McClay breaks down each draft pick

[AsthmaField]

To give you a better feel for why the Cowboys picked the eight players they did, here are some of Will McClay’s thoughts on each one.

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First round, No. 26: Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan

A behind-the-scenes look at the Cowboys discussing their first-round pick while they were on the clock last Thursday night was included in a video on the team’s website. The final decision came down to Smith and an offensive guard. TCU’s Steve Avila and Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron were the next two guards drafted. Avila went 36th overall to the Rams. Bergeron went 38th to the Falcons. When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asked McClay for his opinion, McClay said that he would go with Smith, an interior defensive lineman who the team hadn’t had ranked that high “in quite some time.”

“When (head coach Mike McCarthy) came in here he talked about building a bigger, stronger, faster football team,” McClay said. “We have continued to do that, and when you look at Mazi, teams run the football now and you see things change. You look at our division, he’s a guy that can stop that, a guy that adds value to our defense as well. I think there is an ability to rush the passer. You watch the Michigan tape, he is playing in a flat stance, doesn’t get after the passer. Well, you change things up, you put him with (defensive coordinator Dan Quinn) and (defensive line coach Aden Durde) within our defense, not only can he stop the run, but we feel like there is upside in rushing the passer as well, and being a disruptive force.”

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Second round, No. 58 overall: Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan

This pick was questioned because Florida offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence was still available. The Cowboys went with the tight end who most mock drafts projected as a third-round pick. Torrence went with the next pick to the Bills. What was most intriguing about Schoonmaker?

“The fact that he played at Michigan,” McClay said. “The No. 1 thing at Michigan is they’re going to run the football. If you’re a tight end with a team that’s going to run the football, and you’re a point-of-attack guy, then you know the requirements and how to physically make the conscious decision to put your body on somebody else and block them. It’s a lost art in this day and age with people playing with all these space players, the undersized tight end and doing those things. Well, in the NFL, we’re looking for a guy that can do some (Y tight end) responsibilities. We know that he can do that because it’s on tape."

“But then you also look at his size, speed, athleticism and what we think he can add to the passing game as well, that was a very attractive thing in picking him. We know what we’re going to get in the run game. We know he knows how to do that. He will get better with coaching from (tight ends coach Lunda Wells). Looking for that ceiling to be really, really high, but also very excited to see what he can bring to us in the passing game.”

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Third round, No. 90 overall: DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas

The Cowboys think he’ll immediately be able to help on special teams and become a valuable piece they can move around on defense.

“When you talk about looking for a player, you talk about the linebacker position and what it takes to play linebacker in our defense,” McClay said. “In the NFL, you have to cover running backs and you have to cover tight ends. You have to be able to blitz, and you have to play all over the field. You play with two linebackers mostly a lot now with the sub-defenses, and so you have to do a number of different things and then also have to contribute on fourth down and love to play the game. You watch this dude play, you turn on the tape, and it shows he loves to play the game of football.”

Some well earned likes… I appreciate it R.

 

[Risen Star]

Will has a history of being outstanding.

In your world, yes.

 

[rambo2]

In your world, yes.

It is a solid fact that can be easily found with a little research.

 

[Risen Star]

It is a solid fact that can be easily found with a little research.

Okay. Tell me about the time in your world when Will McClay was outstanding.

 

[KingintheNorth]

How does something is as subjective as him "being outstanding" be qualified as fact?

 

[ThreeandOut]

In the video where they discuss whether to take Mazi or OL (Bergeron), McClay also said that Mazi would provide the more immediate impact where Bergeron was more of a depth player. So they didn't view Bergeron as highly as they did Tyler Smith last year who was penciled in at OG immediately after the draft. Bergeron was probably viewed at least initially as a backup that could be on the active roster due to his position flex. Since Mazi would be playing immediately, I doubt the decision between him and Bergeron for the first round pick was very close. OL probably wouldn't have been a consideration unless an immediate starter like Wright or Skoronski had fallen to 26.

On Day 2, it seems that Dallas was focused on TE and LB as their primary needs. By the time they got to 58, the TE's had been largely picked over. Schoonmaker was very likely the last TE on their board with the 2nd round grade. On the other hand, there were a lot of highly rated LB's still available at 58 so they had to feel comfortable getting one they liked in the third round, which turned out to be the case with Overshown.

Torrence was never a consideration at 58. If Bergeron wasn't viewed as an immediate starter, neither was he He also didn't offer any position flex so he likely wouldn't even be active on gameday.

 

[tyke1doe]

I don't really believe that they want to run the ball any more than they have, but to keep bringing it up and not do more at RB is weird to me, unless they are really big believers in Davis.

I agree. Seattle is a team that really wants to run the ball because it has invested in some nice backs over the course of two drafts, including this one.

McCarthy talked about it this off-season, but only drafting fid-midget Deuce Vaughn to team with a recovering-from-injury Tony Pollard?

Jerry still has Zeke on speed dial. Laying points on Zeke returning to the Cowboys next season.

 

[visionary]

McCarthy's last 2 years in Green Bay

2017 - 27th in rushing attempts
2018 - 32nd (dead last) in rushing attempts

I'm sure it was Kellen Moore's fault or something like that.

Don’t be a hater

 

[cnuball21]

I agree. Seattle is a team that really wants to run the ball because it has invested in some nice backs over the course of two drafts, including this one.

McCarthy talked about it this off-season, but only drafting fid-midget Deuce Vaughn to team with a recovering-from-injury Tony Pollard?

Jerry still has Zeke on speed dial. Laying points on Zeke returning to the Cowboys next season.

And they drafted JSN…

SEAs O is going to be nasty this year if the OL shows up.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

What's funny is he talks about having to evolve with the game when he breaks down Deuce but in the Schoonmaker breakdown he says the TEs they look for are mostly a lost art in this day and age of space players.

Which is it, Will? Or are you just full of ****?

Why can't it be both for different positions?

 

[Havic]

You can get away with an average back with a great offensive line.

 

[big dog cowboy]

recovering-from-injury Tony Pollard?

He's fine.

 

[NotForLong]

What's funny is he talks about having to evolve with the game when he breaks down Deuce but in the Schoonmaker breakdown he says the TEs they look for are mostly a lost art in this day and age of space players.

Which is it, Will? Or are you just full of ****?

 

[NotForLong]

1000 likes earned with that one. They spend so much energy in justification and PR mode that they can’t keep their stories straight. It’s not quite the “we score too much” but it’s still a fairly profound contradiction.

 

[NotForLong]

Makes sense.

I would’ve drafted Murphy in the 1st and let him play that role and targeted my DT later.

 

[NotForLong]

Are other Directors of Player Personnel trying to justify the picks?

They seem a little overreactive to some criticism for the picks. But this is the team that their GM snapped and tried to show the board as proof of the pick.

The owner is on his radio show telling everyone Parsons was always the pick while his son was on his own telling everyone it was either Horn or Surtain.

They'd be better off just going about their business and stop trying to spin everything to the media......like the other 31 teams don't try to do.

Not everyone thinks it was a poor draft, they really don't have to try and spin anything. We will all know soon enough.

 

[NotForLong]

The Cowboys tend to react like the North Korean minister of propaganda after losses and the draft.


Dear Leader Jones was the smartest and most powerful General Manager, convincing the NFL that he wanted Dalton Kincaid, fooling the silly Bills into making an unnecessary trade.

Then Great Jerry drafted the most powerful Nose Tackle who everyone in league agreed had a top 13 grade in all of the draft. Even NBA teams admitted they were considering drafting Mazi Smith.

In the 2nd round, NFL super executive Jones, who has the mind of a 22-year-old Ivy League valedictorian and an IQ that cannot be quantified, fooled the whole league again taking a Tight End earlier than any team expected. This was not at all any admission that they missed their intended first round Tight End target.

After each one of the Cowboys picks, the other NFL teams congratulated Dear Leader Jones in a group chat. Each team admitted they were about to draft the players the Cowboys selected. 5-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick jumped into the chat stating he was still upset that the Cowboys drafted Jaylon Smith in 2016 before he was able to. Great General Manager Jerry Jones was immediately awarded the 2024 Lombardi trophy and seventy billion dollars since the National Football League would not exist without him.

 

[btgboys41]

Emoji game is strong today.

 

[NotForLong]

In the video where they discuss whether to take Mazi or OL (Bergeron), McClay also said that Mazi would provide the more immediate impact where Bergeron was more of a depth player. So they didn't view Bergeron as highly as they did Tyler Smith last year who was penciled in at OG immediately after the draft. Bergeron was probably viewed at least initially as a backup that could be on the active roster due to his position flex. Since Mazi would be playing immediately, I doubt the decision between him and Bergeron for the first round pick was very close. OL probably wouldn't have been a consideration unless an immediate starter like Wright or Skoronski had fallen to 26.

On Day 2, it seems that Dallas was focused on TE and LB as their primary needs. By the time they got to 58, the TE's had been largely picked over. Schoonmaker was very likely the last TE on their board with the 2nd round grade. On the other hand, there were a lot of highly rated LB's still available at 58 so they had to feel comfortable getting one they liked in the third round, which turned out to be the case with Overshown.

Torrence was never a consideration at 58. If Bergeron wasn't viewed as an immediate starter, neither was he He also didn't offer any position flex so he likely wouldn't even be active on gameday.

They loved Schoonmaker and feel fortunate that after the run on TEs . . He was still there and jumped at the chance to add him to the team

 

[NotForLong]

Emoji game is strong today.

At this point it is the only reaction. What story can they not get straight?

They are unified and feel good in the selections they made to improve this team. . they have added a lot of amazing talent