Cowboys' Draft Review: 2006

[Gryphon]

By: Jeremy Dunklin

Last year's draft was criticized by many experts and fans last
season. While its too early to accurately grade this draft, I will do
the best I can. The keys to the success of this draft are Pat
Watkins and Pat McQuistan. If those two guys end up being quality
starters, this draft will be viewed as a success. If not, this draft will
be viewed as one that probably only produced one starter.

1. LB Bobby Carpenter - C+

This guy is tough to evaluate because he didn't play much last
season, so his ability is somewhat in question. I did like what I saw
in the play-off game though. Carpenter will be a quality starter at
either ILB or OLB, but he will never be a superstar.

2. TE Anthony Fasano - C-

This is the most questioned pick of the class. Fasano might end up
being a good player, but he seemed like a waste of a pick. It wasn't
like he was a 1st round talent that happened to fall to us. We
already had Jason Witten and the value wasn't even that great
where we took him. Fasano will be valuable if we use two tight
ends long term, but even then he will never be a star tight end. He
will be a contributor especially once Glenn and Owens are gone,
but he doesn't have the talent to become as good a player as
Jason Witten which is what I expect when I we take a tight end in
the 2nd round.

3. DE Jason Hatcher - B-

This pick made absolutely no sense to me last season. I see the
reasoning behind the pick now though. I though after Spears and
Canty's rookie seasons we were set at DE. We now know that isn't
the case. The coaches did a good job of realizing that last season
and it really was a smart pick. Hatcher wasn't overly productive last
season, but the upside is definitely there. At the very least he will
be a quality backup, but I think he has a real chance to be
something great because his athleticism is amazing for his size.

4. KR Skyler Green - F

Green didn't even make our team. The idea of drafting a return
specialist wasn't a bad idea, but they picked the wrong guy and in
the wrong round. There is no way we should have taken this guy
that high. Most people had him labeled as a 6th round pick. I think
the staff saw receiving potential in him that wasn't really there.
They though they were getting a return specialist that had a
chance to develop into the next Steve Smith, but Green isn't even
good enough to play WR in the NFL.

5. FS Pat Watkins - B

Can't argue with this pick. This guy was labeled as a third round
pick by many. He struggled some last season, but he does have
upside and most rookies do struggle when forced into the starting
lineup. He was a great value pick at a position of need.

6. NT Montavious Stanley - D

Stanley was another guy that slipped in the draft. I though this guy
was the steal of our draft when we signed him. I believe my mock
had us taking him in the 3rd round. He is on the roster, but he has
bounced around with a couple of different teams. He still has a
small chance to be the backup NT next season, but he doesn't
appear to be much, but you never know. Many of the good NTs in
the league bounced around for a few seasons while the developed
there skills.

7. OT Pat McQuistan - A

The early indications are that this was a steal. This guy was
considered a three to four year project. He is already the swing
tackle after just one season. Cutting Jason Fabini speaks volumes
about what the coaching staff thinks of this guy. Its not a given that
he will be a starter, but it seems pretty close given how much the
team seems to like him.

7. OL E.J. Whitley - D-

This guy got hurt early last off-season. He was a guy that could
have provided help at all the offensive line positions. I'm not sure
why we didn't let him hang around this off-season since he should
have been recovered from his injury. I guess he didn't have the
talent.

Overall - C

Its still early, but we missed on quite a few of these picks. Its pretty
bad that after one season you can already label three of these
picks as practically worthless. This draft could salvage a good
grade if Fasano, McQuistan, and Watkins end up starters, but as of
right now I see two starters (Carpenter and McQuistan) and two or
three role players coming from this draft.

 

[ajk23az]

wow giving McQ an A without taking a snap is pretty generous imo

 

[Gryphon]

Cowboys' Draft Review: 2005
By: Jeremy Dunklin

The 2005 Dallas Cowboys' draft class was immediately touted as
the team's best in over a decade. Good performances from the
picks in their rookie seasons seemed to re-affirm this belief. After
last season though, this draft class is starting to look more and
more ordinary.

The still early tally has us landing two starters and three role
players from this draft. The draft did produce a defensive star in
DeMarcus Ware. Chris Canty has been nothing more than an
average starter thus far. Marion Barber, Kevin Burnett, and Jay
Ratliff have all contributed, and you could argue that all of these
guys could eventually end up starting at some point.

1. DE/OLB DeMarcus Ware - A

You guys know how good DeMarcus Ware is. He made the Pro
Bowl last season while recording 11 sacks. The only argument you
could make against this pick is that we could have taken Shawne
Merriman instead. I'd say Merriman is a better pass rusher, but
Ware is more athletic and a better all-around linebacker. I'd also
wait until after next season to say for sure that Merriman is the
better rusher. Ware will get his turn in Wade Phillips's system. I
wouldn't be surprised if Ware gets more sacks than Merriman next
season.

2. LB Kevin Burnett - C

Burnett seems to be a good player, but a 2nd round pick should be
in the starting lineup by now. He missed most of his rookie year
with injuries and last season he was nothing more than a nickel
linebacker. I'd wait before labeling him a bust though because
again, you have the Wade Phillips factor and I liked what I saw from
him when Parcells let him play in place of Greg Ellis though for
some reason he didn't do any after Ellis got hurt.

3. Trade - QB Drew Henson - D-

This pick was traded the previous off-season for Drew Henson.
The trade seemed like a good idea at the time which is the only
reason it doesn't get an F. F's are reserved for picks that didn't
make any sense at the time and the player we reached for was a
bust. We tried to get a young QB, and it didn't work out. Luckily
our quarterback of the future was already on the roster with
Henson.

4. DE Chris Canty - B+

Canty has been a starter the past two seasons. He is
disappointing because his performance didn't improve last season.
Still though, if you look at what he has done, he has been more
productive than 95% of the guys drafted in his round.

5. Trade up to select Canty

6. OT Rob Petitti - D

Petitti was forced to start his entire rookie season for us. He
struggled, but he appeared to have some upside. He was beaten
out by Pat McQuistan last summer as our developmental tackle.
I'm still not sure if Petitti is raw and just needs more coaching or if
he was really just an awful player that we were forced to start
because of our lack of depth. I'd say the latter is more likely.

6. FS Justin Beriault - D

This pick seemed to be a great one before Beriault's career was
ended by knee injuries. He seemed to have the ability to play at a
high level it just didn't work out. The injuries were known prior to
the draft though so the Cowboys' took a risk and lost.

7. DE Jay Ratliff - A-

Ratliff has been everything you can realistically hope for in your 7th
round picks. He isn't a star, but he is a good role player who can
give you depth at two positions.

Overall - B+
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/

 

[Gryphon]

Cowboys' Draft Review: 2004
By: Jeremy Dunklin

Most experts say it takes three years to accurately grade a draft
class. The 2005 draft was three years ago, so now its time to take
a look back and evaluate the picks. A good draft is supposed to
give you three starters and another contributor. This draft gave us
three borderline starters in Spears, Crayton, and Julius Jones,
while Nate Jones and Reeves are just depth guys. This draft
lacked an impact player though.

1. The Trade - C
Julius Jones - C+
Marcus Spears - C

Everyone remembers what happened in the 1st round. Dallas
needed a running back. Steven Jackson had slipped all the way to
their pick. The trade the pick to Buffalo for Buffalo's 2nd round
pick and its first next season. I also believe some late round picks
were also given to Dallas. Anyway, we used the two picks on Julius
Jones and Marcus Spears. The deal looked amazing until last
season.

Both Jones and Spears failed to impress while Steven Jackson is
considered one of the top running backs in the NFL. I'm giving it a
C because the jury is still out on Marcus Spears. Also, if we trade
Julius Jones for a 3rd round pick on draft day we would have gotten
quality production for three seasons from him while only costing us
whatever the value from a 2nd round pick to a 3rd round pick.
Steven Jackson also has something to prove as he has only one
great season in the NFL.

The actual pick of Julius Jones was decent. He was outperformed
the other options available in the 2nd round of the draft. Jones
helped us the 2nd half of his rookie season and has been solid
ever since. The pick of Marcus Spears was such a no brainer that
it is hard to find fault in it. If we had it to do over, we would take
Luis Castillo instead, but there isn't a team in the NFL including the
Chargers who would have done that.

2. OT Jacob Rogers - F

This pick didn't look great the day it was made, and it looks even
worse now. Rogers was a good player at USC, but he battled
injuries his entire career there. Reaching for a player with injury
concerns is a bad idea. He was hurt both seasons with Dallas and
he is now out of the league as far as I know.

3. OG Stephen Peterman - D

Peterman was another bad pick from this draft. He was injured his
first season. He didn't do much in his second season. He seemed
to be doing better heading into the 2006 season, but he was
beaten out by Corey Procter for the 3rd guard spot. He gets a D
because he was picked up by Detroit and actually started a couple
of games for them. You can't give him an F when there is a chance
he could develop into a decent player.

4. CB Bruce Thornton - D-

Another guy labeled as a reach by the experts. Didn't last a
season with the Cowboys. He is currently on the 49ers roster.

5. TE Sean Ryan - C

Ryan battled injuries, but he hung around for three years which is
about what you would expect for your average 5th round pick. He
was never the great blocker he was supposed to be out of college,
but he was a solid 3rd TE and special teams player although he
was consistently outplayed by Brett Pierce.

7. CB Nathan Jones - B

The guy is still around heading into his 4th season. He hasn't
really shown that he has much upside, but solid role players like
him are good picks that late in the draft.

7. WR Patrick Crayton - A

Can't complain here. Crayton has been an excellent #3 option the
past two seasons and he seems poised to eventually take over as
a starting receiver.

7. CB Jacques Reeves - B

Same as Jones. He has more upside and he has hung around for
awhile, but he hasn't done a whole lot on the field yet.

Overall Grade - C
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/

 

[BLT]

yea an A as a 7th rounder... hell if ur a 7th rounder and u make it onto the team u should be a B.. if ur a 7th rounder and people are now expecting this from you your basically an A+


so going with what i said Crayton should be a A++++++

 

[big dog cowboy]

Cowboys' Draft Review: 2006

Wow that was a fast 3 years. Call me when the draft review for last year is relevant.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Both Jones and Spears failed to impress while Steven Jackson is considered one of the top running backs in the NFL.

That 4.4 yards per carry for Jackson really blows Julius away with his paltry 4.1 average. Gimme a freakin break. I'll still take both Julius Jones and Marcus Spears without the handcuffs over Jackson this year. If they don't cash in on their new found freedom under Phillips that will be a different story. I'm very optimistic 2007 will each player step his game.

 

[Tristan]

2006 Cowboys draft in review...

1-Davin Joseph G Big, nasty brawler really solidified the interior O-line, should be a pro-bowl caliber G for the next 10 years.

2-Marcus McNeil LT Along with Joseph helped turn our o-line from a weakness to a potentially dominating unit, the steal of the draft made Pro-Bowl at the coveted Left tackle position as a rookie, and should be one of the best in the league for years to come, GREAT PICK.

#3 Ko Simpson FS after being a gaping hole since the retirement of Woodson, it appears we finally got ourselves a real talent, Free Safety looks to be in good hands again.