CCBoy
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 47,019
- Reaction score
- 22,610
Drafting Like It's 2005: Do Cowboys Already Have A Blueprint For Fixing The 2016 Defensive Line?
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...dy-have-a-blueprint-for-fixing-defensive-line
In 2005 the Dallas Cowboys drafted four defensive linemen as they switched to a 3-4 defense under Bill Parcells. Bill Parcells had been hired as head coach in 2003, but he didn’t change the defensive scheme until the Cowboys finished the 2004 season ranked 27th in points allowed.
In 2005, the Cowboys had two first-round picks (thanks to a trade with the Bills the previous year), and with their first two picks, the Cowboys selected OLB DeMarcus Ware and DE Marcus Spears. They later added DE Chris Canty in the fourth round and selected DT Jay Ratliff in the seventh.
Here are the four players the Cowboys drafted and their career numbers:
PickPlayerPOSGamesGames StartedSacksPro Bowls
1 (11)DeMarcus WareOLB/DE168165134.59
1 (20)Marcus SpearsDE/DT1249010- -
4 (132)Chris CantyDE14812822.5- -
7 (224)Jay RatliffDT122102354
Total56248520213
If the Cowboys plan fix the defensive line, the 2005 draft offers a stellar blueprint for how that could work. Of course, it's completely unrealistic to expect to replicate or even come close to this type of production with the 2016 draft class:
With the fourth overall pick, the Cowboys are in position to select the best pass rusher in this draft class. The 34th overall pick is about as close as it gets to a first-round pick, so the Cowboys could conceivably get two defensive linemen with first-round grades, especially if they use the 34th pick on a defensive tackle, a position that looks to be fairly deep in this draft.
In this scenario, the 2016 version of the Ware/Spears picks could be combo of DE Joey Bosa and DTs like Sheldon Rankins, Vernon Butler, or Austin Johnson.
And where the Cowboys used a fourth-round pick to select Chris Canty in 2005, they now have two fourth-round picks this year, one being their original pick, the other a compensatory pick they'll get this year. And in the fourth round, there'll be lots of possibilities to pick either an edge rusher or an interior defensive lineman. CBSSports for example lists small-school standouts Javon Hargrave and Ronald Blair as potential fourth-round targets, but even if that assessment is off, the Cowboys will have a broad selection of defensive linemen to choose from in the fourth...
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2016...dy-have-a-blueprint-for-fixing-defensive-line
In 2005 the Dallas Cowboys drafted four defensive linemen as they switched to a 3-4 defense under Bill Parcells. Bill Parcells had been hired as head coach in 2003, but he didn’t change the defensive scheme until the Cowboys finished the 2004 season ranked 27th in points allowed.
In 2005, the Cowboys had two first-round picks (thanks to a trade with the Bills the previous year), and with their first two picks, the Cowboys selected OLB DeMarcus Ware and DE Marcus Spears. They later added DE Chris Canty in the fourth round and selected DT Jay Ratliff in the seventh.
Here are the four players the Cowboys drafted and their career numbers:
PickPlayerPOSGamesGames StartedSacksPro Bowls
1 (11)DeMarcus WareOLB/DE168165134.59
1 (20)Marcus SpearsDE/DT1249010- -
4 (132)Chris CantyDE14812822.5- -
7 (224)Jay RatliffDT122102354
Total56248520213
If the Cowboys plan fix the defensive line, the 2005 draft offers a stellar blueprint for how that could work. Of course, it's completely unrealistic to expect to replicate or even come close to this type of production with the 2016 draft class:
- The 2005 draft class is probably the best draft class since the Hershel-Walker-trade-enhanced drafts in the early 1990s, and SportsOnEarth called it the NFL's best draft of the decade.
- You can't simply draft a DeMarcus Ware-quality player when you feel like it, regardless of where you're picking in the draft.
- You don't often have two first-round draft picks to spend.
- Best to avoid defensive tackles with mental issues altogether.
With the fourth overall pick, the Cowboys are in position to select the best pass rusher in this draft class. The 34th overall pick is about as close as it gets to a first-round pick, so the Cowboys could conceivably get two defensive linemen with first-round grades, especially if they use the 34th pick on a defensive tackle, a position that looks to be fairly deep in this draft.
In this scenario, the 2016 version of the Ware/Spears picks could be combo of DE Joey Bosa and DTs like Sheldon Rankins, Vernon Butler, or Austin Johnson.
And where the Cowboys used a fourth-round pick to select Chris Canty in 2005, they now have two fourth-round picks this year, one being their original pick, the other a compensatory pick they'll get this year. And in the fourth round, there'll be lots of possibilities to pick either an edge rusher or an interior defensive lineman. CBSSports for example lists small-school standouts Javon Hargrave and Ronald Blair as potential fourth-round targets, but even if that assessment is off, the Cowboys will have a broad selection of defensive linemen to choose from in the fourth...
