Jaylon Smith and the knee jerk reaction to Rolando McClain

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Another way of looking at it is to say we have drafted 1 TE in the last 8 drafts in the 2nd round.

Some people have a problem letting go.

 

[cityochamps]

I think our RB corp did need upgrading. Maybe not with the 4th overall pick so I agree in part with you. But overall I wouldn't have been happy going into the season with Morris, McFadden, Smith and Dunbar. Especially after McFadden broke his elbow, but he didn't break his elbow saving his cell phone, but he still broke it.

Agree

 

[CT Dal Fan]

A part of the Jaylon Smith story that's not often discussed is this:

The Cowboys, if rumors are to be believed, went into the second round of the draft with a plan- to move up from 34 to 32 by trading guard Ronald Leary to the Browns and taking defensive end Emanuel Ogbah; then trading back up into the bottom of the 2nd to get Jaylon Smith. There was a very real buzz the Patriots, who picked 60 and 61 (they ultimately traded 60) were going to take Smith there.

Of course, the move up to get Ogbah failed, so the Cowboys simply went with Smith at 34. It could be argued they could have traded down a bit and still have gotten him, but how do we know anybody gave Dallas a good enough offer?

 

[Proof]

I'm a huge Jaylon smith fan. Really loved him and wanted to consider him with the 1st prior to the injury. Post injury though, it never even crossed my mind to grab him with the 2nd. Would have been ecstatic to get him in the third and wouldn't have batted an eye @ missing out on him. It could pan out tremendously and obviously that would be amazing, but given the current makeup/deficiencies of the team, and the Romo window, and going Elliot in the first....just feels like there's no real way to justify the pick. It's crazy.

If they felt like taking risks, IMO should have thrown caution to the wind and brought Hardy back and drafted Spence. Not what I'm advocating, but a gamble I'd have much preferred

That said, pulling for Jaylon with every fiber of my being. Hope he's the next dominant LB.

 

[Alexander]

I'm a huge Jaylon smith fan. Really loved him and wanted to consider him with the 1st prior to the injury. Post injury though, it never even crossed my mind to grab him with the 2nd. Would have been ecstatic to get him in the third and wouldn't have batted an eye @ missing out on him. It could pan out tremendously and obviously that would be amazing, but given the current makeup/deficiencies of the team, and the Romo window, and going Elliot in the first....just feels like there's no real way to justify the pick. It's crazy.

If they felt like taking risks, IMO should have thrown caution to the wind and brought Hardy back and drafted Spence. Not what I'm advocating, but a gamble I'd have much preferred

That said, pulling for Jaylon with every fiber of my being. Hope he's the next dominant LB.

I love Smith as a player as well.

Healthy, he is the total package.

It is sad he is wrapped up in the intrigue.

 

[Nightman]

I'm a huge Jaylon smith fan. Really loved him and wanted to consider him with the 1st prior to the injury. Post injury though, it never even crossed my mind to grab him with the 2nd. Would have been ecstatic to get him in the third and wouldn't have batted an eye @ missing out on him. It could pan out tremendously and obviously that would be amazing, but given the current makeup/deficiencies of the team, and the Romo window, and going Elliot in the first....just feels like there's no real way to justify the pick. It's crazy.

If they felt like taking risks, IMO should have thrown caution to the wind and brought Hardy back and drafted Spence. Not what I'm advocating, but a gamble I'd have much preferred

That said, pulling for Jaylon with every fiber of my being. Hope he's the next dominant LB.

At the time of the draft we had quality starters and decent back-ups for every position on D.....a smidge thin at CB and DE just because of the suspensions.....signing Thornton, Mayowa and Claiborne filled any gaping holes.....if there was ever a time to take a chance it was now...especially after Ogbah and Dodd were taken right before us.....our own Dr had the inside info but you never know who else wanted JSmith...

If you want him at all you take him at 34 or lose him.....he is a top 5 talent.....getting Collins and Tapper next just erased any doubts....switch up the order of those 3 and no one is complaining

 

[big dog cowboy]

I'm a huge Jaylon smith fan. Really loved him and wanted to consider him with the 1st prior to the injury. Post injury though, it never even crossed my mind to grab him with the 2nd. Would have been ecstatic to get him in the third and wouldn't have batted an eye @ missing out on him. It could pan out tremendously and obviously that would be amazing, but given the current makeup/deficiencies of the team, and the Romo window, and going Elliot in the first....just feels like there's no real way to justify the pick. It's crazy.

If they felt like taking risks, IMO should have thrown caution to the wind and brought Hardy back and drafted Spence. Not what I'm advocating, but a gamble I'd have much preferred

That said, pulling for Jaylon with every fiber of my being. Hope he's the next dominant LB.

First 'like' for you!

 

[Irvin88_4life]

I did defend there startegy, so I did open myself up to that criticism. They seem to have taken to a strategy of gambling on talent with that 2nd round pick. I think the Smith pick was a more sound gamble then the Gregory pick personally. They had( assumption) much more intimate knowledge on Smith then Gregory. Im hoping they learn from the Gregory situation and look more at the liklihood that the reasons the pick was such a gamble in the first place dont resurface

Gregory was also a talent pick. He was a top 5 player that we got at 60. By far the best player on the board at the time. Those talents fall for a reason.......they are still talented though

 

[Proof]

At the time of the draft we had quality starters and decent back-ups for every position on D.....a smidge thin at CB and DE just because of the suspensions.....signing Thornton, Mayowa and Claiborne filled any gaping holes.....if there was ever a time to take a chance it was now...especially after Ogbah and Dodd were taken right before us.....our own Dr had the inside info but you never know who else wanted JSmith...

If you want him at all you take him at 34 or lose him.....he is a top 5 talent.....getting Collins and Tapper next just erased any doubts....switch up the order of those 3 and no one is complaining

I don't buy that at all. Our defense (prior to the draft) was thin across the board. Secondary, D-line, LBs all of them have a player or two, question marks and suspect depth. Compounding it is that each unit is dependent on another stepping up in order to reach their potential. DB's need the pass rush to get home to keep them from being hung on an island.... line needs the db's to lock things up long enough to let them penetrate etc... so just adding an additional piece to either (or preferably both) really solidifies things. Instead you leave yourself vulnerable to an injury or suspension (or two or three ) being the domino that potentially screws the entire D, which is where we appear to be now. Tapper and Collins feel like good supplementary pieces, but they're more consolation prizes after not getting an immediate impact guy on D in the first two rounds. Jaylon is a cowboy now, he's a stud, and a great guy, and I'm happy to have him and hope that he heals and excels, but there is really no argument I've heard or can imagine that can convince me that grabbing him at 34 was the right move.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Gregory was also a talent pick. He was a top 5 player that we got at 60. By far the best player on the board at the time. Those talents fall for a reason.......they are still talented though

With Gregory you take him with the hope that counseling can get him on his meds and off the pot. Could be why he goes at the bottom of the 2nd VS Smith who went at the top because they feel Smith is simply a waiting game. With Gregory it may take more time to get him that stability ( if you ever can) then it would take for Smiths knee to heal.

Im extremely pessimistic about Gregory. A guy who's addiction stems from medicating with a drug is more of an uphill climb then do it for simple pleasure. But he isnt done yet

 

[TrailBlazer]

Jaylon was born to play Will LB in this defense imo. Not sure why they think hes a Mike. When it comes to the pick, the value just wasn't there at 34. Plain and simple. Not with that injury. Maybe 3rd round at the earliest for that risk. Not with Ragland, Jack, and other highly regarded edge rushers on the board at 34. It just wasn't smart but it is what it is and I'm hoping for the best for the player.

 

[visionary]

In the wake of the McClain suspension, Ive been reading some venom over the Smith pick. I think its a bit short sighted and misguided.

I wouldnt have picked Smith personally, and I derided the pick when it happened (called it terrible which was admittingly knee jerk). But Smith or any draft pick for that matter should have little to do with what happended with McClain this offseason, even if they knew it was going to happen. You dont force a pick to cover a potential short term problem. You make to pick to assemble the most talented roster you can.

As far as covering McClain. The people asking " Who is out there we can sign/trade for" are much closer to the point. To cover that hole you want a known quantity. Your definitely not going to get an All Pro, but teams almost never emerge from this situation with an All Pro in tow. Similarly people hoping Hitchens or even Wilson to step in effectively have the right idea as well. We drafted 2 LBs in the 4th round the last 2 years. Maybe thats where we need to look for an immediate replacement.

As far as Smith, Im gonna echo Risen's sentiments on the pick. Its pure talent acquisition. Its adding the best talent you can for your draft pick. Whether you agree with ths pick or not, its a good personel policy. The value of the pick is not in its immediate returns

I think this is a false premise to conflate the 2 events to justify a bad decision

Most who were against the Smith pick were against it before we knew anything about Ro

There is a chance that smith will never play in the NFL and quite possibly not at the level he was going to before his injury

If you put your child's college education money on a long shot and it hits, that still makes it a bad decision

It was a bad pick which had little to do with sound thinking and more to do with the usual Jerry trying to outsmart everyone else. It was a hope and prayer pick and nothing else

The same people now justifying the pick would have laughed at the idea of taking smith with our second round pick before the draft but we have a way of deluding ourselves and that is exactly what is going on

 

[Nightman]

I don't buy that at all. Our defense (prior to the draft) was thin across the board. Secondary, D-line, LBs all of them have a player or two, question marks and suspect depth. Compounding it is that each unit is dependent on another stepping up in order to reach their potential. DB's need the pass rush to get home to keep them from being hung on an island.... line needs the db's to lock things up long enough to let them penetrate etc... so just adding an additional piece to either (or preferably both) really solidifies things. Instead you leave yourself vulnerable to an injury or suspension (or two or three ) being the domino that potentially screws the entire D, which is where we appear to be now. Tapper and Collins feel like good supplementary pieces, but they're more consolation prizes after not getting an immediate impact guy on D in the first two rounds. Jaylon is a cowboy now, he's a stud, and a great guy, and I'm happy to have him and hope that he heals and excels, but there is rally no argument I've heard or can imagine that can convince me that grabbing him at 34 was the right move.

Name one gaping hole on Defense

DL- DLaw/Russell......TCrawford/DIrving.........Thornton/TMcClain.......Gregory/Mayowa

LB- Wilber/Gachkar..........RMcClain/Hitchens.........SLee/Wilson

CB- Carr/Mitchell.....Claiborne/Olatoye..........OScandrick

FS- BJones/Heath.............SS- Church/Wilcox

and with the draft we able to add MLB, DT, DE, CB, SS

 

[vlad]

Some people have a problem letting go.

You could just as well say in the last 10 drafts we've drafted 3 TEs, 0 RBs, WRs, ol, QB, DTs, CBs, S in the 2nd round. I chose that window because that's basically Romo, Witten, and Ware's prime. ANd well 10 is a nice number

 

[Kaiser]

A part of the Jaylon Smith story that's not often discussed is this:

The Cowboys, if rumors are to be believed, went into the second round of the draft with a plan- to move up from 34 to 32 by trading guard Ronald Leary to the Browns and taking defensive end Emanuel Ogbah; then trading back up into the bottom of the 2nd to get Jaylon Smith. There was a very real buzz the Patriots, who picked 60 and 61 (they ultimately traded 60) were going to take Smith there.

Of course, the move up to get Ogbah failed, so the Cowboys simply went with Smith at 34. It could be argued they could have traded down a bit and still have gotten him, but how do we know anybody gave Dallas a good enough offer?

That was my immediate reaction to the Jaylon Smith pick, they should have traded down 10 spots or so and taken him then. But after looking at things, I think the team knew they had a 90% of getting either Ogbah or Kevin Dodd. Then there was a lightning strike and both guys went in the two picks ahead of them.

At that point they don't have a lot of time to make calls for a trade and know they have better information on Smith than anyone. I think Jerry was telling the truth when he said that once Dodd went in the pick before theirs, they just went with a Smith as a guy with Top 5 talent and never looked back. Jerry said something to the effect of the team not wanting to get too cute and miss out on a special talent - I think that is exactly how it played out.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I think this is a false premise to conflate the 2 events to justify a bad decision

Most who were against the Smith pick were against it before we knew anything about Ro

There is a chance that smith will never play in the NFL and quite possibly not at the level he was going to before his injury

If you put your child's college education money on a long shot and it hits, that still makes it a bad decision

It was a bad pick which had little to do with sound thinking and more to do with the usual Jerry trying to outsmart everyone else. It was a hope and prayer pick and nothing else

The same people now justifying the pick would have laughed at the idea of taking smith with our second round pick before the draft but we have a way of deluding ourselves and that is exactly what is going on

I think this is a bunch of handwaving involving confirmation bias towards team failure. Also speak for yourself. Bandwagon fallacy based on wishful thinking is a waste of everyone's time.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

You could just as well say in the last 10 drafts we've drafted 3 TEs, 0 RBs, WRs, ol, QB, DTs, CBs, S in the 2nd round. I chose that window because that's basically Romo, Witten, and Ware's prime. ANd well 10 is a nice number

If you want to remain upset about Fasano and Bennett than have at it. It still is what it is.

 

[Nightman]

If you want to remain upset about Fasano and Bennett than have at it. It still is what it is.

All of our 'busted' 2nd round picks are still in the league

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

A part of the Jaylon Smith story that's not often discussed is this:

The Cowboys, if rumors are to be believed, went into the second round of the draft with a plan- to move up from 34 to 32 by trading guard Ronald Leary to the Browns and taking defensive end Emanuel Ogbah; then trading back up into the bottom of the 2nd to get Jaylon Smith. There was a very real buzz the Patriots, who picked 60 and 61 (they ultimately traded 60) were going to take Smith there.

Of course, the move up to get Ogbah failed, so the Cowboys simply went with Smith at 34. It could be argued they could have traded down a bit and still have gotten him, but how do we know anybody gave Dallas a good enough offer?

There wasn't real buzz.

The Pats have shot that rumor down and Broaddus confirmed it with his own Pats source.

 

[Vinnie2u]

There wasn't real buzz.

The Pats have shot that rumor down and Broaddus confirmed it with his own Pats source.

Pats picked 29th in the 2nd round. We picked 3rd. We could of traded down like 25 times. Plus Pats denied it. We blew it. You can't pick up of guy cause rumor has it somebody picking him 25 spots down.