Ranking the Cowboys Draft picks

[Jumbo075]

There are three resources that rank the top 500 NFL Draft Prospects: NFL.com, CBS Sports, and Drafttek. Using these 3 sites, here is how each resource ranks the players the Cowboys both drafted over the last 3 days, and those who have been signed as college free agents this evening. Site ranking is in parenthesis().

NFL.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (50) +8 - 2nd round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (70) +20 - 3rd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (215) -87 - 7th round grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (163) +5 - 5th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (124) +41 - 4th round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (278) -65 - UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (239) -21 - 7th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (135) +106 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
OL Mitch Hyatt (220) - 7th round grade
CB Chris Westry (230) - 7th round grade
OL Brandon Knight (251) - 7th round grade
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (277)
DT Daniel Wise (330)
DT Ricky Walker (334)
WR Jalen Guyton (425)
LB Nate Hall (459)
LB Luke Gifford (>500)
LB Justin Phillips (>500)

Using the NFL.com (football professionals) ranking system, the Cowboys got good value to very good value on 5 of their 8 picks, and reached on 3 players. Only one of the players they picked was ranked below the 256th and final pick of the draft. And they signed 3 players with draftable grades to college free agent contracts.

Per NFL.com, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 1 player
3rd round - 1 player
4th round - 2 players
5th round - 1 player
6th round - 0 players
7th round - 5 players
UDFA - 8 players

CBSSports.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (182) -124 - 6th round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (90) +/-0 - 3rd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (213) -85 - 6th round grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (174) -16 - 6th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (80) +85 - 3rd round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (305) -92 UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (139) +79 - 5th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (117) +124 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
OL Mitch Hyatt (179) 6th round grade
DT Daniel Wise (185) - 6th round grade
DT Ricky Walker (275)
LB Nate Hall (290)
OL Brandon Knight (381)
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (396)
CB Chris Westry (490)
WR Jalen Guyton (523)
LB Luke Gifford (>525)
LB Justin Phillips (>525)

If you buy into the CBS Sports (professional media) ranking system, the Cowboys made a huge reach with their first pick of Hill, and reached on half of their picks. One pick was an exact rank pick, and only 3 picks were value picks. The Cowboys have signed only 2 draftable players as college free agents so far. The media is likely to give the Cowboys a much worse draft grade.

Per CBS Sports, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 0 players
3rd round - 2 players
4th round - 1 player
5th round - 1 player
6th round - 5 players
7th round - 0 players
UDFA - 9 players

Drafttek.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (248) -190 - 7th round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (64) +26 - 2nd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (259) -129 - UDFA grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (182) -24 - 6th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (61) +104 - 2nd round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (>500) -288 - UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (161) +57 - 5th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (112) +129 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
DT Daniel Wise (108) - 4th round grade
OL Mitch Hyatt (144) - 5th round grade
DT Ricky Walker (261)
OL Brandon Knight (428)
LB Nate Hall (434)
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (396)
CB Chris Westry (>500)
WR Jalen Guyton (>500)
LB Luke Gifford (>500)
LB Justin Phillips (>500)

If you trust Drafttek.com (amateur bloggers), then the Cowboys made an even larger reach for DT Trysten Hill, who should have been a late 7th round pick, only 8 picks before Mr. Irrelevant. The Cowboys got value on 4 of their picks, but reached on 2, and drafted 2 other players with undraftable grades. They signed two college free agents with draftable grades, but are bringing in at least 5 rookies who didn't even rank in the top 500 players.

Per Drafttek, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 2 players
3rd round - 0 players
4th round - 2 players
5th round - 2 players
6th round - 1 player
7th round - 1 player
UDFA - 10 players

So, who are you going to believe?

1. The Football Professionals
2. The Professional Media
3. The Amateur Bloggers

Let's vote!

 

[ChronicCowboy]

Having Hill rated as a 7th rounder is absurd. I think the draft is a C+. Pollard was a bad pick. Hill was a decent pick. McGovern was a good pick for 2020. The rest of the draft is ok but how often do guys from rounds 5-7 make this team? Not very often.

 

[visionary]

Having Hill rated as a 7th rounder is absurd. I think the draft is a C+. Pollard was a bad pick. Hill was a decent pick. McGovern was a good pick for 2020. The rest of the draft is ok but how often do guys from rounds 5-7 make this team? Not very often.

If they don't then why yrade down from 4 to 5-7?

Can't have it both ways

 

[Jumbo075]

If they don't then why yrade down from 4 to 5-7?

Can't have it both ways

Did you watch the press conference? The Cowboys only traded down because the players they wanted were already picked.

 

[visionary]

Did you watch the press conference? The Cowboys only traded down because the players they wanted were already picked.

Did you read the post I was responding to?

"How often do you expect players from rounds 5-7 to make the team anyway"

 

[Jumbo075]

Did you read the post I was responding to?

"How often do you expect players from rounds 5-7 to make the team anyway"

My mistake. I thought you were asking why trade down from a 4th round pick to rounds 5-7.

Here is your exact question - "If they don't then why yrade down from 4 to 5-7?"

I think the bigger issue is where the player was rated. The Cowboys had 4th round grades on both Xavier Woods and Anthony Brown, who have both turned into starters for the Cowboys. the other late round picks in recent years haven't had as high of grades.

This year, according to nearly every source, DLinemen Joe Jackson and Jared Jelks have 4th round or better grades, even if they were picked later. So we'll see. Maybe if you get higher rated players in the late rounds, the odds go up of them making a contribution.

 

[Kaiser]

Having Hill rated as a 7th rounder is absurd. .

Both of those grades as a 5th or 7th rounder are a joke based on what his actual transgressions were. You can mark him down for being young, but he wasn't dumb or uncoachable. He also played like a demon on the field, which is the real issue.

If you want to see a guy marked down, this was Dane Brugler's writeup on WR Antonio Callaway last year, a guy with 1st round talent who he put a 5th round grade on:

WEAKNESSES: Undersized, slender frame…fights the football with concentration issues at the catch point…feels ghosts over the middle of the field and when returning punts…questionable football IQ and situational awareness…poor stem discipline, drifting at the top of routes…struggles to power through the jam or tackle attempts…ball security issues with six career fumbles, including five in 2016…missed playing time at Florida due to injuries to his foot (Oct. 2015) and right quad (Sept. 2016) – also suffered a torn meniscus (Oct. 2014) as a senior in high school…numerous off-field red flags in his background – suspended for the 2017 season after his involvement with a credit card fraud scheme (felony charges were dropped after a plea deal was reached); cited for marijuana possession (May 2017) while he was a passenger in the car of a 40-year old career criminal; was the target of a Title IX and sexual assault allegation (Dec. 2015) and was suspended for 2016 spring practices, but was found “not responsible” after he claimed to be “high” on marijuana…NFL scout: “He’ll fail at least one drug test in the NFL. Put that in your guide.”

FWIW, Callaway went in the 4th round and had a pretty good rookie season with 43 catches.

 

[Rockport]

You can’t rank a draft. Think about it. Let these guys play a few years first then rank them.

 

[Alexander]

Did you watch the press conference? The Cowboys only traded down because the players they wanted were already picked.

That was because they couldn't handle the process. These other teams are aggressive about getting talent. Nobody with Dallas operates like they do. They have jobs they are trying to keep.

 

[Jumbo075]

That was because they couldn't handle the process. These other teams are aggressive about getting talent. Nobody with Dallas operates like they do. They have jobs they are trying to keep.

Let's disagree. I think Dallas has been excellent at drafting for most of the last decade.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

There are three resources that rank the top 500 NFL Draft Prospects: NFL.com, CBS Sports, and Drafttek. Using these 3 sites, here is how each resource ranks the players the Cowboys both drafted over the last 3 days, and those who have been signed as college free agents this evening. Site ranking is in parenthesis().

NFL.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (50) +8 - 2nd round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (70) +20 - 3rd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (215) -87 - 7th round grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (163) +5 - 5th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (124) +41 - 4th round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (278) -65 - UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (239) -21 - 7th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (135) +106 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
OL Mitch Hyatt (220) - 7th round grade
CB Chris Westry (230) - 7th round grade
OL Brandon Knight (251) - 7th round grade
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (277)
DT Daniel Wise (330)
DT Ricky Walker (334)
WR Jalen Guyton (425)
LB Nate Hall (459)
LB Luke Gifford (>500)
LB Justin Phillips (>500)

Using the NFL.com (football professionals) ranking system, the Cowboys got good value to very good value on 5 of their 8 picks, and reached on 3 players. Only one of the players they picked was ranked below the 256th and final pick of the draft. And they signed 3 players with draftable grades to college free agent contracts.

Per NFL.com, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 1 player
3rd round - 1 player
4th round - 2 players
5th round - 1 player
6th round - 0 players
7th round - 5 players
UDFA - 8 players

CBSSports.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (182) -124 - 6th round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (90) +/-0 - 3rd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (213) -85 - 6th round grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (174) -16 - 6th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (80) +85 - 3rd round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (305) -92 UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (139) +79 - 5th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (117) +124 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
OL Mitch Hyatt (179) 6th round grade
DT Daniel Wise (185) - 6th round grade
DT Ricky Walker (275)
LB Nate Hall (290)
OL Brandon Knight (381)
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (396)
CB Chris Westry (490)
WR Jalen Guyton (523)
LB Luke Gifford (>525)
LB Justin Phillips (>525)

If you buy into the CBS Sports (professional media) ranking system, the Cowboys made a huge reach with their first pick of Hill, and reached on half of their picks. One pick was an exact rank pick, and only 3 picks were value picks. The Cowboys have signed only 2 draftable players as college free agents so far. The media is likely to give the Cowboys a much worse draft grade.

Per CBS Sports, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 0 players
3rd round - 2 players
4th round - 1 player
5th round - 1 player
6th round - 5 players
7th round - 0 players
UDFA - 9 players

Drafttek.com
58. DT Trysten Hill - (248) -190 - 7th round grade
90. OL Connor McGovern (64) +26 - 2nd round grade
128. RB Tony Pollard (259) -129 - UDFA grade
158. CB Michael Jackson (182) -24 - 6th round grade
165. DL Joe Jackson (61) +104 - 2nd round grade
213. SS Donovan Wilson (>500) -288 - UDFA grade
218. RB Mike Weber (161) +57 - 5th round grade
241. EDGE Jared Jelks (112) +129 - 4th round grade
Undrafted Free Agents
DT Daniel Wise (108) - 4th round grade
OL Mitch Hyatt (144) - 5th round grade
DT Ricky Walker (261)
OL Brandon Knight (428)
LB Nate Hall (434)
WR Jon'Vea Johnson (396)
CB Chris Westry (>500)
WR Jalen Guyton (>500)
LB Luke Gifford (>500)
LB Justin Phillips (>500)

If you trust Drafttek.com (amateur bloggers), then the Cowboys made an even larger reach for DT Trysten Hill, who should have been a late 7th round pick, only 8 picks before Mr. Irrelevant. The Cowboys got value on 4 of their picks, but reached on 2, and drafted 2 other players with undraftable grades. They signed two college free agents with draftable grades, but are bringing in at least 5 rookies who didn't even rank in the top 500 players.

Per Drafttek, the Cowboys have landed the following values on drafted and signed rookies:
2nd round - 2 players
3rd round - 0 players
4th round - 2 players
5th round - 2 players
6th round - 1 player
7th round - 1 player
UDFA - 10 players

So, who are you going to believe?

1. The Football Professionals
2. The Professional Media
3. The Amateur Bloggers

Let's vote!

LMAO 7th round grade on Trysten Hill ridiculous grades.

 

[visionary]

My mistake. I thought you were asking why trade down from a 4th round pick to rounds 5-7.

Here is your exact question - "If they don't then why yrade down from 4 to 5-7?"

I think the bigger issue is where the player was rated. The Cowboys had 4th round grades on both Xavier Woods and Anthony Brown, who have both turned into starters for the Cowboys. the other late round picks in recent years haven't had as high of grades.

This year, according to nearly every source, DLinemen Joe Jackson and Jared Jelks have 4th round or better grades, even if they were picked later. So we'll see. Maybe if you get higher rated players in the late rounds, the odds go up of them making a contribution.

Let me explain

If you are the fan of a team that CHOOSES to trade down from 4th rd to rds 5-7, you cannot use that as an excuse to excuse them not getting good players

If players in rds 5-7 don't make the team, don't trade down or rather, trade up so that you can get players that gave a chance to make the team

Clearly other teams don't seem to be aware of this so they are able to find players in rds 5-7 who are able to make their team

Can't have it both ways

 

[Kingofholland]

No doubt we reached for Hill and I'm still annoyed we passed on one of the safeties. Hard to tell where Hill would have went but I would guess based on games started and trouble with coaching staff he would have been there for the Cowboys in the 3rd round, maybe even 4th. Kid does have potential and I hope he makes us all look like fools for wanting another player there.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

I watched the Dallas Cowboys coverage of the draft with Broadus, Brugler, et al and it looked like the coordinators and position coaches were getting players that they wanted. The Pollard pick looked like a Kellen Moore gift, someone he wanted specifically to fit his new plans, it was a reach but RBs were getting plucked off the board and they didn't want to risk losing him. Outside of that it looked like a good draft for them considering their draft position.

 

[stiletto]

I think they wouldve gotten Hill in the 3rd. Should've drafted Thornhill then traded up from the third to get Hill if they coveted him that much but I think he may have lasted even to the 4th from everything I've read. I would be interested to see draft boards to see if he was ranked 2nd round by any other team....I kinda doubt it.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

McGovern
Jelks
Hill
Weber

 

[Floatyworm]

The 3 sites you picked...might be the worst on the internet. Seriously. CBSSports.com used to be ok...but whoever was running their site this year...totally let it go. Their rankings were just awful.

 

[TasteMyScythe]

Hill was a little bit of a reach, but lets be honest ...half of our pass rush is gone. Have to fix that first before you through a rookie in to the secondary. I feel Hill has the tools and explosion to be pretty good, he can prosper under Marinelli's tutoring. Hill reminds me of Warren Sapp. The kid just needs to grow up...maybe a little BigCat in his face will do it?
The McGovern pick tells us what the future holds for the OL.
I was surprised with the Pollard pick in the 4th...the kid can play though. I believe he was a WR at one time but his hands at the time were a little raw,so he was moved to RB.He's a good route runner...expect to see him in the slot at times. I'm curious to see how Moore uses him. Its a good pick,but the value is weak. He's our new kick returner. Weber makes the team too.
This team will get its SS next year...Iloka will be solid, but lets see what Richards can do with him.

 

[Captain-Crash]

Grade: D
30. Dallas Cowboys

Whom they drafted: DT Trysten Hill, G Connor McGovern, RB Tony Pollard, CB Michael Jackson, DE Joe Jackson, S Donovan Wilson, RB Mike Weber, DE Jalen Jelks

The Cowboys started late in the draft because of the Amari Cooper trade. They didn't yield great defensive returns and selected too much for depth early before diving into their true needs later. Jerry Jones and his scouting staff fell well short of their past best efforts.

 

[Hadenough]

Grade: D
30. Dallas Cowboys

Whom they drafted: DT Trysten Hill, G Connor McGovern, RB Tony Pollard, CB Michael Jackson, DE Joe Jackson, S Donovan Wilson, RB Mike Weber, DE Jalen Jelks

The Cowboys started late in the draft because of the Amari Cooper trade. They didn't yield great defensive returns and selected too much for depth early before diving into their true needs later. Jerry Jones and his scouting staff fell well short of their past best efforts.

Pretty much says it all!