You are expressing a Simpleton thought process.
I didn't say specifically draft Cook at #28.
He was drafted at #41.
They could have traded down from #28 or up from #60.
They were not "sold" on anybody at #28 and most of their draft fails the past decade have been when not everyone in the organization was "sold" on the pick.
There were questions about Watt and not just by the Cowboys.
In college Watt didn't play like a tradition 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE. He was more like a 4-3 LB that was used as a pass rusher. Many of his pass rushes came when lined up behind the DL. His size to play 4-3 DE was legit question and we still don't know the answer to that; although, obviously even as a pass rush specialist in a 4-3 he would have more value than Taco.
Cook had early 1st round talent and that was a consensus by the draft media. He fell because of vague character concerns. His character concerns were minor compared to Randy Gregory's issues with Weed.
The Cowboys have built their offense around the running game and that was their plan when they drafted Zeke.
If a team is going to build their offense around the running game and pay big money to the OLine, then it's silly to depend on 1 player (Zeke) to the point that they struggled to function without him in 2017 and even with him when he was in a funk due to fighting against the suspension.
Examples of the Cowboys being "Sold" on their draft pick:
Everyone was "sold" on Zack Martin when they made that pick and they were sold on Travis Frederick to the point they figured they could trade down more and still get him but wanted the 5th year option because they were confident he would be a very good player. The were sold on picking Pollard in the 4th.
Example of the Cowboys waffling about who to pick:
Trysten Hill vs Somebody Else (Not everyone in the organization wanted to draft Hill at that pick).
Last Issue
- Teams never regret drafting very good to great players.
- Both the Saints and Patriots gave up a 1st for Brandin Cooks but then got a 1st back.
- The Saints got 3 years of play from Cooks and then traded him for a 1st.
- The Patriots got a year of play from Cooks and then traded him for a 1st.
LOL ..So again … why would we want to pick a featured starting RB in our very early high rounds,.. when we just drafted and highlighted No. 4 overall pick, All pro honors and NFL rushing leader stud ?
You just took zeke a year before in 2016 …he delivers big time…. But then we’re supposed to come right back the next year and draft another featured, starting RB very high in the draft ?
That was never going to happen with Cook, nor should it, imo
Of course Cook had his high draft grade per the Cowboys draft boards – that’s just what he rated and graded out as a pure player prospect. That doesn’t mean we were going to or have to take him
That’s why I don’t believe NFL teams exactly stick to their boards as always drafting the next best player on their board – regardless of position.
They will always say that, but they don’t execute that on draft day. Especially when it comes to their very early high round picks.
- When we drafted Zack Martin, I heard board posters gripe that we are “wasting’ a 1st round pick on an OG in the first round, when we just signed a couple of veteran FAs to plug
and start here (I think it was Livington & McKeazey ) but never did they think that scouts graded out Martin as a very exceptional OG, one that could very likely
carry instant All pro potential, dominant oriented, immediate plug and play starter ..as compared to decent only (JAG?) like vets.
In accordance to the value of their draft board vs what was already here , they couldn’t pass him up. And luckily Jerry resisted the urge to buckle the Martin.
- BTW, Jerry even admitted on national television that he coveted and wanted to draft QB Johnny Manziel in the 1st round, so that leads to tell that he wasn’t “ sold” on drafting Martin,
but he miraculously he gave in (cave in?) with the rest of War room crew.. and If there is a quality guy at that spot, in according to your value of your draft board, .. you take them.
- Also, I don’t believe in trading down just for the sake of trading down and compiling picks, giving up quality for the sake of quantity. We had a ton of quantity picks in 2009 and we flat blew it
with that entire draft class because we never came sniff close to anything worth quality 11 picks and every single one of them became worthless picks.
- There were questions about each and every candidate pick at #28, .. Watt, …Cook, …Kevin King… Taco …etc. there was even questions at another likely candidate
in UCLA’s DE Takken McKinsley, who was reportedly the guy the Cowboys were prepared to take at 28th before ATL jump skip ahead of them and snatch him from the Cowboys grasp.
- And spare me the TJ Watt’s 4-3 vs 3-4 excuses, that should be out of the window, - especially when the Cowboys drafted a 237 pound Randy Gregory coming out of Nebraska,
and immediately groomed him to be a 4-3 DE.
Watt was 15 pounds bigger than Gregory coming out of college. If we had the right defensive coach, he could have made the Watt situation happen, imo.