CFZ Post-draft thoughts

RustyBourneHorse

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Well, another year, and another draft has concluded. The Cowboys have made the draft picks, and the FO is now acquiring camp challengers to see who they think can make the team and do great things. So, I'm going to give my thoughts on the draft and where I would like them to go from here.

I am delighted with our first pick. Our run defence has been a drag on our team. It's been an eyesore that's been here since Ratliff decided that he didn't like Jerry Jones anymore. So, Mazi Smith fits the position that we need, and I absolutely love the pick.

I've warmed up to our second pick. We needed another Te, we got one. Next!


I really like a lot of our later picks. I think Overshown, Fehoko, and Vaughn are excellent picks. Overshown, because now we have a heat-seeking missile at LB who is likely going to be a younger version of Kearse. Fehoko because one can never have too many pass rushers, and Vaughn because of his similarities to Sproles. I also like the Asim Richards pick. I think he and Waletzco will make good depth.

The biggest thing from the draft that I think is a massive need is kicker. More on that in a moment (if you've seen my threads on kickers, I think you know where this is going).

Overall, I'd give this draft a B+. It wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. It has some very good choices, and a few picks that we will see how they develop.

I also like what I've seen so far at UDFA. I like the WRs we are bringing in. This is a good thing. I think one of the best ways to find a good WR is to cast a wide net, and let the competition show it. This is where I think my first suggestion comes in. Earlier, I made a thread about a Canadian WR named Jevon Cottoy from the BC Lions. Essentially, I think he's a WR who, at 6'5", would give us a wide range to throw. He's been a standout in the CFL, from what I've seen. I think he's worth a try out at TC.

I also like that we seem to be bringing in a few olinemen. Might as well keep that churning. I think training camp will be fun this year. Especially at WR and oline.

Now, we come to kicker. This is a spot that I'm not excited to watch. Maher is probably done. I can see Crosby being brought in, but I'd like to see an actual competition here. Enter, you guessed it, some kickers I like from the Japanese League. I'm not going to go into full details here like I did on another thread, but I'm particularly interested in Koji Nasho (https://sports.jp.fujitsu.com/frontiers/players). Essentially, he's a kicker who just won a championship with a team in the Japanese X-League. From what I've seen, he seems consistent and has a good leg. His lone FG attempt in the game that I saw was a beautiful kick. Given the nature of their league, he has to be comfortable kicking in grass, turf, and even a baseball/football dual use turf. Yet, the kickers there, including Nasho, seen very accurate and have massive legs. I think Nasho should be brought to camp. Wouldn't be the first time we used a foreigner at kicker, and I think it's time we got a little creative trying to find a kicker.

I'm also a tad nervous about QB. I like Dak a lot, and I've been very supportive of him and will continue to do so. However, I think he has to protect the ball better. We have almost the perfect defence. I like what our offense is building into, and I think the WCO suits him. He just needs to protect the ball. He used to be good at that, but last year was not good from him. If he can drive the bus, score points, and not turn it over, I think this team can do great things.

Overall, I'm actually optimistic about our draft. I think it's been a decent draft. However, Dak has to control the ball and just drive the bus, and we need a kicker battle. I'm excited to watch the. WR battle as well. Should be a fun TC.
 

RustyBourneHorse

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:clap:

Good write up!!! Lots of reasons to be optimistic.

Definitely, a few options are still out there for likely low risk to the Cowboys, if they want to cast the net wider than usual. It's not uncommon for an NFL team at this stage to poke around other leagues and see what's available. I think Cottoy (CFL) and Nasho (Japan) can be intriguing camp invites who, if nothing else, can create good interest in camp without costing much.
 

RustyBourneHorse

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For those of you who do not watch the CFL and don't know who Cottoy is, here's a highlight video of him.



As you can see here, he's not the fastest, but he's good at getting open. He's playing in, arguably, the second best professional football league in the world behind the NFL. Yet, he's got good hands. He's getting open, and I think you can see why I've noticed him. I think he is worth a camp invite.
 

RustyBourneHorse

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As for the obligatory "where do you think this team stands", this team is usually a mystery before the season starts. Really, this team can go anywhere. Yes, Philly is formidable, but the Cowboys can be formidable too. It's really going to come down to coaching, how close the players play to their potential for this season, injuries, and, most importantly, protecting the football.
 

RustyBourneHorse

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I was calling for Mazi in March so I’m happy we took him.

That being said I’m not gonna lie and say I didn’t want Nolan at 26 and O’Cyrus at 58. Seems like doing that and taking Ika at 90 would have been a better value draft.

Funny thing is, I found, as I was searching for a thread that I wrote about earlier, I found that I made a thread wanting Mazi Smith in round one. I'd have liked Nolan Smith, but NT was a much bigger need. So, I'm.glad we got the best available.
 

DanA

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I’m not sure how Fehoko fits in and I’m not exactly upset with the decision. Certainly I like the look of the player. But we lost Ridgeway, Hill and Basham last season because the room was stacked. It looks like that’ll almost certainly happen again.
 

RustyBourneHorse

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I’m not sure how Fehoko fits in and I’m not exactly upset with the decision. Certainly I like the look of the player. It’s just we lost Ridgeway, Hill and Basham last season because the room was stacked. It looks like that’ll almost certainly happen again.

I do see that concern. I just say, may the best prospects win.
 

JohnsKey19

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As for the obligatory "where do you think this team stands", this team is usually a mystery before the season starts. Really, this team can go anywhere. Yes, Philly is formidable, but the Cowboys can be formidable too. It's really going to come down to coaching, how close the players play to their potential for this season, injuries, and, most importantly, protecting the football.
Gilmore IMO is the biggest addition to the team. Let's hope he has one more good year before looking like an old CB. That along with having Hankins and Mazi at DT for a full season will keep the defense in the top 10 and hopefully much improved in some metrics. Offensively adding Cooks at WR is huge. To me, it comes down to the OL and the QB not turning the ball over. Philly is still the favorite in the division, but Dallas will be in the hunt and challenge them. Both teams will finish with 11+ wins.
 

Beast_from_East

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Well, another year, and another draft has concluded. The Cowboys have made the draft picks, and the FO is now acquiring camp challengers to see who they think can make the team and do great things. So, I'm going to give my thoughts on the draft and where I would like them to go from here.

I am delighted with our first pick. Our run defence has been a drag on our team. It's been an eyesore that's been here since Ratliff decided that he didn't like Jerry Jones anymore. So, Mazi Smith fits the position that we need, and I absolutely love the pick.

I've warmed up to our second pick. We needed another Te, we got one. Next!


I really like a lot of our later picks. I think Overshown, Fehoko, and Vaughn are excellent picks. Overshown, because now we have a heat-seeking missile at LB who is likely going to be a younger version of Kearse. Fehoko because one can never have too many pass rushers, and Vaughn because of his similarities to Sproles. I also like the Asim Richards pick. I think he and Waletzco will make good depth.

The biggest thing from the draft that I think is a massive need is kicker. More on that in a moment (if you've seen my threads on kickers, I think you know where this is going).

Overall, I'd give this draft a B+. It wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. It has some very good choices, and a few picks that we will see how they develop.

I also like what I've seen so far at UDFA. I like the WRs we are bringing in. This is a good thing. I think one of the best ways to find a good WR is to cast a wide net, and let the competition show it. This is where I think my first suggestion comes in. Earlier, I made a thread about a Canadian WR named Jevon Cottoy from the BC Lions. Essentially, I think he's a WR who, at 6'5", would give us a wide range to throw. He's been a standout in the CFL, from what I've seen. I think he's worth a try out at TC.

I also like that we seem to be bringing in a few olinemen. Might as well keep that churning. I think training camp will be fun this year. Especially at WR and oline.

Now, we come to kicker. This is a spot that I'm not excited to watch. Maher is probably done. I can see Crosby being brought in, but I'd like to see an actual competition here. Enter, you guessed it, some kickers I like from the Japanese League. I'm not going to go into full details here like I did on another thread, but I'm particularly interested in Koji Nasho (https://sports.jp.fujitsu.com/frontiers/players). Essentially, he's a kicker who just won a championship with a team in the Japanese X-League. From what I've seen, he seems consistent and has a good leg. His lone FG attempt in the game that I saw was a beautiful kick. Given the nature of their league, he has to be comfortable kicking in grass, turf, and even a baseball/football dual use turf. Yet, the kickers there, including Nasho, seen very accurate and have massive legs. I think Nasho should be brought to camp. Wouldn't be the first time we used a foreigner at kicker, and I think it's time we got a little creative trying to find a kicker.

I'm also a tad nervous about QB. I like Dak a lot, and I've been very supportive of him and will continue to do so. However, I think he has to protect the ball better. We have almost the perfect defence. I like what our offense is building into, and I think the WCO suits him. He just needs to protect the ball. He used to be good at that, but last year was not good from him. If he can drive the bus, score points, and not turn it over, I think this team can do great things.

Overall, I'm actually optimistic about our draft. I think it's been a decent draft. However, Dak has to control the ball and just drive the bus, and we need a kicker battle. I'm excited to watch the. WR battle as well. Should be a fun TC.
Good analysis.

My top two favorite players in this draft are my boy Overshown (As a UT alumni I might be biased here, LOL) and Duece "Mighty Mouse" Vaughn.

My only complaint is going with the TE in the 2nd round when O'Cyrus was still on the board...........Outside of that, I got no problem with any of the other selections.
 

Miller

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Good analysis.

My top two favorite players in this draft are my boy Overshown (As a UT alumni I might be biased here, LOL) and Duece "Mighty Mouse" Vaughn.

My only complaint is going with the TE in the 2nd round when O'Cyrus was still on the board...........Outside of that, I got no problem with any of the other selections.
Those are my 2 best too. Overall thought they got too cute with a “theme” and it was meh. We will see. Weird draft
 

Killerinstinct

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I worry about 3 tech and linebacker on defense. On offense I worry about LG.

I understand that they hope to move Fahoko to 3 tech eventually but Osa and Gholston are the only ones we have unless they want to put Galimore back at 3. I think they should and probably will release him..

At LB Vander Esch and Clark are both guys with serious injury pasts. Overshown will take time to develop and will probably end up a S/LB hybrid.. Jabril Cox has done nothing.

LG has been discussed plenty. There is no need to rehash it.
 

Beast_from_East

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I worry about 3 tech and linebacker on defense. On offense I worry about LG.

I understand that they hope to move Fahoko to 3 tech eventually but Osa and Gholston are the only ones we have unless they want to put Galimore back at 3. I think they should and probably will release him..

At LB Vander Esch and Clark are both guys with serious injury pasts. Overshown will take time to develop and will probably end up a S/LB hybrid.. Jabril Cox has done nothing.

LG has been discussed plenty. There is no need to rehash it.
LG is the spot I am most concerned about, that is why I would have taken O'Cyrus in the 2nd round instead of the TE.

I am thinking they are going to kick Tyler Smith inside to play LG and put Tyrone back at LT.............problem is we all know Tyrone is going to get hurt again, just a matter of when.

Surely they are not thinking that scrub they signed from the Jets is going to be the starter at LG.:facepalm:
 

exciter

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Well, another year, and another draft has concluded. The Cowboys have made the draft picks, and the FO is now acquiring camp challengers to see who they think can make the team and do great things. So, I'm going to give my thoughts on the draft and where I would like them to go from here.

I am delighted with our first pick. Our run defence has been a drag on our team. It's been an eyesore that's been here since Ratliff decided that he didn't like Jerry Jones anymore. So, Mazi Smith fits the position that we need, and I absolutely love the pick.

I've warmed up to our second pick. We needed another Te, we got one. Next!


I really like a lot of our later picks. I think Overshown, Fehoko, and Vaughn are excellent picks. Overshown, because now we have a heat-seeking missile at LB who is likely going to be a younger version of Kearse. Fehoko because one can never have too many pass rushers, and Vaughn because of his similarities to Sproles. I also like the Asim Richards pick. I think he and Waletzco will make good depth.

The biggest thing from the draft that I think is a massive need is kicker. More on that in a moment (if you've seen my threads on kickers, I think you know where this is going).

Overall, I'd give this draft a B+. It wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. It has some very good choices, and a few picks that we will see how they develop.

I also like what I've seen so far at UDFA. I like the WRs we are bringing in. This is a good thing. I think one of the best ways to find a good WR is to cast a wide net, and let the competition show it. This is where I think my first suggestion comes in. Earlier, I made a thread about a Canadian WR named Jevon Cottoy from the BC Lions. Essentially, I think he's a WR who, at 6'5", would give us a wide range to throw. He's been a standout in the CFL, from what I've seen. I think he's worth a try out at TC.

I also like that we seem to be bringing in a few olinemen. Might as well keep that churning. I think training camp will be fun this year. Especially at WR and oline.

Now, we come to kicker. This is a spot that I'm not excited to watch. Maher is probably done. I can see Crosby being brought in, but I'd like to see an actual competition here. Enter, you guessed it, some kickers I like from the Japanese League. I'm not going to go into full details here like I did on another thread, but I'm particularly interested in Koji Nasho (https://sports.jp.fujitsu.com/frontiers/players). Essentially, he's a kicker who just won a championship with a team in the Japanese X-League. From what I've seen, he seems consistent and has a good leg. His lone FG attempt in the game that I saw was a beautiful kick. Given the nature of their league, he has to be comfortable kicking in grass, turf, and even a baseball/football dual use turf. Yet, the kickers there, including Nasho, seen very accurate and have massive legs. I think Nasho should be brought to camp. Wouldn't be the first time we used a foreigner at kicker, and I think it's time we got a little creative trying to find a kicker.

I'm also a tad nervous about QB. I like Dak a lot, and I've been very supportive of him and will continue to do so. However, I think he has to protect the ball better. We have almost the perfect defence. I like what our offense is building into, and I think the WCO suits him. He just needs to protect the ball. He used to be good at that, but last year was not good from him. If he can drive the bus, score points, and not turn it over, I think this team can do great things.

Overall, I'm actually optimistic about our draft. I think it's been a decent draft. However, Dak has to control the ball and just drive the bus, and we need a kicker battle. I'm excited to watch the. WR battle as well. Should be a fun TC.
Cottoy has had tryouts with the 9ers and Jets in 2020 and Broncos 2022.
 

drawandstrike

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Every year at draft time I watch that 30 For 30 documentary "From Elway To Marino" and relive how 25 NFL GM's and owners passed up Dan Marino because it made sense to them at the time. That included about 6 teams that were seriously looking a QB in that first round.

Elway was going first, no matter what. And I guess you could make a case for Jim Kelly at Miami going to the Bills [he went to the USFL instead] or Todd Blackledge to the Chiefs [he'd just won a national championship after all] but Tony Eason and Ken O'Brien? Before DAN MARINO? It still makes a great story.

And then of course the most famous one of all, Tom Brady going in the 7th round out of Michigan to the Patriots.

A lot of time and effort and chutzpah is put into convincing the public that these NFL GM's, owners and scouts know what they are doing.

My time in watching NFL football since 1979 had led me to conclude that at any given time, any given season, only about 1/3rd of the teams have any real idea what they want to do AND are making effective headway towards doing it. The other 2/3rds are running in place or going backwards and don't really know why, can't figure it out, often due to front office dysfunction.
 

DanA

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Gilmore IMO is the biggest addition to the team. Let's hope he has one more good year before looking like an old CB. That along with having Hankins and Mazi at DT for a full season will keep the defense in the top 10 and hopefully much improved in some metrics. Offensively adding Cooks at WR is huge. To me, it comes down to the OL and the QB not turning the ball over. Philly is still the favorite in the division, but Dallas will be in the hunt and challenge them. Both teams will finish with 11+ wins.
What I really like is the clear roles the additions have.
  • Gilmore fixes the no.2 CB that was picked on all last season
  • Mazi fixes the run game and obvious 1-tech related issues
  • Overshown gives us a coverage LB we’ve lacked complimenting Clarke and LVE
  • Schoonmaker adds to the TE room after losing Schultz and is probably the best blocker immediately
  • Cooks gives us a genuine no.2 with a different skill set (speed) to other guys in the room.
  • Vaughn as a web back type weapon should see snaps
  • Asim Richards add competition/depth at LG
It might not be perfect, apparently we were debating a LG (Bergeron) round 1 and I’d have rather a better short yardage back than the options we have but you can see for the most part how it all fits together.
 

basel90

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No QB ? Many good options existed, but it is baffling how jerry and the FO feel dak is the only answer going forward. An injury, interception prone QB who is on the decline by all metrics. There were many talented QBs available but the FO never bothered.

No left tackle ? another area of concern.
 

charron

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Defensively we have a guy who can dominate early and a bunch of guys that will hopefully develop. Some of these guys should be able to get in the field in a rotation.

Offensively these guys are backups and will be lucky to be here in 3 years. Most won't see the field unless injury. The TE will be given reps due to his draft status he won't earn them.
 
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