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Two years after passing on a DT, could Cowboys go that route in first round?
March, 31, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys could stand to have a longer-term solution as a run-stuffing defensive tackle like Eddie Goldman.
IRVING, Texas -- In 2013, the Dallas Cowboys appeared ready to get a steal when defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was available with the 18th pick in the first round.
Floyd, a defensive tackle, was the fifth-rated player on the Cowboys’ draft board. By sitting still, the Cowboys were going to get a player to fill a need at a great value.
But then the Cowboys made a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, holders of the 31st pick, leading to one of the more confusing moments in recent memory in their draft room. The easy explanation: The Cowboys didn’t view Floyd as a pass-rushing threat, and No. 18 would have been too early to take a run-stopping defensive tackle.
With the Cowboys moving to the 4-3 after an eight-year run in the 3-4 and a switch in defensive coaches, there was a lapse in communication between the scouting and coaching staffs that led Floyd to be the fifth-rated player on their board.
At least that’s the explanation the Cowboys gave. And as they get ready for the 2015 draft, the one-technique defensive tackle debate will continue again.
In his most recent mock draft, ESPN Insider Todd McShay had the Cowboys take Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman with the 27th pick. Goldman had six sacks in his last two years at Florida State, and the scouting reports generally call him a terrific run stopper with only average pass-rushing skills.
Fellow ESPN Insider Mel Kiper has had the Cowboys take Jordan Phillips and Carl Davis in two of his first three mock drafts. Texas' Malcolm Brown might be more of a three-technique, but some view him as a run stopper as well.
So if No. 18 was too high for a player like Floyd two years ago, is No. 27 just right for a run-stopping defensive tackle in 2015?
Maybe not. Remember, most teams have 16-18 players with first-round grades. That’s the general number the Cowboys have had in recent years, so there would be a very real possibility their first-round pick would actually have a second-round grade. Travis Frederick, whom the Cowboys took with the 31st pick in the 2013 draft, had a second-round grade on their board.
In free agency, the Cowboys have added a high-profile defensive end in Greg Hardy, which could push them away from the spot at No. 27 this year. At defensive tackle, they have re-signed Nick Hayden, who has started every game the last two years.
By adding Hayden, the Cowboys have covered themselves at defensive tackle but could stand to have a longer-term younger solution as a run-stuffing defensive tackle like Goldman.
Todd Archer
ESPN Dallas Cowboys reporter
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowb...d-dallas-cowboys-go-that-route-in-first-round
March, 31, 2015
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
The Cowboys could stand to have a longer-term solution as a run-stuffing defensive tackle like Eddie Goldman.
IRVING, Texas -- In 2013, the Dallas Cowboys appeared ready to get a steal when defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd was available with the 18th pick in the first round.
Floyd, a defensive tackle, was the fifth-rated player on the Cowboys’ draft board. By sitting still, the Cowboys were going to get a player to fill a need at a great value.
But then the Cowboys made a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, holders of the 31st pick, leading to one of the more confusing moments in recent memory in their draft room. The easy explanation: The Cowboys didn’t view Floyd as a pass-rushing threat, and No. 18 would have been too early to take a run-stopping defensive tackle.
With the Cowboys moving to the 4-3 after an eight-year run in the 3-4 and a switch in defensive coaches, there was a lapse in communication between the scouting and coaching staffs that led Floyd to be the fifth-rated player on their board.
At least that’s the explanation the Cowboys gave. And as they get ready for the 2015 draft, the one-technique defensive tackle debate will continue again.
In his most recent mock draft, ESPN Insider Todd McShay had the Cowboys take Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman with the 27th pick. Goldman had six sacks in his last two years at Florida State, and the scouting reports generally call him a terrific run stopper with only average pass-rushing skills.
Fellow ESPN Insider Mel Kiper has had the Cowboys take Jordan Phillips and Carl Davis in two of his first three mock drafts. Texas' Malcolm Brown might be more of a three-technique, but some view him as a run stopper as well.
So if No. 18 was too high for a player like Floyd two years ago, is No. 27 just right for a run-stopping defensive tackle in 2015?
Maybe not. Remember, most teams have 16-18 players with first-round grades. That’s the general number the Cowboys have had in recent years, so there would be a very real possibility their first-round pick would actually have a second-round grade. Travis Frederick, whom the Cowboys took with the 31st pick in the 2013 draft, had a second-round grade on their board.
In free agency, the Cowboys have added a high-profile defensive end in Greg Hardy, which could push them away from the spot at No. 27 this year. At defensive tackle, they have re-signed Nick Hayden, who has started every game the last two years.
By adding Hayden, the Cowboys have covered themselves at defensive tackle but could stand to have a longer-term younger solution as a run-stuffing defensive tackle like Goldman.
Todd Archer
ESPN Dallas Cowboys reporter
http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowb...d-dallas-cowboys-go-that-route-in-first-round
