Here's how I view the 26th pick

[Sydla]

Smartest pick would be Avilia IMO. Getting a kid who can play LG or maybe even OC really solidifies the OL and your left side of the OL could be a foundation for years wiht Tyler Smith at LT (or eventually at LT). I like him more than Torrence.

Safest pick would be Mayer. Yes, he doesn't have the uber high ceiling of Washington but basically all the analyst say he also has the highest floor and less bust potential than the other TEs because Mayer does everything well whereas the other TEs might excel in one area but have struggles/questions in other areas.

Flashiest pick would be Robinson. He clearly has talent and looks like an explosive RB. Jerry could PR the crap out of him since he's a UT TB. But I just don't think the value is there in this draft taking a TB that high.

Dumbest pick would be Hyatt. That's not that I think he's a bad prospect or that he can't be a really good WR. He has great speed. But there are some questions with him about his route running, his understanding of defenses, etc. Plus, he'd be a 4th WR here. Given his rawness, to think he'd come in and replace Cooks or Gallup as one of the Top 3 WRs is a reach. You need your #1 pick to play and play immediately in Dallas given we don't use FA a ton. Seems like Hyatt is a guy who would languish for at least 2 years before he could even have a chance to make an impact.

 

[Majic]

Smartest pick would be Avilia IMO. Getting a kid who can play LG or maybe even OC really solidifies the OL and your left side of the OL could be a foundation for years wiht Tyler Smith at LT (or eventually at LT). I like him more than Torrence.

Safest pick would be Mayer. Yes, he doesn't have the uber high ceiling of Washington but basically all the analyst say he also has the highest floor and less bust potential than the other TEs because Mayer does everything well whereas the other TEs might excel in one area but have struggles/questions in other areas.

Flashiest pick would be Robinson. He clearly has talent and looks like an explosive RB. Jerry could PR the crap out of him since he's a UT TB. But I just don't think the value is there in this draft taking a TB that high.

Dumbest pick would be Hyatt. That's not that I think he's a bad prospect or that he can't be a really good WR. He has great speed. But there are some questions with him about his route running, his understanding of defenses, etc. Plus, he'd be a 4th WR here. Given his rawness, to think he'd come in and replace Cooks or Gallup as one of the Top 3 WRs is a reach. You need your #1 pick to play and play immediately in Dallas given we don't use FA a ton. Seems like Hyatt is a guy who would languish for at least 2 years before he could even have a chance to make an impact.

Avilia makes sense to me, but I suspect Edge will be the call if McDonald available

 

[Killerinstinct]

Smartest pick - Kancey - Would take the defense to another level and have offensive coordinators pulling out their hair.

Safest - Robinson - 1000 yard rusher every year.

Flashiest - Flowers

Dumbest - Any TE

 

[Sydla]

Avilia makes sense to me, but I suspect Edge will be the call if McDonald available

I don't think that's a bad pick either if they go edge. But he'd be one of multiple edge guys on the roster whereas Avilia could be a plug and play LG and log 900+ snaps for us (of course barring injury).

 

[Cowboyny]

Smartest pick would be Avilia IMO. Getting a kid who can play LG or maybe even OC really solidifies the OL and your left side of the OL could be a foundation for years wiht Tyler Smith at LT (or eventually at LT). I like him more than Torrence.

Safest pick would be Mayer. Yes, he doesn't have the uber high ceiling of Washington but basically all the analyst say he also has the highest floor and less bust potential than the other TEs because Mayer does everything well whereas the other TEs might excel in one area but have struggles/questions in other areas.

Flashiest pick would be Robinson. He clearly has talent and looks like an explosive RB. Jerry could PR the crap out of him since he's a UT TB. But I just don't think the value is there in this draft taking a TB that high.

Dumbest pick would be Hyatt. That's not that I think he's a bad prospect or that he can't be a really good WR. He has great speed. But there are some questions with him about his route running, his understanding of defenses, etc. Plus, he'd be a 4th WR here. Given his rawness, to think he'd come in and replace Cooks or Gallup as one of the Top 3 WRs is a reach. You need your #1 pick to play and play immediately in Dallas given we don't use FA a ton. Seems like Hyatt is a guy who would languish for at least 2 years before he could even have a chance to make an impact.

Avilia in my opinion is a reach at 26, there will be better players available. At 58 or a small trade up from there, makes far more sense. We have to avoid reaching to fill a need, not one site has Avilia as a top 30 pick.

 

[Sydla]

Avilia in my opinion is a reach at 26, there will be better players available. At 58 or a small trade up from there, makes far more sense. We have to avoid reaching to fill a need, not one site has Avilia as a top 30 pick.

Brugler has him at 40. That's not exactly a big reach at that point to take him at 26. Some are advocating taking Kancey at 26 and Brugler has him at 35, so is there really a big difference there?

 

[morasp]

NFL currently has him at 59 and the 11th best OL but they do give him a starting grade. They note that he should do well with bull rushers and is light on his feet but has trouble sustaining blocks in the run game.

 

[beware_d-ware]

I don't like drafting guards early at all. They're a lot like tight ends... long learning curve at a low-impact position.

Zack Martin put up the Are You Experienced of guard rookie seasons, but Connor Williams and Connor McGovern followed a lot more normal trajectory.

Williams was pretty mediocre for his first two seasons in Dallas, pretty good in his last two, and then really broke through in year five in Miami.

McGovern rode the bench for his first two years, put in a backup level third season, then put together a starter level fourth season. Right in time to get paid $30M.

I'll see if I can find the link again, but a Giants fan site wrote a study about which positions start fastest for rookies. Guard was the single slowest. They found 60 guards who played substantial rookie snaps in the last five years, and only 6 graded out above average on PFF.

So Avila's rookie season would essentially be a write-off. Forget 2023 need, because he could not be counted on for early contribution at all. Nature of the beast. Then over years 2-5, how much would a good guard change this team's Super Bowl outlook?

 

[Risen Star]

Every time I see someone claim an interior OL is a low impact position it astounds me.

Is the QB a low impact position? The only thing standing in the way between him and the defensive line are those "low impact" blockers.

All it really means when you see someone make this claim is they don't know the game well enough to see their impact. A WR makes a catch. They understand this. A CB makes an interception. They can see this. But the most important player on the field having a big day because he enjoyed a run game, a clean pocket and was able to step into all of his throws? That takes a deeper understanding of the game.

They all belch out the old mantra that games are won or lost in the trenches then claim that the players in those trenches are low impact.

It never ceases to amaze me.

 

[JohnsKey19]

Smartest pick would be Avilia IMO. Getting a kid who can play LG or maybe even OC really solidifies the OL and your left side of the OL could be a foundation for years wiht Tyler Smith at LT (or eventually at LT). I like him more than Torrence.

Safest pick would be Mayer. Yes, he doesn't have the uber high ceiling of Washington but basically all the analyst say he also has the highest floor and less bust potential than the other TEs because Mayer does everything well whereas the other TEs might excel in one area but have struggles/questions in other areas.

Flashiest pick would be Robinson. He clearly has talent and looks like an explosive RB. Jerry could PR the crap out of him since he's a UT TB. But I just don't think the value is there in this draft taking a TB that high.

Dumbest pick would be Hyatt. That's not that I think he's a bad prospect or that he can't be a really good WR. He has great speed. But there are some questions with him about his route running, his understanding of defenses, etc. Plus, he'd be a 4th WR here. Given his rawness, to think he'd come in and replace Cooks or Gallup as one of the Top 3 WRs is a reach. You need your #1 pick to play and play immediately in Dallas given we don't use FA a ton. Seems like Hyatt is a guy who would languish for at least 2 years before he could even have a chance to make an impact.

I believe McDonald is squarely in the mix at 26.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Brugler has him at 40. That's not exactly a big reach at that point to take him at 26. Some are advocating taking Kancey at 26 and Brugler has him at 35, so is there really a big difference there?

Reminds me of last season when many thought Tyler Smith had a 2nd round grade and was a reach. Dallas identified the player they wanted and didn't wait around to pull the trigger. Yeah Smith had inside outside versatility but Avilia has OG/C versatility. I don't think he's a reach at 26.

 

[cnuball21]

Smartest pick would be Avilia IMO. Getting a kid who can play LG or maybe even OC really solidifies the OL and your left side of the OL could be a foundation for years wiht Tyler Smith at LT (or eventually at LT). I like him more than Torrence.

Safest pick would be Mayer. Yes, he doesn't have the uber high ceiling of Washington but basically all the analyst say he also has the highest floor and less bust potential than the other TEs because Mayer does everything well whereas the other TEs might excel in one area but have struggles/questions in other areas.

Flashiest pick would be Robinson. He clearly has talent and looks like an explosive RB. Jerry could PR the crap out of him since he's a UT TB. But I just don't think the value is there in this draft taking a TB that high.

Dumbest pick would be Hyatt. That's not that I think he's a bad prospect or that he can't be a really good WR. He has great speed. But there are some questions with him about his route running, his understanding of defenses, etc. Plus, he'd be a 4th WR here. Given his rawness, to think he'd come in and replace Cooks or Gallup as one of the Top 3 WRs is a reach. You need your #1 pick to play and play immediately in Dallas given we don't use FA a ton. Seems like Hyatt is a guy who would languish for at least 2 years before he could even have a chance to make an impact.

Love the players, but:

- Avila is a reach at 26. Consensus big boards have him in the 40s.
- Mayer - pretty accurate assessment but I’d rather have a similar graded player at a money position due to his athletic profile. That being said it’s safe and I think he’s be reliable.
- Robinson - agree on value
- Hyatt - disagree on assessment here. Yes he needs to develop his route running but his game speed alone would be a huge boost to both the passing game and running game.

 

[NeonNinja]

Right now I think the pick will be between Avila, Robinson or Mayer.

 

[Gaede]

I think we will prioritize the high value positions at our pick over OL. But if we get wiped clean, then I could see Avila and Torrence or even Smitz as the backup plan.

I'm think we are looking WR, DE, or CB at 26 before anything else. If none of the guys at we like are available, then get the OG

 

[Sydla]

I think we will prioritize the high value positions at our pick over OL. But if we get wiped clean, then I could see Avila and Torrence or even Smitz as the backup plan.

I'm think we are looking WR, DE, or CB at 26 before anything else. If none of the guys at we like are available, then get the OG

WR at 26 is mindnumbing.

 

[Gaede]

WR at 26 is mindnumbing.

I don't think so, not if the right guy is there.

I'd take Flowers or JSN without question. The rest, not interested

 

[Sydla]

Love the players, but:

- Avila is a reach at 26. Consensus big boards have him in the 40s.
- Mayer - pretty accurate assessment but I’d rather have a similar graded player at a money position due to his athletic profile. That being said it’s safe and I think he’s be reliable.
- Robinson - agree on value
- Hyatt - disagree on assessment here. Yes he needs to develop his route running but his game speed alone would be a huge boost to both the passing game and running game.

If Hyatt struggles at route running and needs to develop, how often is he going to be on the field to actually use his speed with Cooks, Lamb and Gallup likely the Top 3?

People are just obsessed with the idea he runs real fast and ergo he would be a great pick. Just because a guy can run fast doesn't mean he's going to have a big impact in both the passing and run game. If he can't run routes, struggles at things like working a zone or getting off press coverage, the fact he's fast is not going to matter at all.

 

[Sydla]

I don't think so, not if the right guy is there.

I'd take Flowers or JSN without question. The rest, not interested

Using the 26th pick on a guy that likely will be a 4th WR for at least two years.

Doesn't seem like smart usage of that pick given how the Cowboys basically state over and over that their top picks need to make immediate impacts given they don't use FA to fill their big needs.

I get BPA but you take an OG, for example, at 26 and he's on the field likely for 900+ snaps in 2023 and then again in 2024. Take a slot type WR at 26 and he might see the field less than 200 times in both 2023 and 2024. The Cowboys aren't dumping Lamb. Gallup's restructure means he'll be here for at least two more years, and Cooks reworked contract also seems to indicate they want him for two more years, at least.

 

[Gaede]

Using the 26th pick on a guy that likely will be a 4th WR for at least two years.

Doesn't seem like smart usage of that pick given how the Cowboys basically state over and over that their top picks need to make immediate impacts given they don't use FA to fill their big needs.

I personally don't think Gallup offers us anything, so I look at a high draft pick as #3

 

[Stash]

Avilia in my opinion is a reach at 26, there will be better players available. At 58 or a small trade up from there, makes far more sense. We have to avoid reaching to fill a need, not one site has Avilia as a top 30 pick.

I agree.

While I do like the idea of drafting Avila, I like it a whole lot more at #40 - with the proper draft compensation - than I do at #26.