prove that they can stop the run and smart OC's are going to want Parsons tackling their RB's, not their QB. At the speed he can achieve in such a short distance, he can bring some pain.

If we don't see any improvement against the run, my opinion of Quinn is going to take a nose dive.

 

[Nav22]

Dalton Schultz - Versatile Blocking.

I believe that invalids all of these rankings, no?

“Invalidates” is the word there, Laughingstock.

Be careful with those big words.

 

[Nav22]

Dak doesn’t have a top-10 RB or a top-10 WR, according to NFL personnel.

So much for the “DURRR HE HAS SO MUCH HELP” excuse for his inevitable success in 2022.

 

[john van brocklin]

This is a famous annual article ESPN publishes where they claim to have anonymously questioned many execs, coaches and players in the league to rank the top 10 at positions.

Players can show up in the top 10, or Honorable Mention, which means someone put them in Top 10, but not enough voters.

Good confirmations on players discussed in forums. You can see on some players, the NFL is just as flip-flop as the forum.

Six players ranked in top ten. Three players with Honorable Mentions, near top ten.

OFFENSE

QB

Top 3: Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen
Cowboys: Dak Prescott #10 (highest vote - #7, lowest vote - out of top 10, last year ranked #7)
Comments: Good but not Great, Has to prove he can play well in Playoffs, Good pocket poise, Always deadly when they space the field, Sometimes needs an extra hitch to confirm things but usually good decision maker

RB

Top 3: Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott Honorable Mention (last year in top 10)
Comments: Burst is gone

WR

Top 3: Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, Ja'marr Chase
Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb Honorable Mention
Comments: On cusp of Top 10, So talented that game comes easy, Can break off multiple guys for a TD
FYI - Amari Cooper not voted by anyone

TE

Top 3: George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Darren Waller
Cowboys: Dalton Schultz #8 (highest vote - #5, lowest vote - out of top 10, last year not on list)
Comments: Dependable, Versatile Blocking, Good Hands, Can handle multiple roles - catching & blocking, Not dynamic but solid

OT

Top 3: Trent Williams, Tristan Wirfs, David Bakhtiari
Cowboys: Tyron Smith #5 (highest vote - #1, lowest vote - out of top 10, last year #9)
Comments: Old & injured but still one of the best, Athleticism & Strength accented by savvy and toughness
FYI - La'el Collins not voted by anyone

OG/C

Top 3: Quenton Nelson, Zack Martin, Brandon Scherff
Cowboys: Zack Martin #2 (highest vote - #1, lowest vote #7, last year #2)
Comments: Smarter than %*#$#, Never have to worry about him when he's one-on-one, Doesn't miss assignments, Knows his body, Knows when to push and when to back off, Quintessential Guard

DEFENSE

EDGE

Top 3: T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa
Cowboys: Demarcus Lawrence Honorable Mention
Comments: Many teams wanted him if he was going to be a cap cut, He's like what Clowney was in Houston and used all over place now, If he's healthy still highly productive, King on chessboard
FYI - Randy Gregory not voted by anyone

DT

Top 3: Aaron Donald, Jeffery Simmons, Chris Jones
Cowboys: None
Comments: N/A

LB

Top 3: Darius Leonard, Micah Parsons, Fred Warner
Cowboys: Micah Parsons #2 (highest vote - #1 Lowest vote #10 (?? i guess some confused by position??), last year N/A)
Comments: He's not on off-ball-LB, he's a 3-4 OLB that DC schemes into opportunities, If Dallas does anything but let him rush then they are crazy, Best playmaker on this list, Incredible talent, Great speed

S

Top 3: Justin Simmons, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kevin Byard
Cowboys: None
Comments: N/A

CB

Top 3: Jalen Ramsey, Marshon Lattimore, Jaire Alexander
Cowboys: Trevon Diggs #10 (highest vote - #3, Lowest vote - out of top ten, last year N/A)
Comments: Boom or Bust, Love his instincts but if it cost big plays I don't like the interceptions, He'll get better as he learns from chances he took, Getting interceptions on plays that more seasoned corners would play soundly with less risk

Great info!

 

[CowboyFrog]

As far as Parsons is concerned, until the other 10 prove they can stop the run, he will not be a pure pass rusher.

Not defending the run in the playoffs beat the Cowboys and every OC that will face them knows that.

Ding ding ding....one edge rusher is very easy to scheme when you can run the ball for 5 ypc on a defense.

 

[xwalker]

Never understood why some think he can't block. I don't agree with that at all. Blocking assessments in general seem to be all over the place on these forums.

His blocking issues are odd.

He is decent inline vs DEs but terrible blocking anybody including CBs in the open field.

 

[xwalker]

I'm fine with moving him around as long as he's rushing the passer 90% of the time and doing what he is the best player in the NFL at doing.

They were 2-2 when Parsons played more snaps at DE than at LB...

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

They were 2-2 when Parsons played more snaps at DE than at LB...

What 4 games was that?

 

[VaqueroTD]

Thanks for doing that. Did they capsule that with the teams that put the most players in the top 10 and HM? The Rams have 3 in the top 3 with 2 at 1.

No. Didn't see any summaries. I might count when I get a chance and let you know. The usual suspects on there, and most Playoff teams did have a good amount. Tennessee was one team that seemed to be on there a lot.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Yawn..............yet another list that has Dak top 10.

Curious comment on Dak in the playoffs as he played well in his first 3 playoff games. Last year was the first year he didnt have a good game. Selective memory.

I paraphrased it. I think what they meant more than anything was "go far in Playoffs."

 

[CowboyRoy]

I paraphrased it. I think what they meant more than anything was "go far in Playoffs."

I read it but..............yah its clear that the only thing holding Dak back from being up much higher on these lists is the team success.

Those that understand football know the guy is clearly top 7.

 

[starfan1]

Dak doesn’t have a top-10 RB or a top-10 WR, according to NFL personnel.

So much for the “DURRR HE HAS SO MUCH HELP” excuse for his inevitable success in 2022.

Ya I think their continuous claim is the #1 pick on the lines and since we have another unless we get more success we’ll continue to hear what they spew

even if Dak is down the list of concerns he’ll get blamed it is what it is

gives them something to start a bunch of threads on

 

[JBond]

Regarding Micah:

"He's not on off-ball-LB, he's a 3-4 OLB that DC schemes into opportunities, If Dallas does anything but let him rush then they are crazy, Best playmaker on this list, Incredible talent, Great speed"

Some of us have been preaching this since about Week 3 of last season. Yet, a good portion here desperately want to see him covering TE2 15 yards from the ball and away from the play for some reason.

Who wants him covering TE2? He does have coverage skills and can cover the elite TEs.

 

[conner01]

His blocking issues are odd.

He is decent inline vs DEs but terrible blocking anybody including CBs in the open field.

Blocking in space is much more difficult
Witten was much better blocking on the line
I guess because the guy can move around and you really have to match those moves to square up on him
But his blocking isn’t as bad as some here think, especially as you said his inline blocking is ok, not great but ok

 

[VaqueroTD]

For those who wanted to know the team allotments:

- Buccaneers with most players in Top 10 and overall
- Chargers, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers and Browns all next in line for Top 10, see below
- Eagles most talented team ranked in NFC East after us, Giants and Commanders very few players ranked
- Some surprises like only 1 Patriot
- Last year's Super Bowl Champs may only have 5 in Top Ten, but they are all in the prime positions - QB, WR, DT, CB and MLB. Only missing an OT and EDGE.


AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Miami Dolphins (3 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New England Patriots (1 Top Ten)
New York Jets (3 Honorable Mentions)


AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Cincinnati Bengals (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Cleveland Browns (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Pittsburgh Steelers (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans (1 Top Ten)
Indianapolis Colts (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Tennessee Titans (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC WEST
Denver Broncos (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Kansas City Chiefs (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Las Vegas Raiders (4 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Chargers (7 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys (6 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)

New York Giants (2 Honorable Mentions)

Philadelphia Eagles (3 Top Ten, 5 Honorable Mentions)

Washington Commanders (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)


NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (1 Top Ten)
Detroit Lions (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Green Bay Packers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Minnesota Vikings (3 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Carolina Panthers (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New Orleans Saints (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Rams (5 Top Ten)
San Francisco 49ers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Seattle Seahawks (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)

 

[Motorola]

For those who wanted to know the team allotments:

- Buccaneers with most players in Top 10 and overall
- Chargers, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers and Browns all next in line for Top 10, see below
- Eagles most talented team ranked in NFC East after us, Giants and Commanders very few players ranked
- Some surprises like only 1 Patriot
- Last year's Super Bowl Champs may only have 5 in Top Ten, but they are all in the prime positions - QB, WR, DT, CB and EDGE. Only missing an OT.


AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Miami Dolphins (3 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New England Patriots (1 Top Ten)
New York Jets (3 Honorable Mentions)


AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Cincinnati Bengals (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Cleveland Browns (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Pittsburgh Steelers (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans (1 Top Ten)
Indianapolis Colts (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Tennessee Titans (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC WEST
Denver Broncos (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Kansas City Chiefs (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Las Vegas Raiders (4 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Chargers (7 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys (6 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)

New York Giants (2 Honorable Mentions)

Philadelphia Eagles (3 Top Ten, 5 Honorable Mentions)

Washington Commanders (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)


NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (1 Top Ten)
Detroit Lions (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Green Bay Packers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Minnesota Vikings (3 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Carolina Panthers (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New Orleans Saints (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Rams (5 Top Ten)
San Francisco 49ers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Seattle Seahawks (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)

For those who wanted to know the team allotments:

- Buccaneers with most players in Top 10 and overall
- Chargers, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers and Browns all next in line for Top 10, see below
- Eagles most talented team ranked in NFC East after us, Giants and Commanders very few players ranked
- Some surprises like only 1 Patriot
- Last year's Super Bowl Champs may only have 5 in Top Ten, but they are all in the prime positions - QB, WR, DT, CB and EDGE. Only missing an OT.


AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Miami Dolphins (3 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New England Patriots (1 Top Ten)
New York Jets (3 Honorable Mentions)


AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Cincinnati Bengals (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Cleveland Browns (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Pittsburgh Steelers (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans (1 Top Ten)
Indianapolis Colts (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Tennessee Titans (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)


AFC WEST
Denver Broncos (4 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Kansas City Chiefs (4 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Las Vegas Raiders (4 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Chargers (7 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys (6 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)

New York Giants (2 Honorable Mentions)

Philadelphia Eagles (3 Top Ten, 5 Honorable Mentions)

Washington Commanders (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)


NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (1 Top Ten)
Detroit Lions (1 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Green Bay Packers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Minnesota Vikings (3 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)
Carolina Panthers (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
New Orleans Saints (5 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8 Top Ten, 3 Honorable Mentions)


NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals (2 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Los Angeles Rams (5 Top Ten)
San Francisco 49ers (6 Top Ten, 2 Honorable Mentions)
Seattle Seahawks (3 Top Ten, 1 Honorable Mention)

VanqueroTD - many thanks to you for this post.
Will file it away to refer back to it six months from now - Wildcard weekend of the NFL Playoffs.

 

[VaqueroTD]

VanqueroTD - many thanks to you for this post.
Will file it away to refer back to it six months from now - Wildcard weekend of the NFL Playoffs.

Yeah, I'm looking at it wondering if it means anything on predictions. Going by their rankings, Eagles and Chargers look like good bets to go from no playoffs to something.

Would pick the Browns too if knew Watson was going to play. A lot of bad luck last year for them.