Draft Thoughts

[LarryCanadian]

This post kind of assumes the Cowboys basically draft for needs (both now and for future) or try to trade around for more mid-round picks rather than picking Best Player Available.

Linebacker. Keep hearing lots of names and that there is a bunch of depth at LB spot in draft. Not sure if that applies to experienced or fitting 3-4 Linebacker candidates or not though. Maybe we don't have to use a first rounder on LB if the top 3 rounds will have many good ones. We will probably pick a LB in first 3 rounds though, I'd bet on that.

FS. Didn't Jones recently say in an interview that with the money tied to our existing SS, and CB's that it's not likely we pick here in first 2 rounds. I believe him and don't think this is a smokescreen. FS isn't one of those "critical" positions listed as being key to winning SB (QB, LT, DE, etc etc). So I doubt we go 1st 2 rounds here, nor would I personally like to see that. Scary though, because besides kicker I though FS cost us 2 football games last year. Washington game for sure. We gave up a lot of deep passes by having Roy in coverage and/or no natural FS back there (I like Davis, but more as SS, backup, and Special Teamer). Beriault (sp?) was intriguing in camp last year and looks like a gamer, but the Boys were adamant he is SS not FS material, so not sure what that means. Could use a vet FA here.

WR. TO upgrades and probably lessens the need this year, but with his antics sure makes you want to start grooming a young guy. Reports are the draft is very light in top notch WR prospects. I think the team desperately needs to draft and develop a young WR to go with Crayton. Might one fall to us second round. If there are takers, maybe we trade down into late first, early second to pick up extra pick for WR/OL.

OLine. I think the most important position on this team with respect to offense if Oline now. Allen will be missed. As Jones said he graded out as best oline on team last year. Ouch. Yeah he couldn't or wouldn't do some things anymore but still...... I would love to see Cowboys finally hit on an OT or OG in rounds 1,2. With Tucker likely gone then and Columbo iffy in terms of injury problems. We need the next young guy to groom along with Petiti. I thought highly of Peterman in training camps but the lack of playing time and positive comments on this guy indicates the coaches aren't that optimistic. O line needs at least one, if not two young talented guys. We have a good stable of RB's, a good throwing QB that needs time, and stud WR's/TE that if they get chance to get open, look out. Since it is likely the Cowboys will go with Bledsoe for a couple more years barring something very unexpected, then I think Oline needs to be tried early in draft, maybe 1st round for once.

Nose Tackle. Might need some depth here. If we go mainly 3-4 this year (I believe we will do so more than last year) then Ferguson needs some breathers. Any young widebodies to spell him or develop later in draft? Is Pepper Johnson big enough. I think he's our current projected backup. Raitliff is a bit slender and more of a DE no?

FB. If we don't pick up a vet here. Maybe we try another FB late in draft. I hear Martin was improving late in season and that he works his butt off and is very strong etc, but he didn't exactly get a ton of plays and our Run blocking/blitz pickup could use an upgrade. Hopefully the extra year for Martin helps, but might see a late pick here.

Just some thoughts.

Larry

 

[ddh33]

Good job, Larry.

I think Dallas has done a very good job of putting themselves into a nice position with this draft. Dallas has addressed almost every major need that they have, so they have a lot of options.

I happen to think that an outside linebacker to play opposite of Demarcus Ware is the biggest need on this team. If you can add a catalytic playmaker to the equation, this defense will become awfully scary.

It just so happens that as I look at where Dallas is picking in this draft, there should be some great options at that position. Manny Lawson, Kamerion Wimbley, others should all come off the board in that general range. I expect Dallas to grab one of them - possibly even after moving back and securing mroe picks.

Another need position is free safety. Recent comments by Jerry Jones indicate that position isn't viewed as being as big a need by the organization as it is by some fans. I suspect there are several reasons for that. The allocation of money is part of it. Regardless, I tend to take Jerry at his word on this issue. I think Dallas is probably looking at someone in the third round area that they think can do the job at FS. Safeties usually fall in the draft, and you can always find pretty good value later in the draft. I think Dallas also has a lot of confidence in Todd Bowles to mold a player, and I think they might even have the confidence in some of the players already here to take on a larger role.

But I wonder if it doesn't also mean that Dallas kind of knows where they want to go with their first two selections in the draft. If you assume LB in the first, what position do you look at in the second?

With some recent comments and rumors, I wonder if Dallas is looking hard at QBs in the second round.

Of course, there are still other positions that could use some help. I would like to see more youth added to the receivers, but I believe that you can find good pass catchers all through the draft.

I would like to see another NT added, but I think you can find wide bodies to clog the interior throughout the draft as well.

The OL is a bit of a question mark to me, but I don't think Pettiti, Tucker, Peterman, or Gurode are lost causes yet. And if not, that's quite abit of youth right there.


Like I said, I think Dallas has done a great job of giving themselves options. I expect another good draft.

 

[doomsday81]

Just got done breaking down film today on Ohio State's Donte Whitner. Man is that guy impressive. Great speed, physical and plays the ball well in coverage. He reminds me of Ed Reed. He is going to be a great FS in the NFL in my opinion. All I could think of is how much more havoc Roy Williams could cause if he had a guy like Whitner playing with him. I totally agree that Dallas isn't going to draft Whitner or any other safety in round one but I think it's time they stop putting special teams players back there. They have one of the most dangerous defensive weapons in the league and they can't use him right because he has to pick up the slack for the guy lining up next to him. I know FS isn't the most important position in the world but when you have a player like Williams who does so many things on the field, you can't just line up undrafted free agents next to him. It's time to really address and fix this problem in my opinion because it's limiting what their best defensive player can do on the field.

 

[ddh33]

Make no mistake, I would love a true FS with coverage ability. I think Roy would be an even greater asset. In fact, if this team had a FS who could matchup with slot receivers, it would make the base defense that much more deadly as well.

 

[bigdrulez3141]

Well we dont need to worry about a FS we just re-signed Willie Pile

















JK:laugh2:

 

[big dog cowboy]

With Tucker likely gone

If I'm a betting man I say he stays.

 

[COWBOYSNUM1]

If I'm a betting man I say he stays.

I agree, It does not sound like Parcells has given up on Tucker.
Ask Coach Parcells
editor@dallascowboys.net
By DCW Staff


Q: Greg Ellis wants to play more, or play elsewhere. Is he coming back?

A: Greg is coming back. We don't have any plans to trade him or let him go. When you have a young team changing defenses with rookies, the veteran players don't always understand the pace you have to go to benefit the entire unit. We were trying to integrate Marcus Spears and Chris Canty and DeMarcus Ware and a new cornerback in Anthony Henry as well as Scott Shanle and other guys that really have not been starters in our system. We are going to try to do a couple of different things that involve Greg this year.

Q: What do you think has led to your team's success with second-day draft picks?

A: The one thing that has really helped me here the last couple years that I never had the advantage of in the past is our "Dallas Day." That is the event we have here every year before the draft when we invite in all the draft eligible players from the area for visits and workouts. The league lets each team work out these kids that either went to high school in the area or played at one of the local colleges here in the area. It's a big event for us because there are a lot of guys playing football all around the country that come from the Dallas area. The Dallas and Fort Worth areas are a real hotbed for football players.

When I was in New York, as large as that population is, it wasn't really producing the same number of potential prospects. First of all, there are no major colleges right there playing football. It's just different. Here there are guys playing all over. That is where we really got the chance to see Patrick Crayton and Jacques Reeves a couple years ago. You could really attribute that event to us getting those two players, I think. There were a couple more guys that we just missed on that I would have liked to have had as well from those workouts. It wasn't that we missed on them, we just didn't get a chance to draft them before they were grabbed by someone else. The kid that went to the Jets, Adrian Jones, from Kansas, and the center from Memphis State, Wade Smith, who started at left tackle for the Dolphins as a rookie, they were both guys we liked from our Dallas Day.

I think getting the chance to see these guys first hand, visit with them and work them out, gives us a better feel for players that show up on the draft board on Day Two. On that second day, having that kind of information on a guy can make a big difference.

Q: Do you feel like you can count on Torrin Tucker more now after the way he performed in place of Flozell Adams last year or is he still a question mark in your mind?

A: I think Torrin was a much improved player from his first two years with us. In a couple of areas, he's definitely crossed over. Generally speaking, his personal discipline with his training, conditioning and weight control has shown me that he is definitely maturing. Technically, once in a while, he still has his lapses. The best way to say this and be 100 percent accurate is identifying his limitations on a consistent basis. He doesn't always do that.

I think identifying on a play-to-play basis what has to be done still can be a little problematic for him. I'm not talking about mental assignments. I'm just talking about the physical confrontations you face on a play-to-play basis. Identifying who the enemy is here and what this guy presents as opposed to the next guy. What the third guy presents as opposed to the other two.

If he has played the guy once already, and he knows the guy, he knows how to make the adjustments to his game the second time around. When he first got here he couldn't do that at all. He was a reactive player.

Identifying what he has to do on a play-to-play basis is not always perfect, but the effort and discipline he showed last year tell me he is trying better. Part of that is coping with adversity. That's also something you have to deal with as an offensive lineman.






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