How effective has Will McClay been?

[OmerV]

I hear a lot of praise for Will McClay and his influence on jerry and stephen when it comes to draft selections . But do we actually know how effective he has been ? The latest draft picks have not been that great ( Gregory , Taco , Trysten Hill , LVE injury history etc ) ? Does he make the final decisions anyway ? Any inside knowledge or thoughts on McClay ?

He doesn't have final say. He evaluates the talent, but he doesn't determine the schemes or the types of players needed to fill those schemes, or what positions the coaching staff feels need an upgrade. I'm sure if he feels strongly about someone he will push for them, but ultimately he provides support and info for the decision makers.

 

[DFWJC]

so why is he highly praised . Do we actually know if he is any good ? or is he just a glorified scout who gets along with jerry and stephen ? i wonder how MM will work with him during draft day.

He doesn't walk on water.
But generally in look-backs, his draft board is relatively strong.

Those that statistically calculate draft success over the past 7-8 years---all rounds included--usually have Dallas in the top 25% or higher.
And also, the outliers like Taco are often a result of McClay being overridden by coaches (usually Marinelli) or Jerry (as with Gregory)

Player evaluation is VERY imperfect. Look at every single team and GM for proof.
McClay might be overrated by some, but he's not bad.

 

[ESisback]

Im never wrong


He is average

I’m never wrong? Sarcasm or delusion?

 

[ColoradoCowboy]

I'm a fan of McClay. He is very good at what he does. But think for a moment about the position that he is in. Jerry Jones is not exactly a wallflower when it comes to the draft. Rod was never a wallflower either. I have no doubt that McClay was given directives to give Rod what he wanted. It will be interesting to see how McClay responds to the current environment in Dallas where the coaches just said "Go get good players and we will coach them." The emphasis is now on talent where in previous years it was on "fit".

 

[cowboyec]

i'd rather have him than not.

 

[Corso]

Im never wrong


He is average

It's true. He's never wrong. I've gone to Vegas with him!
Dude's a monster!

 

[Corso]

I’m never wrong? Sarcasm or delusion?

Absolutely.

 

[Sarge]

https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/ww...-pushing-taco-charlton-over-tj-watt-nfl-draft

Woopsie.

 

[GMO415]

Anyone who drafted Taco over Watt should have their head examined.

 

[Corso]

Anyone who drafted Taco over Watt should have their head examined.

This team needs a Phrenologist!

 

[dwmyers]

Just to add a little perspective, the career of the average #1 draft choice is akin to that of former Dallas cowboys running back Julius Jones. That's not the average first round draft choice, that's the average #1 pick. PFR published the work in 2012. You'll need the Wayback machine to find it these days. Taco was picked 28th, and by that time, the career AV of the average pick is more in the 20s.

Ok, from my store of data..

mysql> describe avofdrpos;
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field | Type    | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| pos   | int(11) | NO   | PRI | NULL    |       |
| av    | int(11) | NO   |     | NULL    |       |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from avofdrpos where pos > 19 and pos < 30;
+-----+----+
| pos | av |
+-----+----+
|  20 | 29 |
|  21 | 30 |
|  22 | 27 |
|  23 | 28 |
|  24 | 29 |
|  25 | 24 |
|  26 | 28 |
|  27 | 25 |
|  28 | 26 |
|  29 | 25 |
+-----+----+
10 rows in set (0.02 sec)

mysql>

So, those of you thinking you always get a world beater at #28, not so. Average AV of the #28 draft pick as of 2012 is 26 AV.

D-

 

[Corso]

Just to add a little perspective, the career of the average #1 draft choice is akin to that of former Dallas cowboys running back Julius Jones. That's not the average first round draft choice, that's the average #1 pick. PFR published the work in 2012. You'll need the Wayback machine to find it these days. Taco was picked 28th, and by that time, the career AV of the average pick is more in the 20s.

Ok, from my store of data..

mysql> describe avofdrpos;
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field | Type    | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| pos   | int(11) | NO   | PRI | NULL    |       |
| av    | int(11) | NO   |     | NULL    |       |
+-------+---------+------+-----+---------+-------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

mysql> select * from avofdrpos where pos > 19 and pos < 30;
+-----+----+
| pos | av |
+-----+----+
|  20 | 29 |
|  21 | 30 |
|  22 | 27 |
|  23 | 28 |
|  24 | 29 |
|  25 | 24 |
|  26 | 28 |
|  27 | 25 |
|  28 | 26 |
|  29 | 25 |
+-----+----+
10 rows in set (0.02 sec)

mysql>

So, those of you thinking you always get a world beater at #28, not so. Average AV of the #28 draft pick as of 2012 is 26 AV.

D-

Your insert makes me want to play Dungeons and Dragons.

 

[dwmyers]

Your insert makes me want to play Dungeons and Dragons.

The interesting thing to me about approximate value (if you ignore that it's not really additive or commutative) is that you can use it to evaluate draft trades immediately.

I do a lot of that on my blog. Having the numbers means I can plug the trade positions into a program and calculate how leveraged a trade might be. I've done this as far
back as the Eli Manning trade..

Just to give people some perspective, a borderline HOF player will gen 100 AV. Jason Hatcher's total AV over his career was 39.

D-

 

[Corso]

The interesting thing to me about approximate value (if you ignore that it's not really additive or commutative) is that you can use it to evaluate draft trades immediately.

I do a lot of that on my blog. Having the numbers means I can plug the trade positions into a program and calculate how leveraged a trade might be. I've done this as far
back as the Eli Manning trade..

Just to give people some perspective, a borderline HOF player will gen 100 AV. Jason Hatcher's total AV over his career was 39.

D-

So that link in your sig is your blog?
Very interesting.

 

[Sandyf]

Hes average and massively overrated by this fanbase

You are probably to young to remember the drafting after Jimmy Johnson left and when McClay took over. If he is average and overrated then the other 31 teams are really bad.

 

[dwmyers]

You are probably to young to remember the drafting after Jimmy Johnson left and when McClay took over. If he is average and overrated then the other 31 teams are really bad.

Yea, what we really need to do is go back to the days where ole Jerr would pass good draft choice after good one to trade down for Quincy Carter. Current setup gets us a few more linemen at the expense of the Johnny Footballs.

QC, in my opinion, was a product of all the hype around Michael Vick. Coattail effect. If not for that, we could have stayed put and drafted someone like Kris Jenkins.

D-

 

[visionary]

I mean, if those were the only picks he was in on, sure he'd be in trouble. The Cowboys have made their living in the middle rounds recently and he's be absolute money there. That said, in the Jerryocracy, there is no telling how much input and decision making power he has.

I'm not sure I agree
The “you make your living in the middle rounds” applies when you’re hitting it out if the park in the top rounds not when you’re taking busts like Hill and Taco

 

[Kaiser]

Indeed. Looking at his history McClay never played in the NFL or coached in the NFL . I wonder if he is just a smooth talker and plays up to Jerry.

Then why do other teams keep trying to hire him away?

 

[Seven]

I hear a lot of praise for Will McClay and his influence on jerry and stephen when it comes to draft selections . But do we actually know how effective he has been ? The latest draft picks have not been that great ( Gregory , Taco , Trysten Hill , LVE injury history etc ) ? Does he make the final decisions anyway ? Any inside knowledge or thoughts on McClay ?

Will had .Marinelli and last but not least,dumber, AKA Jerry Jones, to battle on draft day.

 

[basel90]

Will appears to be average , and if that is true this organization

Then why do other teams keep trying to hire him away?

not sure really . Am not sure how good he is or how bad he is . Am wondering if he is any good. But i don't see evidence he is that good.
Lots of teams may believe in the Cowboys hype.
Remember when jason garret supporters said many teams will hire him as Head Coach if he is fired by the cowboys ?. Well , he is downgraded to assistant now.