Melvin Gordon: It'd be "Sweet" to Run Behind Cowboys O-Line

[AsthmaField]

Rumors coming out say he's the top RB for the Cowboys right now, but the RBs won't be finalized until his medical re-check on the 18th. If he gets past SD at 17 I would look out for a Cowboys trade up to 21-23 to get ahead of Ariz and take him.

@Hardline It is possible to get Gurley.

Trade up a few spots with Pittsburgh (jumping in front of two teams that need a RB) and take the highest rated RB in the draft. A player who is only available so late because he is coming off a knee injury in his junior season at a big SEC University.

Oh, wait... that is Emmitt Smith I'm thinking about. Jimmy Johnson traded up with Pitt to get in front of Green Bay and Atlanta who both wanted to draft Emmitt. Green Bay ended up taking Darryl Thompson, RB out of Minnesota with their first and Atlanta took Steve Broussard, RB from Washington State with their first pick. Emmitt Smith, from the University of Florida only slid because of questions about his knee.

Now, Dallas can move up with Pittsburgh to get in front of Arizona and Baltimore to take the highest rated RB who so happens to be from a big SEC school and will only be there that late because of a knee injury he suffered during his junior season.

The serendipity would be just too sweet.

 

[AzorAhai]

@Hardline It is possible to get Gurley.

Trade up a few spots with Pittsburgh (jumping in front of two teams that need a RB) and take the highest rated RB in the draft. A player who is only available so late because he is coming off a knee injury in his junior season at a big SEC University.

Oh, wait... that is Emmitt Smith I'm thinking about. Jimmy Johnson traded up with Pitt to get in front of Green Bay and Atlanta who both wanted to draft Emmitt. Green Bay ended up taking Darryl Thompson, RB out of Minnesota with their first and Atlanta took Steve Broussard, RB from Washington State with their first pick. Emmitt Smith, from the University of Florida only slid because of questions about his knee.

Now, Dallas can move up with Pittsburgh to get in front of Arizona and Baltimore to take the highest rated RB who so happens to be from a big SEC school and will only be there that late because of a knee injury he suffered during his junior season.

The serendipity would be just too sweet.

Im with you. If the team feels strongly enough about Gurley to jump up above Det and Ariz, I'm all for it. I don't think I would for Gordon, but Gurley is my 8th rated prospect in the draft. Im sure people hated the Dez trade up, but I've never been a sit on my hands guy. If the team sees something they really like, go get him. Especially if it only costs a 3rd and brings back a 4th or 5th.

 

[AsthmaField]

Im with you. If the team feels strongly enough about Gurley to jump up above Det and Ariz, I'm all for it. I don't think I would for Gordon, but Gurley is my 8th rated prospect in the draft. Im sure people hated the Dez trade up, but I've never been a sit on my hands guy. If the team sees something they really like, go get him. Especially if it only costs a 3rd and brings back a 4th or 5th.

Yeah, me too. I mean, I don't want to throw away any picks either and there is certainly a large contingent of fans who are dead set against any kind of a trade up, but there are times that it is a good idea, IMO.

Bob Sturm wrote a pretty convincing piece on moving up and how it lowers your chances of getting players because you simply have fewer chances to bring them in. I understand that sentiment too. But if you have a guy who you really think is going to be a dominant player, then moving up within reason is acceptable, I think.

Mo Claiborne is a perfect example of when not to do it. He wasn't a target of the team, they hadn't done much work on him and hadn't even interviewed him to get an idea about the mental side of things. They made the trade up, literally, because it was much cheaper than normal to go up from 14 to 6. I mean, how crazy was that? They took him because everybody said he was the best DB on the board, not because the scouts and coaches watched his tape, interviewed him and thought he was a good fit.

Ridiculous.

However, in the case of Emmitt Smith, the team knew him (Jimmy had recruited him at Miami) and they knew he would be a great fit. He was a player they targeted (once some other trades fell through) and watched until he was close enough where they thought the trade was feasible. Doing it like that makes perfect sense to me if the coaches and scouts think the guy is a dominant player. Jimmy gave up a 3rd rounder to move up 7 spots in order to get a guy that he wanted badly on his team. He actively looked for a trade partner in order to get the player he wanted before Green Bay or Atlanta could.

Not because he was offered a cheap trade up when he wasn't expecting it.

Overall, I wouldn't want to trade up a lot because like Sturm wrote... you limit your chances. However, if the guy you want is significantly better than the players you think you'll see at your pick and you think he'll make a difference in your team... then it makes sense to do it.

Getting a difference maker is worth it. Think about the Frederick / Williams trade back. Everyone loves that trade, and rightly so. However, we all love it because Frederick is an all pro center, not because we got an average WR in addition to it. Had Frederick been just an average player along with Williams, the trade would still be questioned and there would be people who didn't like it.

It is all about the blue chippers you bring in. The 3rd rounder they gave up for Emmitt hasn't been lamented too often, and if Gurley is what many think he will be... nobody would say anything about a pick to go get him.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[AzorAhai]

Yeah, me too. I mean, I don't want to throw away any picks either and there is certainly a large contingent of fans who are dead set against any kind of a trade up, but there are times that it is a good idea, IMO.

Bob Sturm wrote a pretty convincing piece on moving up and how it lowers your chances of getting players because you simply have fewer chances to bring them in. I understand that sentiment too. But if you have a guy who you really think is going to be a dominant player, then moving up within reason is acceptable, I think.

Mo Claiborne is a perfect example of when not to do it. He wasn't a target of the team, they hadn't done much work on him and hadn't even interviewed him to get an idea about the mental side of things. They made the trade up, literally, because it was much cheaper than normal to go up from 14 to 6. I mean, how crazy was that? They took him because everybody said he was the best DB on the board, not because the scouts and coaches watched his tape, interviewed him and thought he was a good fit.

Ridiculous.

However, in the case of Emmitt Smith, the team knew him (Jimmy had recruited him at Miami) and they knew he would be a great fit. He was a player they targeted (once some other trades fell through) and watched until he was close enough where they thought the trade was feasible. Doing it like that makes perfect sense to me if the coaches and scouts think the guy is a dominant player. Jimmy gave up a 3rd rounder to move up 7 spots in order to get a guy that he wanted badly on his team. He actively looked for a trade partner in order to get the player he wanted before Green Bay or Atlanta could.

Not because he was offered a cheap trade up when he wasn't expecting it.

Overall, I wouldn't want to trade up a lot because like Sturm wrote... you limit your chances. However, if the guy you want is significantly better than the players you think you'll see at your pick and you think he'll make a difference in your team... then it makes sense to do it.

Getting a difference maker is worth it. Think about the Frederick / Williams trade back. Everyone loves that trade, and rightly so. However, we all love it because Frederick is an all pro center, not because we got an average WR in addition to it. Had Frederick been just an average player along with Williams, the trade would still be questioned and there would be people who didn't like it.

It is all about the blue chippers you bring in. The 3rd rounder they gave up for Emmitt hasn't been lamented too often, and if Gurley is what many think he will be... nobody would say anything about a pick to go get him.

Just my opinion, of course.

Exactly. You not only draft the board, but trade the board as well. Like Dez, Gurley is a top ten talent. People will only lament the trade if Gurley doesn't work out. If he does though, nobody will say a word 3 years from now, just like nobody says anything about who we could have had if we didn't trade up for Dez.

The Frederick thing is funny as well. If Fred busts and Shariff Floyd turned into a Dominant 1T, people would be bashing the trade down for years.

If a team is not flexible with the draft plan, thats the same as being unprepared. Bill Polian was saying on ESPN the other day that GMs are starting to call around and get the lay of the land. See whos willing to trade down, who wants to trade up and creating a board for that as well. Preparing for multiple scenarios.

I am 100% sure that they have at least discussed a trade up for Gurley and likely several other players. They may have, or may in the future, decide not to do it, but it's been discussed and they know who to call and work a deal with if the need arises.

I'm not dead set on any plan, but I want my teams FO to have a game plan that they can adjust to on the fly. The only trade ups I don't like are ones that require a 1st and a 2nd or a 1st and future 1st. Trade downs haven't been getting the same value lately anyways so maybe they get a really good deal. Dallas only got a 3rd for dropping down 13 picks from 18 to 31. Maybe they can move up 5 or 6 spots for a 4th and 7th or 4th and future 5th/6th. Either way, we'll see in a few long weeks.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Ideally Dallas needs to stay put @ 27 and take the Best Player on their Board. Ala' Emmitt Smith. Which could be Kendricks.

 

[AzorAhai]

Ideally Dallas needs to stay put @ 27 and take the Best Player on their Board. Ala' Emmitt Smith. Which could be Kendricks.

Dallas traded up for Smith though.