Could somebody explain to me why this team drafted a TE in the 2nd round?

[Chasing6]

Team drafted a TE in the very early rounds as high as the 2nd round because .. apparently at the time, they obviously did not
trust or have faith in TE Jake Ferguson.
Not convinced from what little flash or substance that they observed from Ferguson.

To this day i wonder if there could have been mixed views within the organization that suggest we were divided upon needing a new, starting TE,
or could they trust what they saw in Ferguson.
It became apparent that the doubt side won and the word was out that we were frafting a TE .. no matter what.

In fact, Schoomaker was Not the TE, Source reports says the TE the Cowboys really coveted ... that was actually Lions TE Sam Laporta.
who picked Laporta early than before the Cowboys in that 2nd round.
Laporta is not big in blocking, but he creates separation vs coverage, has great knack for pass game, and can run after the catch.
And all indications he will be an annual Pro Bowler for years to come.

Yes, it's too early to judge Schoon, and we just have not seen his best work in pass game. but in this Mac offense early on, he's being used much more
as an in-line blocker than a weapon threat receiver. Only just a handful of catches is not enuff to get the best clue of him and his potential.

Why did they bring Witten out of retirement? They did not trust Schultz.

So if your second TE is only a blocker, just send out another lineman. Who are we fooling???

 

[xwalker]

why this team drafted a tight end in the second round. That ruined the whole draft for me. Could have gotten a linebacker or an offensive lineman, positions of need. I just didn't get it. Please let me know your opinion on this.

Over-focusing on need has caused more draft fails than any other draft strategy.

If they draft a great player, then the position does not matter.

A better question is "Why did they draft Luke Schoonmaker?"

One of their favorite players in the draft was TE Sam LaPorta.
- They didn't draft him because they had DT and OT has higher value positions.
- They debated between a DT (Mazi) and an OT and ended up picking Mazi with the 1st round pick.

LaPorta made All-Pro and the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

They should have picked LaPorta instead of Mazi despite need or position value.

 

[xwalker]

Team drafted a TE in the very early rounds as high as the 2nd round because .. apparently at the time, they obviously did not
trust or have faith in TE Jake Ferguson. Not convinced from what little flash or substance that they observed from Ferguson.

To this day i wonder if there could have been mixed views within the organization that suggest we were divided upon needing a new, starting TE or could they trust what they saw in Ferguson.
It became apparent that the doubt side won and the word was out that we were frafting a TE .. no matter what.

In fact, Schoomaker was Not the TE, Source reports says the TE the Cowboys really coveted ... that was actually Lions TE Sam Laporta.

1: McCarthy really likes to have 2 quality TEs.

2: Schoonmaker was a very advanced blocker in college.
- He was not proven as a receiver but offered potential high-upside due to his athleticism.
- 16th best RAS (relative athletic score) for a TE since the beginning of RAS records (1989).

3: Back during the 2022 season, it was obvious that they needed to find an elite TE.
- I posted several times back than that Witten in his prime would have put the 2022 team over the top.

 

[Chasing6]

Over-focusing on need has caused more draft fails than any other draft strategy.

If they draft a great player, then the position does not matter.

A better question is "Why did they draft Luke Schoonmaker?"

One of their favorite players in the draft was TE Sam LaPorta.
- They didn't draft him because they had DT and OT has higher value positions.
- They debated between a DT (Mazi) and an OT and ended up picking Mazi with the 1st round pick.

LaPorta made All-Pro and the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

They should have picked LaPorta instead of Mazi despite need or position value.

Should not have drafted a TE in the first 3 rounds period. They had no idea what they had in Ferguson.

 

[Motorola]

Over-focusing on need has caused more draft fails than any other draft strategy.

If they draft a great player, then the position does not matter.

A better question is "Why did they draft Luke Schoonmaker?"

One of their favorite players in the draft was TE Sam LaPorta.
- They didn't draft him because they had DT and OT has higher value positions.
- They debated between a DT (Mazi) and AN OT and ended up picking Mazi with the 1st round pick.

LaPorta made All-Pro and the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

They should have picked LaPorta instead of Mazi despite need or position value.

The debate inside of the Cowboys draft room about who to pick at no. 26 wasn't between selecting DE Mazi Smith and an OT.
It was between Michigan's Smith and Syracuse Guard Matthew Bergeron.
Bergeron wound up getting picked in the 2nd round / no. 38 overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

 

[Asklesko]

Our GM is incompetent.

 

[Chasing6]

Don't forget about John Stephens converting from WR in college to TE. Looked good early before he got hurt.

 

[xwalker]

The debate inside of the Cowboys draft room about who to pick at no. 26 wasn't between selecting DE Mazi Smith and an OT.
It was between Michigan's Smith and Syracuse Guard Matthew Bergeron.
Bergeron wound up getting picked in the 2nd round / no. 38 overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

Bergeron was an OT in college.

Mazi was/is a DT, not a DE.

Does it matter if the player was an OT or OG? The Cowboys obviously put a high value on OG considering LA, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith have all played OG but could have played OT. All demonstrated ability to play OT in the NFL.

 

[Motorola]

Bergeron was an OT in college.

Mazi was/is a DT, not a DE.

Does it matter if the player was an OT or OG? The Cowboys obviously put a high value on OG considering LA, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith have all played OG but could have played OT. All demonstrated ability to play OT in the NFL.

I acknowledge my mistake about stating Mazi as a DE instead of a DT.

Bergeron was a college OT that was primarily projected to be moved inside to OG by the NFL team that would select him...a practice that is routinely done by the Cowboys and other NFL squads.
And that's exactly what happened after being drafted by Atlanta...they moved Bergeron to left guard.

 

[xwalker]

I acknowledge my mistake about stating Mazi as a DE instead of a DT.

Bergeron was a college OT that was primarily projected to be moved inside to OG by the NFL team that would select him...a practice that is routinely done by the Cowboys and other NFL squads.
And that's exactly what happened after being drafted by Atlanta...they moved Bergeron to left guard.

How is that relative to my original post?

I was referring to Bergeron who is definitely NOT a TE...

 

[quickccc]

1: McCarthy really likes to have 2 quality TEs.

2: Schoonmaker was a very advanced blocker in college.
- He was not proven as a receiver but offered potential high-upside due to his athleticism.
- 16th best RAS (relative athletic score) for a TE since the beginning of RAS records (1989).

3: Back during the 2022 season, it was obvious that they needed to find an elite TE.
- I posted several times back than that Witten in his prime would have put the 2022 team over the top.

1. Ferguson was a quality, regarded TE coming out of Wisconsin ..ditto with Dalton Schultz,.. and they both were drafted
in the 4th round. mid round draftees. Unless it's a given essential that we're gonna do the Gronk/Hernandez TE tandem
(and we've already mimick that with Witten/Bennett) ..it doesn't make since to draft a TE that high, unless he's gonna instantly
be a featured pass weapon, ala Sam Laporta - who the Cowboys were reportedly targeting in 2nd round, but Schoon became the leftovers.

2. Imo, you don't draft advanced in line blockers as high as the 2nd round. There are later rounds for such workman like players.
Your early rounds are more premium vs overachievers, blue collar serviceable players.
And you have to know he's more player than athlete -for a 2nd rd pick. Apparently club panicked that the TE supply would
be too bare and empty in the upcoming later rounds- thus the " reach" .

3. The problem we had was a regime that was so "over in love" with old man, declining Witten, that we kept him on far longer than
he should have been here. We refuse to accept his declining skills that he became a progress stopper. And even guys like Schultz
could not develop and show their skills ..until we finally got the moxie to tell Witten no more - we're moving on.

It's gonna eventually come down to guys old schooler Zack Martin as well - Future HOF indeed, but when the skills finally decline - we need have
the moxie and guts to finally say " Thanks so much for past moments/years BUT "

 

[quickccc]

Why did they bring Witten out of retirement? They did not trust Schultz.

So if your second TE is only a blocker, just send out another lineman. Who are we fooling???

Imo, Witten brought Witten out of retirement, after his failed broadcasting career.

And Witt knew he was so loved and endeared by then Cowboys regime, (and Schultz's early beginning career was in limbo.. along with raw project, oft-injured
Blake Jarwin) so JW knew the door was still wide open for his return. He even knew he would be an instant starter first day in the locker room.
Wasn't until the McCarthy regime an arrival that his dayz became numbered here.

 

[Captain43Crash]

Cowboys use 2+ TEs in about 30% of their snaps. A 2nd TE who can block and catch is an important piece of the offense. Ferg was still an unknown. Not a bad decision if looked at through a 2023 lens. Hindsight a year later is easy to do, but if not Schoon, who would they have picked? (Without benefit of hindsight) He is a rookie 2nd rounder who got over 350 offensive snaps and over 200 special teams snaps. That’s pretty good. We were lucky Ferg developed like he did.

You could see from a mile away Ferguson was going to be a top tier TE. He was a hard worker with talent and a tough! We had back up TE’s to block!
TE in the 2nd was stupid! I hated the pick the second it was made!

 

[Captain43Crash]

Should not have drafted a TE in the first 3 rounds period. They had no idea what they had in Ferguson.

They should have known what they had in Ferguson. No excuse for drafting Schoon in the 2nd when you had Ferguson.

 

[Captain43Crash]

Man, you really are having problems comprehending this.

Two chain moving TE's is not what works in a 2 TE set. When NE was running it they had two studs.

You are trying to say Schultz and Ferguson would not been good enough in a 2 TE formation. Sorry but that is EXTREMELY laughable!

 

[lostar2009]

Ask MM, I believe it was his pick.

 

[kskboys]

Team drafted a TE in the very early rounds as high as the 2nd round because .. apparently at the time, they obviously did not
trust or have faith in TE Jake Ferguson.
Not convinced from what little flash or substance that they observed from Ferguson.

To this day i wonder if there could have been mixed views within the organization that suggest we were divided upon needing a new, starting TE,
or could they trust what they saw in Ferguson.
It became apparent that the doubt side won and the word was out that we were frafting a TE .. no matter what.

In fact, Schoomaker was Not the TE, Source reports says the TE the Cowboys really coveted ... that was actually Lions TE Sam Laporta.
who picked Laporta early than before the Cowboys in that 2nd round.
Laporta is not big in blocking, but he creates separation vs coverage, has great knack for pass game, and can run after the catch.
And all indications he will be an annual Pro Bowler for years to come.

Yes, it's too early to judge Schoon, and we just have not seen his best work in pass game. but in this Mac offense early on, he's being used much more
as an in-line blocker than a weapon threat receiver. Only just a handful of catches is not enuff to get the best clue of him and his potential.

Sure, but all of that is irrelevant, as we not only had desperate needs, there were a handful of players available who were much higher rated at those needs spots.

Not knowing what Fergie was is simply another example of how bad they are at player evaluation.

 

[kskboys]

You are trying to say Schultz and Ferguson would not been good enough in a 2 TE formation. Sorry but that is EXTREMELY laughable!

I am, and the NFL is laughing all the way at you saying it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chasing6]

I am, and the NFL is laughing all the way at you saying it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahahha.........because they don't run a 4.4 right. Get a clue.

 

[kiheikiwi]

I have had this argument alot since last years draft.
I get WHY they drafted Scoon. I just have never liked the pick or the lack of production out of a 2nd round pick
(well, lack of production out of a whole draft Class - let's be honest) !
They wanted to go predominantly 12 personal, and figured a good sized blocking TE would help Dak and the running game. Scoon was supposed to be Fergusons running mate, not his replacement. Problem was, they foolishly took a DT in the first instead of The OT Bergeron. Thus not helping solidify the OLine - and helping the run game. Then they doubled down by not grabbing a top notch RB - to help the run game.
Thus the high pick on a blocking TE was rendered moot, because that was all they did and the TE they chose is one dimensional. Hope he is a lot better this coming year.
Virtually no production out of a whole draft class has really set the team and depth back. Nothing from our 4th round pick. Nothing from our 5th round pick (trade up for the CB) Nothing from our 6th round RB.
Who knows if Overshon will be completely healed by the start of the season (3rd round pick).
Yes, you draft for future years, not just the first. However, at least your top 100 picks are supposed to contribute - if not start right away. As we now MUST GET OUT OF THIS COMING DRAFT !
Last years game plan and failure to bolster the running game, and thereby help Dak. Has crippled this team, and it will be a miracle if they can draft their way out of the hole they are in - this year ...