Perfectly put by Mike Fisher

[Tusan_Homichi]

Mmmm. Sports cliches.

 

[Beast_from_East]

In other words, just because you defensive ends are suspended........DONT DRAFT BOSA!!!!!

I concur.

 

[fishspill]

False dichotomy.

It's a good thing that coaches feel the pressure and want to win in the short term. They should. Unless you have declared a rebuild.

Scouts are not FO decision makers. They add a specialized input. But at some point you will involve your coaches in the scouting process. They are very capable as scouts, and you want to know their input when making decisions. They are a valuable ressource. I mean, they should be. It's important.

It takes way more than a qualified scouting department to perform on draft day. This is where less competent coaches, a weak GM or interfering owner could ruin the decision making.

Actually I much prefer your take on this.

My initial concern about the coaches emerged during the time when QBs were still in play with #4. I was worried they would trump any consideration in the room by wearing down the decision makers. Outside of QB I don't think their aims differ much.

 

[Stash]

So, who is the lone GM getting away with whatever he wants and drafting for need?

I'll let you guess.

 

[TheHerd]

To think the players are truly slotted 1 2 3 4, etc as if there is this huge difference between 3 and 4 or between 16 and 17 is ludicrous.

Your draft board has players in tiers, and on your pick you pick someone from the top tier remaining. Of course the needs on your team play into that selection, but only within the current tier of talent.

 

[CATCH17]

Mmmm. Sports cliches.

Very rarely does anyone ever not take the best available player at a position of need.


It's just a dumb cliche.

 

[conner01]

In other words, just because you defensive ends are suspended........DONT DRAFT BOSA!!!!!

I concur.

Me too
You draft him because he is the top rated player at a position of need and a higher rated player by many than most picks people do want.

 

[skinsscalper]

The entire premise of the OP is absurd, cliche, and it certainly doesn't make Fisher any type of visionary (plagiarist, maybe, but no visionary).

So if the highest rated guy on your board is a LG in every single round at your pick, you're going to draft seven of them? Stupid.

 

[Verdict]

Well we have drafted for need lots of times and most of the time we got a sub standard player as a result. Most of the times we did it, like when we drafted Greg Ellis, Shante Carver, Ebeneezer Ekuban, et. al., the Cowboys administration graded "on a curve" and talked themselves into believing that the grade was "close enough".

I am very concerned that Bosa once again fits in the same category. The cluster **** caused by D. Lawrence and Gregory has really put pressure on the Cowboys to force the DE pick. I hope they resist the temptation.

We needed a running back last year and we didn't force the pick last year, so maybe the Cowboys are sticking to the BPA concept more than they were before. I am hoping so.

 

[tyke1doe]

No human rule is hard and fast. If you have a young franchise quarterback already on your roster, you're not going to draft another. No team does that.

However, in general, the rule is a good one to follow.

 

[AsthmaField]

To me, drafting BPA means within reason. Obviously you wouldn't draft 7 guards in a row because common sense would need to be asserted somewhere along the way.

I see it as: The team needs DE's in a pretty bad way and the RB position is probably fine with McFadden and Morris... However, if Ramsey is gone at 4, there are no trade offers with someone wanting to move up for Tunsil, and Elliott is ranked significantly higher than Bosa on the Dallas board, then you draft Elliott and not Bosa. Two years from now Elliott might be a superstar back and the DE position very well could be fixed.

Dallas still has more high picks this year and they could very well find someone like Dodd at 34, who would help the DE position maybe as much as Bosa.

However, the above scenario wouldn't be the case if Dallas had a player like Peterson or Gurley at RB. In that case, you'd have to pass on Elliott and go to the next highest ranked player... likely Bosa in this case.

Like I said, common sense needs to be applied. BPA to the extent that you don't pass on a better player like Elliott just because you have more need at DE. Get the player you think can be a star and worry about DE later, IMO.

 

[viman96]

I've said this for years, but never as succinctly as Mike Fisher put it.

"Drafting for need is football suicide. Needs come and go. Talent stays for 12 years."

That's exactly right.

Easier said then done. I bet roster needs comes into play when selecting players. Especially when it comes to the 1st and 2nd pick. They just some how happen to be BPA

 

[TwoCentPlain]

The problem with drafting for need at the draft is that the needs don't match the needs when you break camp and get ready for the 1st game. And unless you have some magic crystal ball, you have no idea now what your needs will be as the season progresses. One year Dallas used something like 17 different DL. One year it was DBs who were dropping like flies. Another year LBs.

Players who can play multiple positions like Byron Jones and Ramsey (CB and S) and DL who can play DE and DT are even more valuable. OL who can play multiple positions on the line are a big plus. Best Players Available BPAs usually can play multiple positions.

Anyone got any guesses right now as to what the needs will be in Sep and Oct and Nov and Dec?

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I haven't heard any rumors regarding how the Cowboys feel about Bosa. I just hope that if they do take him it's for the right reasons.

It seems like Ramsey would be the preferred pick. I'm starting to lean towards hoping they trade down if the SD takes him. Hopefully they can get someone to pay a ransom for Tunsil. This is where "state of the roster" comes into play, in my opinion. We don't need to use the 4th overall pick on an O lineman.

If Ramsey is there you walk up and draft him. If the Chargers take him you try and trade back. If you can't...Bosa.

To me this is simple.

 

[DandyDon52]

"Drafting for need is football suicide. Needs come and go. Talent stays for 12 years."
This is a generalization and they are false / flawed .
So many factors involved, you shouldnt follow a ridged rule.

 

[percyhoward]

"Drafting for need is football suicide. Needs come and go. Talent stays for 12 years."

Need plays a significant role in the process, otherwise every team would have basically the same 30 players in for visits.

 

[phildadon86]

If Ramsey is there you walk up and draft him. If the Chargers take him you try and trade back. If you can't...Bosa.

To me this is simple.

So you take a player that's lower on your board out of need? A guy with a reputation and history of drug use? After what just happened? Are you serious or just trying to incite a riot? Lol

 

[Toruk_Makto]

So you take a player that's lower on your board out of need? A guy with a reputation and history of drug use? After what just happened? Are you serious or just trying to incite a riot? Lol

Lower on your board?

Ramsey and Bosa by any measure are both in the first tier quality of prospect.

 

[DandyDon52]

Need plays a significant role in the process, otherwise every team would have basically the same 30 players in for visits.

Need, want, and evaluation of the players by each team is different.
Rams and eagles have given a lot to trade up, and it is for need and want, not bpa.
And there is different degrees of risk with each player picked.

If the rams and eagles draft a bust or have bad luck with the player they choose, it is really bad for them.

The cowboys dont have to give up anything for their # 4 so a bad pick would not hurt as much but would
still hurt them.

To me it is all about evaluation, need, and the plan a team has or is working within.

The fans evaluation, and need, and plan will differ from the FO.

 

[Dundalis]

It's both. If they best player available on your board in the second round is a guard, I would hope you would skip to the next player if they are say, a densive tackle.

AFAIC this is a startup kit for having dud drafts and ending up with a bad team. It's the recipe to missing on players who can be significant contributors, which is the most important thing.

I understand it's not black and white with talent evaluation, but the lean should be heavily to BPA, because that's the best way to draft players that will carry value (either by contribution on the field or potentially by trade). That's more important than filling a short term need with a body.