PFF Draft Grader: Dallas Cowboys

[RS12]

In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been going back over the 2008, 2009, and 2010 draft class of each franchise and assigning each pick a grade. Up next? Well, that’s the Dallas Cowboys.

Each pick between the 2008 and 2010 draft classes has earned a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:

• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors, such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for

Let’s take a look at how Dallas drafted.



+2.0: You’ve just found Tom Brady in the 6th round

They didn’t need to, having already made the most out of undrafted free agent Tony Romo.



+1.5: Getting much more than you bargained for!

Not in these drafts.



+1.0: The scouts nailed it!

Dez Bryant, WR (24th overall pick in 2010): This could quite easily turn into a higher grade in years to come if the late-season form of Bryant is anything to go by. In the first half of 2012 his inconsistent play saw him earn a -5.0 grade, but then in second half he took over with a +12.2 rating. Rare talent.

Sean Lee, LB (55th overall pick in 2010): Before injury cut short his 2012 season, Lee was on his way to the kind of year we’ve come to expect from players like Patrick Willis. His +12.1 grade on just 331 snaps meant he finished the season with the sixth-highest grade of all inside linebackers, despite featuring in only six games. Hopefully he can stay healthy because there are few like him.



+0.5: Never hurts to find a solid contributor

Martellus Bennett, TE (61st overall pick in 2008): So Bennett never developed into the athletic mismatch at the tight end position the Cowboys thought they drafted. Stuck behind one of the greatest tight ends of our generation, Jason Witten, that was always going to be tricky, with Bennett running only 679 pass routes in four years. Still, he did contribute and turned into one of the best blocking TEs in the league and a competent No. 2 to Witten.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/04/05/draft-grader-dallas-cowboys-2/

 

[jterrell]

Seems fair and certainly indicates Dallas has been middle of the road in drafting even as many fans decry the drafts as worst of the league....

The only real argument I'd have is Sean Lissemore.
If you find a rotational DT at pick 234 that is much more than bargained for production.

I also slightly question the Josh Brent grade. I know he is about to face serious legal issues and probably at least a year's suspension but this was a supplemental 7th rounder who can flat out play. From a drafting standpoint he was a home run.

 

[arglebargle]

Interesting to compare the Cowboys write up to the Ravens one. According to their views, the differences do not appear to be that far off.

 

[Vintage]

Seems fair and certainly indicates Dallas has been middle of the road in drafting even as many fans decry the drafts as worst of the league....

The only real argument I'd have is Sean Lissemore.
If you find a rotational DT at pick 234 that is much more than bargained for production.

I also slightly question the Josh Brent grade. I know he is about to face serious legal issues and probably at least a year's suspension but this was a supplemental 7th rounder who can flat out play. From a drafting standpoint he was a home run.

Agreed. When your seventh rounders can actually stick with team, that is getting a bargain.

 

[percyhoward]

Stephen McGee, QB (101st overall pick in 2009): Something of a flyer, the more McGee gets on the field the less you become convinced he could one day take over for Tony Romo.

Ironic that this comes from an article that begins with the words, "In case you haven't noticed."

 

[Hoofbite]

So the two extremes are Brady at +2.0 and Leaf at -2.0?

Seems a bit narrow. Both occurrences are so rare that you essentially narrowed your spectrum to -1.5 to 1.5

Not to mention the idea of picking a guy who plays up to expectations really doesn't count either way.

A bust in the first round will hurt the hell out of you because you should have gotten a stud but even if you get a stud it was expected so you don't get a boost equal to the hit you take for the bust.

If Tom Brady in the 6th round is the criteria for +2.0, what would a hypothetical Tom Brady in the first round get you? Is that simply "nailed it" scenario?

Tom Brady and JaMarcus Russell are the absolute extremes. Using them as a criteria for the scale essentially forces every other player to the center, and ultimately forces all the teams to the middle.

And they bring up "snaps". Not sure that's a really solid measurement. Crappier teams will have their draft players play more snaps. I'd bet when it rolls around to the teams who have been strong since the beginning of the time span that you see a lot more grades that aren't all that great.

Like the idea but I don't think their measurement can detect the true differences to any great extent.

Kind of odd here.

Jason Williams, LB (69th overall pick in 2009): Waived mid-way through his sophomore season with the Cowboys, it’s weird to think that Dallas got just 14 snaps on defense from their first pick of the 2009 draft. A far-from-productive special teamer, Williams was a waste of a pick.

Michael Hamlin, S (166th overall pick in 2009): Saw limited (16 snaps) time on defense and contributed little on special teams, despite hanging around the team for a season and a half.

Basically the same except one guy was worth 0.0 and the other -0.5

It's a separation of 100 picks and yet is only reflected on the chart by 0.5? You're moving 3 full rounds and yet if the guy fails, you only drop 0.5 in terms of the grade? Doesn't seem all that reasonable.

 

[Idgit]

Not sure how you justify putting John Phillips two slots above Mike Jenkins in any ranking, even given their relative draft positions. But I wouldn't quibble with the evaluation, overall.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yea I just don't get the value of Mike Jenkins and Felix. Especally when Mike nailed a Pro Bowl nod....and Felix...while he didn't become the full time back that I think we hoped he'd be his ypc is far from the bust they seem to make him out to be.

But I guess its their grading system.....

But I do like that it does show that our drafts aren't bad as people think. You simply don't hit on every draft pick. And if Dez, Demarco, Tyron, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter turn into what we hope? Talk about scary to find that many Pro Bowlers in such a limited amount of time.

But teams hit and miss on pics.....its nothing new but fans only focus on our misses. And that 2009 draft which was dreadful.

 

[Idgit]

Yea I just don't get the value of Mike Jenkins and Felix. Especally when Mike nailed a Pro Bowl nod....and Felix...while he didn't become the full time back that I think we hoped he'd be his ypc is far from the bust they seem to make him out to be.

But I guess its their grading system.....

But I do like that it does show that our drafts aren't bad as people think. You simply don't hit on every draft pick. And if Dez, Demarco, Tyron, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter turn into what we hope? Talk about scary to find that many Pro Bowlers in such a limited amount of time.

But teams hit and miss on pics.....its nothing new but fans only focus on our misses. And that 2009 draft which was dreadful.

Yeah, the 2009 draft really brings down that evaluation. What a stinker that was. 2011 helps things look better, though. We'll know more this year re: 2012, but I think Mo and Crawford and Hannah all look good so far, with both Coale and Johnson having a shot to impress this season as redshirts.

 

[Randy White]

must be looked at much, much more differently than in the past. Teams now have roughly 4 seasons before making a decision on a player. That means that when choosing a player it has to be with the mindset of the player contributing almost right away, which means scouts need to be looking for, mostly, already developed players, as oppossed to the more talented but longer term player.

Perhaps that's why last year's draft was, arguably, the most unpredictable, volatile, draft ever. Teams just cannot wait 2, 3, years for a player to develop into a starter, or key contributor anymore so they go with the player who's more ready and fit their system, almost disregarding the long term talent.