Draft Grades

Qbert

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http://BAN-INCOMING-IN-3-2-1/images/fball/cowboysb_logo.gif Dallas Cowboys: A- Grade
Goals Entering the 2017 NFL Draft: Most of Dallas' top-30 visits were defensive linemen or defensive backs, as expected. The Cowboys are very weak in those areas, so they'll need to address those as quickly as possible. A second receiver and right tackle will also have to be acquired.

2017 NFL Draft Accomplishments: It shouldn't surprise anyone that most of Dallas' selections were used on defensive players. In fact, six of the Cowboys' initial seven picks went on the defensive side of the ball. Given the problems Dallas had on its stop unit in 2016, that's completely understandable.

Not only did the Cowboys fill needs, but they also obtained talented prospects. Of all the defensive players they chose in the first six rounds, none scored below a "B" individually. Taco Charlton, taken 28th overall, will provide Dallas with a potential boost in the pass rush, which absolutely needed to be addressed. Three defensive backs - Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and Xavier Woods - will help address the worst group on the Cowboys' roster. Lewis and Woods provided great value with where they were selected (92nd and 191st, respectively).

The lone offensive player the Cowboys picked was Ryan Switzer, who operated like Cole Beasley in college football last year. However, Switzer is going to be used more on special teams in Dallas, which is fine. I thought he was chosen earlier than he should've gone, but it wasn't an awful pick.

The Cowboys put together a tremendous draft class, filling needs and selecting promising players. They've done a great job in recent years, and that appears to be the case once again.

http://BAN-INCOMING-IN-3-2-1/nfldraftgradesteam.php
 

Sydla

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i recall the DE pick was telegraphed
so were the CB picks like the 2nd round and the 3rd round.
that is why ATL jumped ahead of us to take Tak.
i dont understand why the FO telegraphs like that.
Eagles also knew to jump right ahead of us to take the RB...

The CB pick in the 2nd was definitely telegraphed because Stephen basically said they were going CB after they took Charlton. But before they picked at 28, this idea that the DE pick was telegraphed is just BS by you. You can go to the draft board and see tweets from media types, etc suggesting the Cowboys were looking like they were going DB in the first round.

And LOL at now complaining about a "telegraph" in Rd 4. It's clear you just want to complain to complain.

And we jumped some teams to get Woods in the 6th that could have taken him. Do we get credit for that?
 

waldoputty

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The CB pick in the 2nd was definitely telegraphed because Stephen basically said they were going CB after they took Charlton. But before they picked at 28, this idea that the DE pick was telegraphed is just BS by you. You can go to the draft board and see tweets from media types, etc suggesting the Cowboys were looking like they were going DB in the first round.

And LOL at now complaining about a "telegraph" in Rd 4. It's clear you just want to complain to complain.

And we jumped some teams to get Woods in the 6th that could have taken him. Do we get credit for that?

sorry, but the 1st 4 picks were all telegraphed.
go listen to the 3rd day press conference and jerry or stephen were talking about the eagles jumping right ahead of them to take the RB they were considering along with the WR.
they even telegraphed the 4th round pick as a S, though they did not follow through with it.
perhaps they tried to take advantage of the situation to throw others off their scent on the RB/WR in the 4th.

the 6th round pick was good.
 

Stash

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So basically Mosher is lying? That it's beyond impossible that Miami could have taken Charlton at 22 or Seattle was hoping they could get picks and Charlton at 31?

What's more likely? That an NFL front office with a solid track record of good drafting somehow screw up their draft and misses "their guy"?

Or

Cowboys fan posts a story to make his favorite team look better?

I know which one I'm going with. Feel free to choose your own version of events.
 

Alexander

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Tanier's individual player grades below. Didn't like the Taco pick, liked Awuzie and Lewis, loved Woods ("draft crush alert!") and Brown ("steal of the 7th round").

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706180-nfl-draft-2017-round-1-grades-for-every-pick
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706317-nfl-draft-2017-round-2-3-grades-for-every-nfl-pick
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2706570-2017-nfl-draft-grades-full-day-3-report-card

No. 28 Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton, Edge, Michigan
Strengths: Length, torque, athletic potential and upside.
Weaknesses: Run defense, array of moves, consistency off the line.

Scouts and coaches look at Taco Charlton and see a tall, long-armed, athletic pass-rusher who can be sculpted like marble into the ultimate defensive weapon as soon as he: A) Develops a deeper, more refined set of pass-rushing moves; B) figures out how to position himself and use leverage to his advantage in the running game; and C) develops more all-around consistency and a better approach against elite blockers.

I look at Charlton and see the kind of pet-project edge-rusher teams frequently whiff on, a guy whose sack production came when Michigan schemed to free him up against overmatched blockers and a solid athlete who will always get plowed under on running plays or chicken-fight with the left tackle if his first move gets stymied.

Coaches and scouts know more than I do, of course. But I have been watching them draft Barkevious Mingo, Jarvis Jones, Vernon Gholston, Aaron Maybin and Dion Jordan types for a long time, and Charlton makes me really, really nervous.

Anyway, Charlton fills two Cowboys needs: 1) edge-rusher, and 2) player Jerry Jones saw on a Saturday afternoon, liked, and remembered the name of.
Grade: C+

No. 60 Dallas Cowboys: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado
Strengths: Instincts, size, athleticism, range and tackling.
Weaknesses: Deep-coverage skills.

The Cowboys ranked 29th in the NFL in preventing short passes, according to Football Outsiders. They were a bend-but-not-break defense that took advantage of playing with the lead and never being on the field too long.

Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon gave the Buffaloes a pair of king-sized starting cornerbacks. Witherspoon is the 6’3” athletic outlier who tackled like he was afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings. Awuzie is shorter (6’0”) but far more physical. He’s also much more effective when reading patterns in front of him and breaking on the ball. So he can help break up his share of those short passes.

In fact, Awuzie looks like a future All-Pro until he loses his receiver in the open field on a double move. He fits best as a zone-coverage defender. Awuzie also has special teams experience and blocked 10 kicks in high school, giving him added value if the Cowboys start him out as a nickel or dime defender.
Grade: A-

No. 92 Dallas Cowboys: Jourdan Lewis, Cornerback, Michigan
Strengths: Quickness, experience, return skills, ball skills.
Weaknesses: Size, clutch-and-grab habits.

Lewis is a classic Cover 2-style cornerback: smooth, quick-footed, smart and competitive. He has the hands and suddenness to turn a pass in front of him into an interception and is a darting, determined return man.

If Lewis were an inch taller and eight pounds heavier and didn’t reach to hug every receiver who threatened to beat him during his transition, he’d be a first-round pick. As-is, he’s a capable starter who is more likely to have a productive career than some of the size/speed marvels in this year’s class.

The Chidobe Awuzie-Lewis 1-2 punch significantly upgrades the Cowboys cornerback corps, giving them two first-round talents who can match up with different kinds of receivers.
Grade: A

No. 133 Dallas Cowboys: Ryan Switzer, Wide Receiver, North Carolina
Strengths: Quickness, short-area elusiveness, hands.
Weaknesses: Size.

No need to belabor the point here: short, shifty, nifty slot receiver; quick off the line; fearless in traffic; too small to be anything but a role player.

I got to see a lot of Switzer at the Senior Bowl and during combine workouts, and he's a powerfully built little ballplayer who snatches the ball out of the air. Compare him to your favorite Patriots slot receiver or to incumbent Cole Beasley. It's OK. It's not problematic. That's what he's like.
Grade: C-plus.

No. 191 Dallas Cowboys: Xavier Woods, Safety, Louisiana Tech
Strengths: Range, instincts, hustle.
Weaknesses: Size, some swing-and-whiff tackling.

Draft crush alert! Woods is an undersized, high-octane, mid-major playmaker who is always around the football. He can attack the backfield or play in space and usually takes great angles to the football, though he will sometimes overrun the play or go for the kill shot. He will also read the quarterback and undercut a route given the opportunity. Woods cannot cover Gronk types, but I love him as a nickel package safety against nifty slot receivers and as a special teams demon.
Grade: Excellent.

No. 216 Dallas Cowboys: Marquez White, Cornerback, Florida State
Strengths: Size, jam.
Weaknesses: Transition, footwork, run support.

White is a long-armed 6-footer who can control smaller receivers at the line of scrimmage. Things get messy after that, however, as White has bad feet and hips in transition and doesn't show up often in run support. White looked like a budding first-rounder in 2015 but didn't develop last season. It's a gamble-on-the-tape measure selection, with the risk minimized by the fact that the Cowboys have made major expenditures at cornerback in this draft.
Grade: Good.

No. 228 Dallas Cowboys: Joey Ivie, Defensive Tackle, Florida
High-effort run-plugger. Missed chunks of his college career with injuries and family crises. A good selection to provide max-effort, bottom-of-the-depth chart competition.
Grade: Good.

No. 239 Dallas Cowboys: Noah Brown, Wide Receiver, Ohio State
Strengths: Size, blocking, upside.
Weaknesses: Injury history, speed/quickness.

Brown is the next Jermaine Kearse. He will be one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL, adding just enough run-after-catch ability and possession value to keep him involved in an offense. Like Kearse, Brown is more likely to be the guy blocking for some other receiver's tunnel-screen touchdown than the guy catching it. But Brown missed 2015 with a broken leg and was often used as an all-purpose player at Ohio State, so he may have untapped potential as a more traditional weapon.

This is the steal of the seventh round.
Grade: Excellent.

No. 246 Dallas Cowboys: Jordan Carrell, Defensive End, Colorado
High-energy run stopper. Not regarded as a top athlete. Carrell probably maxes out as a wave defender. Grade: Good.
 
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