rafaelgreco
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IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' main goal this offseason was to improve their pass rush in 2015.
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4741267/cowboys-more-free-to-follow-draft-board-now
The signing of Greg Hardy should certainly do that even if he might miss some games with a possible suspension.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have covered one of their major draft needs, but those needs have not disappeared. A draft isn't just about this year. It's about the next four years.
But what the signing of Hardy has done is to allow the Cowboys to put together a more pure draft board. Without the addition of Hardy, the Cowboys' need for a pass-rusher would have been through the roof, and the natural inclination is to inflate a player's ability at a position of need.
This has been the Cowboys' philosophy the last few years. They use free agency to fill holes and then follow their board -- mostly -- when it comes to the draft.
At No. 27 in the first round, the Cowboys likely would not have been in position to find an impactful pass-rusher and certainly not a pass-rusher the quality of Hardy. But they could still go with a pass-rusher in the first round, especially since Hardy is signed only for 2015.
The addition of Darren McFadden falls in line with the Hardy signing, although the expectations for him are far less than the expectations for Hardy. In a running back-heavy draft, the Cowboys could be in position to take the best runners available (Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon) or the wave of runners who will go in the early rounds (Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi, T.J. Yeldon) who could form a solid combo with McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and/or Ryan Williams.
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4741267/cowboys-more-free-to-follow-draft-board-now
The signing of Greg Hardy should certainly do that even if he might miss some games with a possible suspension.
By signing Hardy, the Cowboys have covered one of their major draft needs, but those needs have not disappeared. A draft isn't just about this year. It's about the next four years.
But what the signing of Hardy has done is to allow the Cowboys to put together a more pure draft board. Without the addition of Hardy, the Cowboys' need for a pass-rusher would have been through the roof, and the natural inclination is to inflate a player's ability at a position of need.
This has been the Cowboys' philosophy the last few years. They use free agency to fill holes and then follow their board -- mostly -- when it comes to the draft.
At No. 27 in the first round, the Cowboys likely would not have been in position to find an impactful pass-rusher and certainly not a pass-rusher the quality of Hardy. But they could still go with a pass-rusher in the first round, especially since Hardy is signed only for 2015.
The addition of Darren McFadden falls in line with the Hardy signing, although the expectations for him are far less than the expectations for Hardy. In a running back-heavy draft, the Cowboys could be in position to take the best runners available (Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon) or the wave of runners who will go in the early rounds (Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi, T.J. Yeldon) who could form a solid combo with McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and/or Ryan Williams.
