Deep Dive into Cowboys History of Drafting TE's

[jazzcat22]

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/deep-dive-into-cowboys-history-of-drafting-tes

Says MM's history from 2006 to 2018, he never spent higher than a 3rd round pick on a TE.
So does that change this year?

 

[Big_D]

If Mayer is on the board and both RBs are off it’s certainly a possibility in the 1st.

 

[Kingofholland]

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/deep-dive-into-cowboys-history-of-drafting-tes

Says MM's history from 2006 to 2018, he never spent higher than a 3rd round pick on a TE.
So does that change this year?

It's so hard to justify spending a first round pick on a TE when most of the top TEs today in the NFL didn't come from the first round. There have been 22 TEs selected in the first round over the last 20 years. In looking at the list the only guys I can say were definitely worth it were Vernon Davis, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen. Tj Hockenson and Tyler Pitts were the other recent TEs. Perhaps they add to the list of being worth a 1st rounder, but the Lions already said he wasn't worth a 1st rounder as they turned around and traded him for a 2nd.

Much is made about RB value in the 1st round, but I would argue TE carries worse value.

I definitely don't want a TE with the Cowboys first pick. However, If there's a scenario where they trade down and end up with an extra day 1 pick in 2024, or an extra day 2 pick in 2023 and then select a TE with their first pick atleast they added extra value.

 

[starfan1]

Tucker Kraft in the 3rd is the soonest I want to see a TE .
I’d tak DT,OL,RB and CB in no particular order before TE

The cupboard is far from bare

 

[Big_D]

It's so hard to justify spending a first round pick on a TE when most of the top TEs today in the NFL didn't come from the first round. There have been 22 TEs selected in the first round over the last 20 years. In looking at the list the only guys I can say were definitely worth it were Vernon Davis, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen. Tj Hockenson and Tyler Pitts were the other recent TEs. Perhaps they add to the list of being worth a 1st rounder, but the Lions already said he wasn't worth a 1st rounder as they turned around and traded him for a 2nd.

Much is made about RB value in the 1st round, but I would argue TE carries worse value.

I definitely don't want a TE with the Cowboys first pick. However, If there's a scenario where they trade down and end up with an extra day 1 pick in 2024, or an extra day 2 pick in 2023 and then select a TE with their first pick atleast they added extra value.

The lions or the falcons weren’t very good offenses. Both rely too heavily on that guy to be a gamebreaker when the rest of the unit is not. Very different circumstances in Dallas where a guy like Mayer can step in right away and be productive.

 

[Kingofholland]

The lions or the falcons weren’t very good offenses. Both rely too heavily on that guy to be a gamebreaker when the rest of the unit is not. Very different circumstances in Dallas where a guy like Mayer can step in right away and be productive.

His comparison is Jason Witten on NFL.com which is ironic.

 

[conner01]

His comparison is Jason Witten on NFL.com which is ironic.

He and Kincaid both remind me a bit to Witten. Neither is an elite athlete but the run solid routes but they use their body to block out defenders like Witten did. If a guy like Washington could learn that he could be a monster with his size but it appears it’s not a lot of TE’s who do it well. The fast guys don’t have to but a 4.7 guy has to run smart rotes and use his body

 

[KJJ]

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/deep-dive-into-cowboys-history-of-drafting-tes

Says MM's history from 2006 to 2018, he never spent higher than a 3rd round pick on a TE.
So does that change this year?

It could change this year because we just lost our starting TE who the Cowboys offered a contract to and this is a strong TE draft. I’m hoping Dalton Kincaid is our first pick. He could end up being another Travis Kelce. The Cowboys have had some great TEs over the years.

 

[KJJ]

Most of the top teams have athletic playmaking TEs. Kelce with the Chiefs and Kittle with San Francisco. The juggling catch that Kittle made against us in the playoffs was the play of the game that swung in their favor. All our championship teams had great TEs. We had Billy Joe Dupree in the 70s and our great 90s teams had Jay Novacek. We didn’t win anything with Jason Witten who was the best but we never had complete enough teams to win it all. Our QB play and defense was never good enough when it really mattered.

 

[Flamma]

It's so hard to justify spending a first round pick on a TE when most of the top TEs today in the NFL didn't come from the first round. There have been 22 TEs selected in the first round over the last 20 years. In looking at the list the only guys I can say were definitely worth it were Vernon Davis, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen. Tj Hockenson and Tyler Pitts were the other recent TEs. Perhaps they add to the list of being worth a 1st rounder, but the Lions already said he wasn't worth a 1st rounder as they turned around and traded him for a 2nd.

Much is made about RB value in the 1st round, but I would argue TE carries worse value.

I definitely don't want a TE with the Cowboys first pick. However, If there's a scenario where they trade down and end up with an extra day 1 pick in 2024, or an extra day 2 pick in 2023 and then select a TE with their first pick atleast they added extra value.

I agree with this take. But when you have the 26th pick, that can sometimes open up the possibility of drafting other positions.

I've said it before, I'm not for drafting a TE unless there is absolutely no other choice left on the board except a reach. I can't see them drafting a TE with OT Darnell Wright on the board.

 

[conner01]

It could change this year because we just lost our starting TE who the Cowboys offered a contract to and this is a strong TE draft. I’m hoping Dalton Kincaid is our first pick. He could end up being another Travis Kelce. The Cowboys have had some great TEs over the years.

I don’t see him ever being Kelce but he could be a really good TE
Kelce is likely a future HOF player so that’s asking a lot
The fact GB didn’t draft a TE high while McC was there may not have anything to do with his mibdset. Bigger needs, better options could have been the reason
A TE can really make an offense efficient. The key to running the ball half the time is moving the chains. The TE can be really important in moving the chains

 

[KJJ]

I don’t see him ever being Kelce but he could be a really good TE
Kelce is likely a future HOF player so that’s asking a lot
The fact GB didn’t draft a TE high while McC was there may not have anything to do with his mibdset. Bigger needs, better options could have been the reason
A TE can really make an offense efficient. The key to running the ball half the time is moving the chains. The TE can be really important in moving the chains

It would definitely be tough to be another Kelce, but he’s got a lot of ability. No guarantees with any draft pick, but Kincaid would be my choice if he’s there. This is no knock on our young TEs, but the jury is still out. With Schultz gone we’re going to need a chain mover and a security blanket for Dak.

 

[conner01]

It would definitely be tough to be another Kelce, but he’s got a lot of ability. No guarantees with any draft pick, but Kincaid would be my choice if he’s there. This is no knock on our young TEs, but the jury is still out. With Schultz gone we’re going to need a chain mover and a security blanket for Dak.

If you look at risk then TE is a safe pick, as well as guard. I think they along with LB have really low bust rates
I like the young guys too but to me the draft is not about today but down the road as well. And having depth means you don’t have to tag a guy like Schultz

 

[Hoofbite]

It's so hard to justify spending a first round pick on a TE when most of the top TEs today in the NFL didn't come from the first round. There have been 22 TEs selected in the first round over the last 20 years. In looking at the list the only guys I can say were definitely worth it were Vernon Davis, Jeremy Shockey, and Greg Olsen. Tj Hockenson and Tyler Pitts were the other recent TEs. Perhaps they add to the list of being worth a 1st rounder, but the Lions already said he wasn't worth a 1st rounder as they turned around and traded him for a 2nd.

Much is made about RB value in the 1st round, but I would argue TE carries worse value.

definitely don't want a TE with the Cowboys first pick. However, If there's a scenario where they trade down and end up with an extra day 1 pick in 2024, or an extra day 2 pick in 2023 and then select a TE with their first pick atleast they added extra value.

Well, 20 years ago you couldn't get through a draft without a Top 10 RB pick. Less than 10 years ago I remember people on this board saying pick #16 was too high for an OG. Tell any team in the league today that they can get Zach Martin with a Top 10 pick and he wouldn't last until #16.

The game is evolving. The TE is no longer viewed as a guy who has to be good at both blocking and receiving and will be doing equal parts of both. Teams are willing to sacrifice both skill and utilization at blocking if they can put their TE out there and the defense has nobody to line up against them. They're just monster WRs at this point.

I don't think the good teams look to what has historically been true to make organizational decisions. They anticipate what is next and try to get ahead of the curve. Of course, now we're probably at a point where you can't get ahead of the curve regarding the TE position because there are too many players that are outproducing 1st round WRs. Kelce, Kittle, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller (even limited by health), etc are all certainly worth 1st round picks based on productivity.

I know nothing about this proposed TE, but if Dallas is going to go TE my first thought would be to see if you can trade for Pitts. Atlanta says they aren't going to trade him, but they aren't going anywhere with him and if there's someone on the clock they highly covet, they might start getting wild. That would be my preference for a 1st round pick used on TE, but like I said, I don't anything about the current TE class.

 

[GMO415]

If Mayer is on the board and both RBs are off it’s certainly a possibility in the 1st.

^This

 

[Kingofholland]

Well, 20 years ago you couldn't get through a draft without a Top 10 RB pick. Less than 10 years ago I remember people on this board saying pick #16 was too high for an OG. Tell any team in the league today that they can get Zach Martin with a Top 10 pick and he wouldn't last until #16.

The game is evolving. The TE is no longer viewed as a guy who has to be good at both blocking and receiving and will be doing equal parts of both. Teams are willing to sacrifice both skill and utilization at blocking if they can put their TE out there and the defense has nobody to line up against them. They're just monster WRs at this point.

I don't think the good teams look to what has historically been true to make organizational decisions. They anticipate what is next and try to get ahead of the curve. Of course, now we're probably at a point where you can't get ahead of the curve regarding the TE position because there are too many players that are outproducing 1st round WRs. Kelce, Kittle, Mark Andrews, Darren Waller (even limited by health), etc are all certainly worth 1st round picks based on productivity.

I know nothing about this proposed TE, but if Dallas is going to go TE my first thought would be to see if you can trade for Pitts. Atlanta says they aren't going to trade him, but they aren't going anywhere with him and if there's someone on the clock they highly covet, they might start getting wild. That would be my preference for a 1st round pick used on TE, but like I said, I don't anything about the current TE class.

True we don't always know what the future trends will be. But I also have a feeling Ferg and Hendershot will be some good finds making TE not a day 1 priority.

 

[The Quest for Six]

Tucker Kraft in the 3rd is the soonest I want to see a TE .
I’d tak DT,OL,RB and CB in no particular order before TE

The cupboard is far from bare

So you'd rather take the third or fourth best option at a different position than the first or second ranked position at TE....

 

[The Quest for Six]

If Mayer is on the board and both RBs are off it’s certainly a possibility in the 1st.

Mayer is a decent TE but a poor mans version of Jason Witten.....he's not a dynamic down the field TE like a Kittle or a Kelse...

 

[starfan1]

So you'd rather take the third or fourth best option at a different position than the first or second ranked position at TE....

Without a doubt I want to take what this team needs the most and TE isn’t it plus that position is plenty deep in draft

Don’t sleep on Kraft he’s going to be good. Travis Kelsey was a third rounder

Those other position like OL Torrence is maybe the second or 3rd best at his position but plenty good enough and a bigger need

 

[doomsday9084]

IMO, there are very few positions that are more impacted by their teammates than TE. Frequently their output is simply the result of chemistry with the QB. They often get open as a result of space created by wide outs.

As with any position, its better to have a great one than an average one but I agree with those who say that if RB is not a position you draft high, TE certainly isn't.

As a last note, the Jarwin types kind of get under my skin. If you can't block at all, what is your point as a TE? You might be quicker than the average TE but you aren't a better receiver that most WR4's. Why should you even be on the field?