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Second-round success is among keys to Cowboys' draft
Mar 21, 2016
IRVING, Texas - There has been so much focus on the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick, we haven’t paid much attention to just how bad they’ve been selecting players in the second round.
Can you say atrocious?
Since 2000, center Andre Gurode and linebacker Sean Lee are the only players to earn contract extensions.Whether you blame the scouting director for putting bad players high on the draft board, the coaching staff for failing to develop their draft picks, or owner Jerry Jones for ignoring the draft board, it’s a trend that must stop.
Tony Romoand receiver Dez Bryant had played the entire season. Instead, Romo missed 12 games and parts of two others after breaking his collarbone twice. Bryant missed five games with a broken foot and spent the rest of the season trying to manage the injury.
The reward for such an unexpectedly poor season is the fourth pick in the draft. It will be difficult for the Cowboys to screw that up.
All they have to do is pick the best player, whether it’s Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey, Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott or one of the quarterbacks expected to be selected in the top 10.
The second-round pick is just as important because it gives the Cowboys an opportunity to add a second impact player to a team that’s one season removed from going 12-4 and winning the NFC East.
They can’t afford to botch this pick the way they have so many others.
Tackle Jacob Rogers, one of the worst picks in franchise history, played in only two NFL games despite being the 52nd player chosen in the 2004 draft. Cornerback Dwayne Goodrich (2000) was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left two people dead in 2003 and subsequently spent nearly eight years in prison, ending his career.
Tony Dixon (2001), Quincy Carter (2001) and Al Johnson (2003) were out of the league within two years of moving on from Dallas. None played more than five seasons in the league.
The Cowboys did draft some good players such as tight ends Anthony Fasano(2006) and Martellus Bennett (2008), but coach Jason Garrett never figured out how to maximize their talent.
Fasano, traded to Miami for a fourth-round pick after two seasons in Dallas, has 279 career receptions and 33 touchdowns in his 10-year NFL career. He had 28 catches and one touchdown with Dallas.
Bennett, the 61st player taken in the 2008 draft, caught 85 passes and scored four touchdowns - none in his last three seasons - with the Cowboys.
In the four years he has been gone, Bennett has caught 391 passes with 19 touchdowns for the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. Last week, he was traded to New England.
Gavin Escobar, yet another second-round tight end, has caught 26 passes in three seasons for the Cowboys. He’ll probably leave after next season and find a team that understands how to take advantage of his skills as a receiver.
The point, though, is the Cowboys must find a player like Gurode or Lee in this draft. Gurode played in 138 games, starting 122, and played in five Pro Bowls after the Cowboys took him with the 37th pick in the 2002 draft. Lee, when he’s not hurt, has been a terrific player for the Cowboys and made his first Pro Bowl following the 2015 season.
The Cowboys could use walk-in starters at defensive end, cornerback, running back and, maybe, safety. They could use quality depth at linebacker, receiver and defensive line.
So it doesn’t matter if they take Alabama running back Derrick Henry, TCU receiver Josh Doctson, Ohio State receiver Braxton Miller, Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller, Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, Mississippi State defensive lineman Chris Jones or Clemson defensive back Mackensie Alexander.
The key is to get a player capable of starting or playing in the 550-play range, which means they’re getting a significant contributor. Slot receiver Cole Beasleyplayed 564 snaps last season, while versatile linebacker Anthony Hitchensplayed 538 snaps.
Scouting director Will McClay prefers to draft productive players from Power 5 conferences because he believes they’re best suited to contribute early and have success.
Whomever Dallas picks needs to have as much impact as its first-round selection. Do that, and the Cowboys just might win more than one playoff game in the same season for the first time since 1995.
Mar 21, 2016
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Jean-Jacques TaylorESPN Staff Writer
- comment
IRVING, Texas - There has been so much focus on the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick, we haven’t paid much attention to just how bad they’ve been selecting players in the second round.
Can you say atrocious?
Since 2000, center Andre Gurode and linebacker Sean Lee are the only players to earn contract extensions.Whether you blame the scouting director for putting bad players high on the draft board, the coaching staff for failing to develop their draft picks, or owner Jerry Jones for ignoring the draft board, it’s a trend that must stop.
Tony Romoand receiver Dez Bryant had played the entire season. Instead, Romo missed 12 games and parts of two others after breaking his collarbone twice. Bryant missed five games with a broken foot and spent the rest of the season trying to manage the injury.
The reward for such an unexpectedly poor season is the fourth pick in the draft. It will be difficult for the Cowboys to screw that up.
All they have to do is pick the best player, whether it’s Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey, Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott or one of the quarterbacks expected to be selected in the top 10.
The second-round pick is just as important because it gives the Cowboys an opportunity to add a second impact player to a team that’s one season removed from going 12-4 and winning the NFC East.
They can’t afford to botch this pick the way they have so many others.
Tackle Jacob Rogers, one of the worst picks in franchise history, played in only two NFL games despite being the 52nd player chosen in the 2004 draft. Cornerback Dwayne Goodrich (2000) was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left two people dead in 2003 and subsequently spent nearly eight years in prison, ending his career.
Tony Dixon (2001), Quincy Carter (2001) and Al Johnson (2003) were out of the league within two years of moving on from Dallas. None played more than five seasons in the league.
The Cowboys did draft some good players such as tight ends Anthony Fasano(2006) and Martellus Bennett (2008), but coach Jason Garrett never figured out how to maximize their talent.
Fasano, traded to Miami for a fourth-round pick after two seasons in Dallas, has 279 career receptions and 33 touchdowns in his 10-year NFL career. He had 28 catches and one touchdown with Dallas.
Bennett, the 61st player taken in the 2008 draft, caught 85 passes and scored four touchdowns - none in his last three seasons - with the Cowboys.
In the four years he has been gone, Bennett has caught 391 passes with 19 touchdowns for the Chicago Bears and New York Giants. Last week, he was traded to New England.
Gavin Escobar, yet another second-round tight end, has caught 26 passes in three seasons for the Cowboys. He’ll probably leave after next season and find a team that understands how to take advantage of his skills as a receiver.
The point, though, is the Cowboys must find a player like Gurode or Lee in this draft. Gurode played in 138 games, starting 122, and played in five Pro Bowls after the Cowboys took him with the 37th pick in the 2002 draft. Lee, when he’s not hurt, has been a terrific player for the Cowboys and made his first Pro Bowl following the 2015 season.
The Cowboys could use walk-in starters at defensive end, cornerback, running back and, maybe, safety. They could use quality depth at linebacker, receiver and defensive line.
So it doesn’t matter if they take Alabama running back Derrick Henry, TCU receiver Josh Doctson, Ohio State receiver Braxton Miller, Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller, Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, Mississippi State defensive lineman Chris Jones or Clemson defensive back Mackensie Alexander.
The key is to get a player capable of starting or playing in the 550-play range, which means they’re getting a significant contributor. Slot receiver Cole Beasleyplayed 564 snaps last season, while versatile linebacker Anthony Hitchensplayed 538 snaps.
Scouting director Will McClay prefers to draft productive players from Power 5 conferences because he believes they’re best suited to contribute early and have success.
Whomever Dallas picks needs to have as much impact as its first-round selection. Do that, and the Cowboys just might win more than one playoff game in the same season for the first time since 1995.
