News: DMN: Top 5 players the Cowboys regret passing on in 2014 draft

[gimmesix]

You're off base if that's what you learned. All statistics point to taking one early or missing out.

Well, I was mostly kidding. I think Carr is the exception to the rule, although he shows that you can luck out.

A study of the draft (not done by me) from 2005-2014 showed concerning the QB position that:

• Of the 122 QBs drafted in the last 10 years only 25 have been starters for at least half of their career.

• The first round gives you a 63% chance of finding a starter.

• The second round gives you a 27% chance, the third a 17% chance, then it really plummets from there with 8% in the fourth and 6% in the 7th.

• In the last 10 years, 38 QBs have been drafted in the 5th and 6th rounds and not one has become a starter.

• On average three QBs are drafted in the 1st.

 

[Stash]

Well, I was mostly kidding. I think Carr is the exception to the rule, although he shows that you can luck out.

Ah, gotcha! Humor doesn't translate too well on these message boards.

A study of the draft (not done by me) from 2005-2014 showed concerning the QB position that:

• Of the 122 QBs drafted in the last 10 years only 25 have been starters for at least half of their career.

• The first round gives you a 63% chance of finding a starter.

• The second round gives you a 27% chance, the third a 17% chance, then it really plummets from there with 8% in the fourth and 6% in the 7th.

• In the last 10 years, 38 QBs have been drafted in the 5th and 6th rounds and not one has become a starter.

• On average three QBs are drafted in the 1st.

Yeah, this is what I was referring to.

 

[JoeBoBBY]

Anthony hitchens had a great 2014 season. 2015 wasn't that great but he will turn it around..

we still have hope!! Cowboys fans will never run out of Hope!!!

or will they? Im going to be dead in 30 years, probably sooner if i dont give up the gummi bears and red bull, so .....u know, its getting down to the wire, whether I see them in the super bowl again or not...

 

[baltcowboy]

And Goff and Wentz are rated higher than Carr was.

We can have them all.......Goff, DLaw and ZMartin

Exactly. I am with the draft the quarterback group.

 

[jobberone]

Our 14 draft doesn't look so good now. Martin was a great pick. Dlaw has been kind of a disappointment so far and hitchens was a ghost last season.

DLaw looks like a hit. Hitchens is a good player. Not sure what his ceiling is but he's a keeper for the 53.

Three starters (Hitchens qualifies to start) out of a draft class is avg to good esp if DLaw gets to the next level.

2014 is still under evaluation anyway.

 

[Craig]

I would have liked carr, and wanted him at the time, but im happy with martin and lawrence. It wasnt to be.

 

[dfense]

Our 14 draft doesn't look so good now. Martin was a great pick. Dlaw has been kind of a disappointment so far and hitchens was a ghost last season.

Hitchens was a ghost, I like that. He's solid and can play all three LB positions. Just so happens there are 2 better LB's grabbing all the headlines.

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

No team drafts perfect. We're way above average, Infact probably near the top of the league in the first round. We also do well with undrafted players. Rounds 2-7 though we've been lacking, and it shows on the field

 

[ksadler1]

Just because these guys have done well in their teams systems does not mean they would have done the same here. Coaching has a lot to do with it too, You could make a list like this every draft. We've got guys on our team that would probably be much better in other systems.....

 

[Stash]

Just because these guys have done well in their teams systems does not mean they would have done the same here. Coaching has a lot to do with it too, You could make a list like this every draft. We've got guys on our team that would probably be much better in other systems.....

Speaks to possibly a bigger issue, doesn't it?

 

[Silver N Blue]

The Cowboys, like everyone else, live with regret. We take a look at the players they probably wish they hadn't passed on in recent drafts. Here is the 2014 edition of lament:
5. Allen Hurns, WR, Miami (FL) / Undrafted, signed by Jacksonville Jaguars/ Hurns has become a steal for Jacksonville. This past season, he made 64 catches for 1,031 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He would have been a nice addition to an offense looking for a receiver to fill in for injured star Dez Bryant in 2015. The fact the Cowboys had five chances to draft Hurns in the seventh round in 2014 makes this miss sting particularly hard.

4. Bashaud Breeland, CB, Clemson/Drafted 102nd overall by Washington Commanders /Breeland has exceeded expectations in Washington, making four interceptions and forcing five fumbles during his two seasons with the Commanders. Breeland has played well as both a slot and outside cornerback, showing that he has staying power in the NFL. The Cowboys could have snagged Breeland had they not surrendered their third-round pick in the trade with Washington to select DeMarcus Lawrence early in the second round.

3. Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State/ Drafted 103rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons/ Selected one spot after Breeland, Freeman offers more evidence of why it's potentially hazardous to surrender a pick in a trade to move up the draft order. Freeman had a breakout season in 2015, rushing for 1,056 yards and earning a Pro Bowl invitation. The Cowboys got a glimpse of what they missed out on in Week 3, as Freeman gained 141 yards and scored three touchdowns in a victory over Dallas.

2. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU / Drafted 63rd overall by the Miami Dolphins / The Cowboys could have snagged Jarvis Landry in the second round. Instead, they aggressively went after Lawrence. While Lawrence has slowly gained momentum in a career that began slowly, Landry is in full bloom. He just appeared in his first Pro Bowl after racking up 1,157 receiving yards and scoring touchdowns through the air, on the ground and even on special teams. This Swiss Army knife would have been given the Cowboys a boost in wake of Dwayne Harris' departure.

1. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State / Drafted 36th overall by the Oakland Raiders /What if Derek Carr was backing up Tony Romo this past season? Would Dallas have unraveled the way it did? Don't think so. Carr looks like an emerging star after throwing 32 touchdown passes and earning a Pro Bowl invitation in 2015. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are still searching for Romo's successor.

Cowboys' 2014 Draft Class

1, 16, Zack Martin, G, Notre Dame

2, 34, DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State

4, 119, Anthony Hitchens, LB, Iowa

5, 146, Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh

7, 231, Ben Gardner, DE, Stanford

7, 238, Will Smith, LB, Texas Tech

7, 248, Ahmad Dixon, S, Baylor

7, 251, Ken Bishop, DT, Northern Illinois

7, 254, Terrance Mitchell, CB, Oregon

Click here to read about Cowboys draft regrets from 2013; Click here for the 2012 edition; Click here for the 2011 edition; click here for the 2010 edition; click here for the 2009 edition.

Continue reading...

great list hard not to agree with

 

[YosemiteSam]

Oh I so love rue threads. I always need a cigarette afterwards.

https://lh3.***BROKEN***/-glT6rBg8scQ/VplSW1jwkiI/AAAAAAAEqCc/4sBaDefBSBs/w346-h259/e048d533-e090-43db-98ee-87124f7a93f9.gif

 

[Stash]

great list hard not to agree with

The one that just kills me is Allen Hurns. He would have brought a much-needed speed element to a receiver group that I feel sorely lacks it. He flashed as a rookie and really came in this year. The Jags now have a good receiver tandem in place for a few years.

The fact that we drafted a waste of space receiver in Devin Street who has proven to be useless makes it even more glaring.

Reminds me of Gavin Escobar instead of Le'Veon Bell followed up by drafting Randle, and also drafting cornerback Josh Thomas in the same round ahead of a guy named Richard Sherman in 2011.

It's one thing to just miss on a player, it's another to draft a lesser player when you had the need at that very position!

 

[Satchel89]

What? Dude led our team in sacks in his second season, went on a tear during the final half of the season. Hitchens was a "ghost" because we had Sean Lee and Rolando McClain.

Martin is a pro bowler, Lawrence took a huge step in the right direction and looks to be a great pass rusher for us. If you find two quality starters and a good depth player in one draft, that's a successful draft.

Those 5 players are good but it's not like they passed up future Hall of Famers. And I still think Hitchens is going to be a solid player and they brought Mitchell back and I liked what I seen from him

 

[big dog cowboy]

The one that just kills me is Allen Hurns. He would have brought a much-needed speed element to a receiver group that I feel sorely lacks it. He flashed as a rookie and really came in this year. The Jags now have a good receiver tandem in place for a few years.

The fact that we drafted a waste of space receiver in Devin Street who has proven to be useless makes it even more glaring.

Reminds me of Gavin Escobar instead of Le'Veon Bell followed up by drafting Randle, and also drafting cornerback Josh Thomas in the same round ahead of a guy named Richard Sherman in 2011.

It's one thing to just miss on a player, it's another to draft a lesser player when you had the need at that very position!

All that is true but it happens to every team and it's always easy to second guess draft picks years later.

 

[Stash]

All that is true but it happens to every team and it's always easy to second guess draft picks years later.

That's also very true. But you and I don't much care what happens with the other teams, do we? The worse job they do, the better things ultimately work out for us.

I see value in this exercise, and I hope the team does too. Whatever it was that caused the, to think that Josh Thomas was somehow better than Richard Sherman needs to go. And that's either a person (scout, coach, decision-maker) or a process (how they're grading the cornerback position). One guy is among the best in the league and I'm not sure the other guy is even in it anymore.

The same goes for the other spots I mentioned. They need to go back and reassess whatever part of the process prevented them from making the right choice, learn from it, and do everything they can to ensure that doesn't happen again.

 

[Silver N Blue]

The one that just kills me is Allen Hurns. He would have brought a much-needed speed element to a receiver group that I feel sorely lacks it. He flashed as a rookie and really came in this year. The Jags now have a good receiver tandem in place for a few years.

The fact that we drafted a waste of space receiver in Devin Street who has proven to be useless makes it even more glaring.

Reminds me of Gavin Escobar instead of Le'Veon Bell followed up by drafting Randle, and also drafting cornerback Josh Thomas in the same round ahead of a guy named Richard Sherman in 2011.

It's one thing to just miss on a player, it's another to draft a lesser player when you had the need at that very position!

I agree and thanks for the remainder and the pain in my gut

 

[Silver N Blue]

All that is true but it happens to every team and it's always easy to second guess draft picks years later.

It does but even that rationale can't take away the pain...

 

[Stash]

I agree and thanks for the remainder and the pain in my gut

Glad I could help!

 

[kevm3]

2014 was actually one of the more decent drafts. There was no chance that Carr was going to be drafted because the FO was still in the mode that Romo could play another 5 years. The top end of our draft is actually solid. The problem is we're not getting anything with those mid to late picks.