Mosely upgrades Cowboys draft in NFC East wrapup

[DFWJC]

Not that we really care, but after digging deeper, Matt Mosley has upped his Cowboy draft grade.

Here is a write-up on the NFC East "high-impact" draft.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nflnation/0-7-652/A-high-impact-NFC-East-draft-column.html

Excerpt

Dallas Cowboys: Grade: 5.8

Explanation: OK, I'll admit it. This draft's not as bad as I made it out to be -- based on my discussion with personnel types across the league. Taking a kicker in the fifth round is still somewhat of a head-scratcher to me, but three different scouts and one draft guru (Rick "Goose" Gosselin) told me that USC's David Buehler actually represented excellent value in the fifth round.
Gosselin explained to me that Buehler could be flipped for a fourth-round pick when someone needs a kicker in training camp. But if the Cowboys keep him, Buehler may emerge as one of the best kickoff specialists of our time -- if there is such a thing. After extensive research (thanks, Mike Sando), I've determined that only two teams deployed the two-kicker approach for at least half the '08 season (Ravens and Panthers).
The league leader in touchbacks finished with 33. The Cowboys think Buehler could eventually surpass that mark, and the extra 10 yards or so in field position might come in handy. Still I don't totally agree with it, but some of the explanations make a little sense. Scouts and coaches are divided on Western Illinois outside linebacker Jason Williams as the No. 69 player overall. One scout said he had a seventh-round grade on Williams. But an NFC scout told me that Williams would have an immediate impact as a pass-rushing specialist. And even though some early reports had Williams eventually replacing Keith Brooking at inside linebacker, I'm told the plan is to keep him on the outside. There's also some thought that he could be a special teams demon. In other news, I'm hearing that Cincinnati cornerback Mike Mickens had excellent value in the seventh round. The Cowboys may be as excited about Mickens as anyone they took. Not sure what that says about them


So...he gave us 3rd best in the Beast...which I agree with.

 

[MrMom]

Mosley trying to recant his douchiness? Too late.

 

[jterrell]

Mosley trying to recant his douchiness? Too late.

It was too late at birth.

Now he's covering his (b)ases.

 

[ethiostar]

Oh rejoice, this calls for a city wide celebration

Not directed at the OP.

 

[Woods]

"And even though some early reports had Williams eventually replacing Keith Brooking at inside linebacker, I'm told the plan is to keep him on the outside."

====================

That's not what was said by the Cowboy's brass during the Draft. Williams is going to play inside. Butler and B Williams are going to play outside.

 

[jterrell]

"And even though some early reports had Williams eventually replacing Keith Brooking at inside linebacker, I'm told the plan is to keep him on the outside."

====================

That's not what was said by the Cowboy's brass during the Draft. Williams is going to play inside. Butler and B Williams are going to play outside.

Mosley will get that right about week 5. Give him a break, lol.

 

[Stash]

Mosley trying to recant his douchiness? Too late.

Good luck with that!

He clearly showed he didn't know what he was talking about the first time.

And now he confirmed it.

 

[DFWJC]

I'm told some can't get links at work, so here's the whole thing:

A high-impact NFC East draft column

Something tells me you've just about had it with draft grades, so let's go in a different direction today. I've spent the last 24 hours on the phone with national draft gurus, college scouting directors and two assistant coaches in an effort to determine which draft class in the Beast will make the most immediate impact.

NFC East Draft Picks

• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders



I avoided talking to NFC East scouts, in part, because it's rare to find a scout who says something like, "Well, we pretty much blew it" four days after the draft. The consensus is that the Eagles scored highest on in our High-Impact rankings. I granted our experts anonymity in exchange for their honesty -- and job security. They were asked to provide a number between 1-10, with 1 representing an "incredibly low impact" and 10 being a "stunningly high impact."

If you disagree with something that's said in this column, feel free to utilize the "comments" section. We discourage foul language in most cases:

Philadelphia Eagles: Score: 8.9

Explanation: Trading up two spots to secure Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has been widely praised. One scout said Maclin "will be a more complete receiver than DeSean Jackson." And by at least midseason, the consensus is that Jackson and Maclin will be starting. You don't draft a kid at No. 19 overall to put behind Kevin Curtis. The odd man out in the Eagles' receiving corps might be Reggie Brown. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Eagles try to land a fifth-round pick in exchange for Brown. At this point, Curtis, Jackson, Maclin, Jason Avant and Hank Baskett are all more valuable to the Eagles than Brown. That might be hard for some of you to stomach, but it's the truth.

The Eagles also received high marks for waiting on Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy. In the past, they've tried to get by on lesser-known players such as Tony Hunt and Ryan Moats in the draft. That didn't work, so the Eagles went after a player that may have gone in the first round in past years. McCoy is an instinctive runner with excellent vision and quickness. In the Eagles' offense, you can't have a player lumbering around looking for a seam. McCoy can also catch the ball out of the backfield on third down. I think he'll make Brian Westbrook a much more effective back because he won't spend every week recovering from an awful pounding.

The Eagles could've mortgaged part of their future by going after veteran players such as Anquan Boldin and Tony Gonzalez, but they took a bigger-picture approach last Saturday and Sunday. When the Donovan McNabb era comes to a close, Maclin, McCoy and fifth-round pick Cornelius Ingram should just be hitting their stride. According to one of my noted draft gurus, Ingram may have been "the best value pick" in the fifth round. (Have I mentioned that the Cowboys picked a kickoff specialist in that round?). Ingram, a tight end, was available on Day 2 because he picked an awful time to tear his ACL. But if he comes back strong, he could be an excellent complement to the promising Brent Celek. The Eagles did what most teams set out to do heading into the draft: They provided some foundation pieces for the future while getting better in the present. Throw in the elite left tackle they landed in a trade and you have the makings of an NFC East favorite. One longtime NFC scout told me that he had a "third-round grade" on both Ingram and Virginia Tech cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris, which bodes well for the Eagles since both players were taken in the fifth.

New York Giants: Score: 8.3

Explanation: The NFC scout I referenced earlier thought the Giants had the best draft. He said he gave a first-round grade to Hakeem Nicks and then he had second-round grades on Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim, UConn offensive tackle William Beatty and Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden. I'm not sold on Barden because of the inferior competition he faced, but everyone I talked to is intrigued with the player and thought it was wise for the Giants to trade up from No. 90 to No. 85 to take him. The cornerbacks taken late in the draft didn't score big with my panel.

But Giants general manager Jerry Reese certainly doesn't need to defend himself on the Rhett Bomar pick. All three scouts I talked to preferred Bomar over Texas A&M's Stephen McGee, the Cowboys' pick at the top of the fourth. The thought is that Bomar's a lot closer to NFL-ready than McGee, who languished in Texas A&M's one-dimensional offense for a couple seasons before suffering an injury his senior season. Taking North Carolina State running back Andre Brown in the fourth round earned the Giants rave reviews from my distinguished panel. There's a thought that he could pose a serious threat to Ahmad Bradshaw as the Giants' replacement for Derrick Ward.

Dallas Cowboys: Grade: 5.8

Explanation: OK, I'll admit it. This draft's not as bad as I made it out to be -- based on my discussion with personnel types across the league. Taking a kicker in the fifth round is still somewhat of a head-scratcher to me, but three different scouts and one draft guru (Rick "Goose" Gosselin) told me that USC's David Buehler actually represented excellent value in the fifth round.

Gosselin explained to me that Buehler could be flipped for a fourth-round pick when someone needs a kicker in training camp. But if the Cowboys keep him, Buehler may emerge as one of the best kickoff specialists of our time -- if there is such a thing. After extensive research (thanks, Mike Sando), I've determined that only two teams deployed the two-kicker approach for at least half the '08 season (Ravens and Panthers).

The league leader in touchbacks finished with 33. The Cowboys think Buehler could eventually surpass that mark, and the extra 10 yards or so in field position might come in handy. Still I don't totally agree with it, but some of the explanations make a little sense. Scouts and coaches are divided on Western Illinois outside linebacker Jason Williams as the No. 69 player overall. One scout said he had a seventh-round grade on Williams. But an NFC scout told me that Williams would have an immediate impact as a pass-rushing specialist. And even though some early reports had Williams eventually replacing Keith Brooking at inside linebacker, I'm told the plan is to keep him on the outside. There's also some thought that he could be a special teams demon. In other news, I'm hearing that Cincinnati cornerback Mike Mickens had excellent value in the seventh round. The Cowboys may be as excited about Mickens as anyone they took. Not sure what that says about them.

Washington Commanders: Grade: 5.1

Explanation: Don't take this the wrong way. Honestly, the Commanders didn't have enough picks to warrant a higher grade. The Dolphins took some of the steam out of this draft when they sent the Commanders Jason Taylor last summer, but enough about that. I can't find anyone who thinks the Commanders did the wrong thing in taking Brian Orakpo. He was a highly productive player in the Big 12 and I've watched him overpower some of the best offensive tackles in the nation.

Unfortunately, the Jason Smith-Orakpo matchup never materialized because Orakpo missed the Baylor game with an injury. Commanders fans will absolutely love the kid, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he finished with 10 sacks in his rookie campaign. Solid, solid pick. And thank goodness they didn't go after Mark Sanchez. I'm interested to see what Jason Campbell does in his second season with Jim Zorn.

One of the NFC scouts I talked to had a second-round grade on Kevin Barnes, whom the Commanders took in the third round (No. 80 overall). Barnes is one of those rangy corners who plays a lot quicker than he looks -- if that makes any sense at all. I don't watch a lot of ACC football, but everyone seems to think Barnes can help immediately in some of the Commanders' nickel packages. Orakpo will start immediately and I think Barnes is a starter two years from now. That's a decent impact for a draft in which the Commanders didn't have a lot of ammo.

Now, I'm curious to hear from you guys.

 

[Stash]

But Giants general manager Jerry Reese certainly doesn't need to defend himself on the Rhett Bomar pick. All three scouts I talked to preferred Bomar over Texas A&M's Stephen McGee, the Cowboys' pick at the top of the fourth. The thought is that Bomar's a lot closer to NFL-ready than McGee, who languished in Texas A&M's one-dimensional offense for a couple seasons before suffering an injury his senior season.

Oh no!

Whatever will we do for a quarterback in Week One?!?!?!?

 

[jterrell]

Oh no!

Whatever will we do for a quarterback in Week One?!?!?!?

Not only that I bet Eli is shocked to learn he is benched before game 1....

Worst reasoning EVER.

 

[cobra]

For the love of God... STILL DOES NOT CREDIT ROY WILLIAMS WHEN REVIEWING THIS DRAFT.

Ugh.

Right after us, he even comments on how can't hold the draft haul against the Commanders because they used picks for Jason Taylor, so he recognizes that draft picks sometimes represent veterans.

Take our draft, ADD ROY WILLIAMS, and then grade s

 

[THUMPER]

Mosley will get that right about week 5. Give him a break, lol.

Yeah, of the 2012 season!

Also, after reading the article, it is clear that he never misses an opportunity to take a shot at the Cowboys. What a loser.

 

[Doctor32]

Mosley trying to recant his douchiness? Too late.

Matt "McDoucher" Mosely

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

I seriously doubt any scout had Williams as a 7th rounder.

 

[AdamJT13]

Mosley talked to a whole THREE scouts?

All the more reason to trust Gosselin, McGinn and Dougherty, who each talked to a plethora of scouts, coaches, GMs, etc.

Oh, and Bomar is closer than McGee. But the guys who got input from a lot more than three scouts have McGee higher than Bomar overall.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Mosley talked to a whole THREE scouts?

All the more reason to trust Gosselin, McGinn and Dougherty, who each talked to a plethora of scouts, coaches, GMs, etc.

Oh, and Bomar is closer than McGee. But the guys who got input from a lot more than three scouts have McGee higher than Bomar overall.

That's your hard working, award winning BSPN reporting for ya.




3JACK

 

[Randy White]

Mosley trying to recant his douchiness? Too late.

He's a NBD.. so there's nothing he can do about it.

Natural Bourne ******

 

[THUMPER]

That's your hard working, award winning BSPN reporting for ya.




3JACK

Endemic of the entire sports journalism field these days. :bang2:

 

[JohnsKey19]

If this kicker from USC is as good as advertised with his ability to boom kickoffs into the end zone and forcing touchbacks, he's certainly worth the roster spot on Sundays.

 

[AsthmaField]

Fans around the league are really expecting Dallas to be bad this year. Here's what one fan on the ESPN website said:

But I just feel that Plaxico Burress did everything possible to tear that team apart and I think he finally succeeded in the last few weeks of the season... With the Cancer gone ... the Giants are an easy 12-4 and the Eagles 10-6 -12-4 range .... the Skins 9-7 to 10-6... and the Cowboys with that wonderful draft and magnificent Off-season 6-10 or 5-11..... Poor Cowboys

Here's another in reference to Beuhler:

Kind of funny to read that Dallas drafted a 'kickoff specialist'. Other than once to start either the 1st or 2nd half of the game, doesn't Dallas need to score in order to need a kickoff specialist?

Most of the other posts were pretty similar to those.

At least we're not "paper champions" this year. Looks like that privilege will fall to the Eagles or Giants.

I'd much rather be where we are.