Galian Beast
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Was reading an article on BTB, and they pointed out that we had all of our first round draft picks since 2010, and all of them were starters. Only 5 other teams in the NFL can say that they have all their first round draft picks since 2010 (not sure whether they are all starters though). With the exception of Claiborne and Byron Jones, all of our first rounders since 2010 have actually been to the pro bowl, and I think Ezekiel Elliott is actually the most likely player to hit the pro bowl (from the onset). I also don't want to write-off Jones depending on how quickly he can grow into that position.
What's interesting is the article soured on our 2nd round draft picks, and I thought this was interesting. Obviously, the general consensus is that we haven't done well in the second round. My takeaway, however, is a bit different. We've taken risks in the 2nd round that haven't necessarily paid off yet, but it might be too early to write these off just yet.
2nd round draft picks since 2010
Sean Lee - Pro Bowler, Captain on Defense, though there are injury concerns, he is the best player on our defense (A-)
Bruce Carter - Didn't pan out, but did play well for us, especially in 2014. No longer with the team.(C)
2012- No 2nd round draft pick due to the Claiborne trade. I'll concede this one because even if Claiborne turns into a player, you didn't get that value while he was on his rookie contract. He wasn't worth the 2nd rounder. (F)
Gavin Escobar - This is probably where you find the most fault. This experiment has happened time and time again, where the Cowboys have invested way too much in a position that they aren't willing to fully utilize. The result is this player ending up 3rd string, and might have been 4th-string if Han a 6th round player was healthy. Makes me furious to know that some team will utilize him properly. (D-)
DeMarcus Lawrence - This is where I start to feel the narrative needs to change. He was injured his rookie year but came on strong in the playoffs. In 2015 he really started to establish himself as a potentially dominant player. If it weren't for this 4 game suspension, I think most people would probably call this a B or B+ draft pick, and ultimately if it is only a 4 game suspension, that really shouldn't be enough to significantly diminish the draft pick. If Lawrence stays out of trouble and plays to potential, I still say trading up was the right thing to do to get him. While he isn't considered a starter right now because of the suspension he certainly will be upon his return. (B/B+)
Randy Gregory - Randy Gregory is more problematic than Lawrence. There is less reason to believe that he will be able to stay out of trouble. That being said, the ceiling on Gregory is actually higher than Lawrence's. He is still just in his sophomore season, and missing camp and being suspended probably puts a damper on his prospects for this year, but this risk isn't yet a write-off. If he can stay out of trouble, there is good reason to believe he would or could become a starter. (INC)
Jaylon Smith - Like Randy Gregory, Smith was a risk, but one of a different nature. The reward for drafting Jaylon Smith is potentially huge for this defense. If Jaylon Smith can return and be the player he once was, there is good enough reason to believe he could be a top linebacker in the NFL. A perennial pro bowl caliber player. That is a huge factor for a defense in desperate need of talent after receiving very minimal resources through the draft. (INC)
The success of our second round drafting to me is still up in the air. Could it and is it even very likely that we may have screwed things up on these picks, at least some of them? Absolutely. But we opened this door and now we'll have to walk through it. Out of six players drafted, I would say that we still have the potential for four pro bowl caliber players. That's really good for the second round. It could be and probably should be argued that we should have diversified our risk a lot more. All of our high risk players on defense. We have to injury risks in the linebacker corps, and we have two players with issues with drug use on the defensive line.
As much as I wanted Ezekiel Elliott and think that he was a much better pick than Joey Bosa or Jalen Ramsey, this team needs to start drafting defensive players in the first round. They probably need to do it for a few consecutive years at this point.
What's interesting is the article soured on our 2nd round draft picks, and I thought this was interesting. Obviously, the general consensus is that we haven't done well in the second round. My takeaway, however, is a bit different. We've taken risks in the 2nd round that haven't necessarily paid off yet, but it might be too early to write these off just yet.
2nd round draft picks since 2010
Sean Lee - Pro Bowler, Captain on Defense, though there are injury concerns, he is the best player on our defense (A-)
Bruce Carter - Didn't pan out, but did play well for us, especially in 2014. No longer with the team.(C)
2012- No 2nd round draft pick due to the Claiborne trade. I'll concede this one because even if Claiborne turns into a player, you didn't get that value while he was on his rookie contract. He wasn't worth the 2nd rounder. (F)
Gavin Escobar - This is probably where you find the most fault. This experiment has happened time and time again, where the Cowboys have invested way too much in a position that they aren't willing to fully utilize. The result is this player ending up 3rd string, and might have been 4th-string if Han a 6th round player was healthy. Makes me furious to know that some team will utilize him properly. (D-)
DeMarcus Lawrence - This is where I start to feel the narrative needs to change. He was injured his rookie year but came on strong in the playoffs. In 2015 he really started to establish himself as a potentially dominant player. If it weren't for this 4 game suspension, I think most people would probably call this a B or B+ draft pick, and ultimately if it is only a 4 game suspension, that really shouldn't be enough to significantly diminish the draft pick. If Lawrence stays out of trouble and plays to potential, I still say trading up was the right thing to do to get him. While he isn't considered a starter right now because of the suspension he certainly will be upon his return. (B/B+)
Randy Gregory - Randy Gregory is more problematic than Lawrence. There is less reason to believe that he will be able to stay out of trouble. That being said, the ceiling on Gregory is actually higher than Lawrence's. He is still just in his sophomore season, and missing camp and being suspended probably puts a damper on his prospects for this year, but this risk isn't yet a write-off. If he can stay out of trouble, there is good reason to believe he would or could become a starter. (INC)
Jaylon Smith - Like Randy Gregory, Smith was a risk, but one of a different nature. The reward for drafting Jaylon Smith is potentially huge for this defense. If Jaylon Smith can return and be the player he once was, there is good enough reason to believe he could be a top linebacker in the NFL. A perennial pro bowl caliber player. That is a huge factor for a defense in desperate need of talent after receiving very minimal resources through the draft. (INC)
The success of our second round drafting to me is still up in the air. Could it and is it even very likely that we may have screwed things up on these picks, at least some of them? Absolutely. But we opened this door and now we'll have to walk through it. Out of six players drafted, I would say that we still have the potential for four pro bowl caliber players. That's really good for the second round. It could be and probably should be argued that we should have diversified our risk a lot more. All of our high risk players on defense. We have to injury risks in the linebacker corps, and we have two players with issues with drug use on the defensive line.
As much as I wanted Ezekiel Elliott and think that he was a much better pick than Joey Bosa or Jalen Ramsey, this team needs to start drafting defensive players in the first round. They probably need to do it for a few consecutive years at this point.
