The 2023 draft is killing this organization

[RonWashington]

I would rather see a Malik Davis off a PS than anymore vets taking up space like Elliott & Cook . You have to get younger .

 

[rambo2]

I would rather see a Malik Davis off a PS than anymore vets taking up space like Elliott & Cook . You have to get younger .

You are right about Elliott and Cook. Let Rico, Vaughn, and Luepke play. Just cut Zeeke and Cook.

 

[ccb04]

2023 draft: it's looking like a colossal failure with the first 2 picks.

2024 draft: off to a somewhat rough start so far. It can be said the class is contributing (out of necessity), but it hasn't been too good overall.

2024 offseason: crickets = catastrophe ... and injuries continue piling up.

 

[ClintDagger]

The radio guys said Schoon is in the doghouse. I’m guessing that is coming from JJ.

 

[Tabascocat]

The radio guys said Schoon is in the doghouse. I’m guessing that is coming from JJ.

A 2nd round draft pick playing mostly special teams, I would say so

 

[buybuydandavis]

This organization has sold itself for years as being built as a “draft and develop“ team. Not only is this “draft and develop” model outdated and long ago shown to be not enough. Without some decent FAs thrown in as well, it places enormous pressure on each year’s draft to produce starters or at the very least, quality depth.

The 2023 draft is starting to look like a total disaster for an organization completely dependent on the draft to stay competitive, much less be a team capable of winning playoff games. When your first AND second round picks barely even make the box score, your draft is already a disaster.

Yesterday in Atlanta, 2023 1st round pick Mazi Smith had 28 snaps and literally did not make the stat sheet with even an assisted tackle. Second round pick TE Luke Schoonmaker had 1 snap on offense. The UFA Brevyn Spann-Ford is getting 4 times as many snaps as Schoonmaker. What a complete disaster.

The lone bright spot from last year’s draft is 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown who had 7 tackles yesterday including 3 TFLs. He is an impact player on a really bad defense.

So here are the players selected in 2023 and what they bring to the team:

• 1st round: DT Mazi Smith. Shown almost nothing in 25 regular season games so far. Not only showing he’s not a first round talent, he’s not even appearing to be even a draftable talent. On a team literally begging for DL to shore up the run stoppage, he plays less than 50% of the snaps.
• 2nd round TE Luke Schoonmaker. Can’t earn playing time. Typically gets less than 5 snaps a game. Has 8 receptions in 8 games this year and 16 receptions in 23 regular season games in his career.
• 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown. Missed his rookie year due to a knee injury but has been a real bright spot showing great speed, range and tackling ability.
• 4th round DE Vilami Fehoko. No longer with the team - waived this last September.
• 5th round T Asim Richards. A backup OL who has looked decent at times in training camp but will only be pressed into regular season duty in a pinch.
• 6th round CB Eric Scott. Was also waived in September; now on the chiefs practice squad.
• 6th round RB Deuce Vaughn. In a season and a half almost never plays. Has only played in 12 regular season games and has 7 carries for 20 yards.
• 7th round WR Jalen Brooks. He has played as a backup WR with occasional receptions but in a season and a half has 13 receptions, no TDs.
• There are some 2023 UFAs who have been decent for this team. FB Hunter Luepke, G TJ Bass and (now injured) TE John Stephens Jr. Contributors and depth pieces.

So for a draft and develop team, having a draft be this unhelpful is a disaster. It’s one of the biggest reasons this team is so bad this year.

Asim Richards should have gotten more playtime.

But yes, lousy draft.

Reached on specimens instead of taking football players with the first two picks.
One thing that should always be asked about the specimens is why their freakish nature didn't make them more successful in college.

 

[AmericanCowboy]

The Schoonmaker stuff is very annoying. Especially since it seems like Ferguson is messing up more and more- seems like he has a ton of mental mistakes lately and Schoonmaker still can't get in

 

[DuncanIso]

This organization has sold itself for years as being built as a “draft and develop“ team. Not only is this “draft and develop” model outdated and long ago shown to be not enough. Without some decent FAs thrown in as well, it places enormous pressure on each year’s draft to produce starters or at the very least, quality depth.

The 2023 draft is starting to look like a total disaster for an organization completely dependent on the draft to stay competitive, much less be a team capable of winning playoff games. When your first AND second round picks barely even make the box score, your draft is already a disaster.

Yesterday in Atlanta, 2023 1st round pick Mazi Smith had 28 snaps and literally did not make the stat sheet with even an assisted tackle. Second round pick TE Luke Schoonmaker had 1 snap on offense. The UFA Brevyn Spann-Ford is getting 4 times as many snaps as Schoonmaker. What a complete disaster.

The lone bright spot from last year’s draft is 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown who had 7 tackles yesterday including 3 TFLs. He is an impact player on a really bad defense.

So here are the players selected in 2023 and what they bring to the team:

• 1st round: DT Mazi Smith. Shown almost nothing in 25 regular season games so far. Not only showing he’s not a first round talent, he’s not even appearing to be even a draftable talent. On a team literally begging for DL to shore up the run stoppage, he plays less than 50% of the snaps.
• 2nd round TE Luke Schoonmaker. Can’t earn playing time. Typically gets less than 5 snaps a game. Has 8 receptions in 8 games this year and 16 receptions in 23 regular season games in his career.
• 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown. Missed his rookie year due to a knee injury but has been a real bright spot showing great speed, range and tackling ability.
• 4th round DE Vilami Fehoko. No longer with the team - waived this last September.
• 5th round T Asim Richards. A backup OL who has looked decent at times in training camp but will only be pressed into regular season duty in a pinch.
• 6th round CB Eric Scott. Was also waived in September; now on the chiefs practice squad.
• 6th round RB Deuce Vaughn. In a season and a half almost never plays. Has only played in 12 regular season games and has 7 carries for 20 yards.
• 7th round WR Jalen Brooks. He has played as a backup WR with occasional receptions but in a season and a half has 13 receptions, no TDs.
• There are some 2023 UFAs who have been decent for this team. FB Hunter Luepke, G TJ Bass and (now injured) TE John Stephens Jr. Contributors and depth pieces.

So for a draft and develop team, having a draft be this unhelpful is a disaster. It’s one of the biggest reasons this team is so bad this year.

That Mazi Pick….disaster.

At the time, most of us thought it was A solid pick.

 

[plasticman]

1. Took DT Mazi Smith, could have taken TE Sam LaPorta

2. Took TE Luke Schoonmaker, could have taken OL O'Cyrus Torrence

4. Took DL Viliami Fehoko, could have taken RB Chase Brown

5. Took OL Asim Richards, could have taken WR Puka Nakua

6 Took CB Eric Scott, could have taken DT Karl Brooks

6. Took RB Deuce Vaughn, could have taken DB Jaylon Jones

 

[NDGAEDE]

Mazi is just so so bad. There are so many plays hes bullied back 5 or 6 yards and then ends up on the ground. It was a failed draft on that pick alone.

Schoonmaker we all knew was a wasted pick. No surprise there.

Overshown looks good.

We can't afford to have drafts like this and sit out free agency.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Don’t disagree there. That 2007 team is more prepared for that Giants debacle at the very least. Some will say he was ready to quit but I’m not so sure. He technically only had his own defense in place for two years. He had regret in his voice going out, and Jerry was ready to step on in with a nicely built roster and a QB in place to claim it all as his own. We know the results.

On the free agent thing, BP was referring to bringing in players that he was familiar with and vice versa. These two are only familiar with the players they draft, so they don’t even interpret what he meant correctly.

Every NFL GM ought to be a least a little familiar with every player in the league, practice squads included, and I seriously doubt that either of these two are. One of them admits so. That’s a serious disadvantage when they are the ones who make the final call.

For me it’s beyond not believable that they haven’t participated in major free agency in 12-13 years, whichever it is.

On the free agent front, Bill was just trying to stabilize a 5-11 roster with veterans he trusted. The turnaround was fast. You can't really argue that he didn't load the roster with talent. He did it his way which is what Jerry paid him to do........ I have no issue with it. He's the closest thing this team has had to a competent GM since Jimmy walked out. Jerry and son are far less familiar with the league player personnel and they get more clueless every year. That is why we currently don't participate in free agency.

 

[atlantacowboy]

That Mazi Pick….disaster.

At the time, most of us thought it was A solid pick.

At the time, most of us where happy they drafted a DT after decades of ignoring the position in round 1. Few had any idea who Mazi Smith was bc most Cowboy fans don't follow college football. Those of us that do were very uneasy with the pick. He had his moments in college but was wildly inconsistent. His selection was a projection based on his physical traits more than anything he did in college.

 

[fivetwos]

On the free agent front, Bill was just trying to stabilize a 5-11 roster with veterans he trusted. The turnaround was fast. You can't really argue that he didn't load the roster with talent. He did it his way which is what Jerry paid him to do........ I have no issue with it. He's the closest thing this team has had to a competent GM since Jimmy walked out. Jerry and son are far less familiar with the league player personnel and they get more clueless every year. That is why we currently don't participate in free agency.

Yeah I have no problem with Parcells, I was just thinking that’s where these two seemed to get the idea of signing “the devil you know.” I remember BP saying it and Stephen repeating it years later. Thinking on it more, their problems are far worse than copying whatever they learned from him.

 

[cowboyed]

This organization has sold itself for years as being built as a “draft and develop“ team. Not only is this “draft and develop” model outdated and long ago shown to be not enough. Without some decent FAs thrown in as well, it places enormous pressure on each year’s draft to produce starters or at the very least, quality depth.

The 2023 draft is starting to look like a total disaster for an organization completely dependent on the draft to stay competitive, much less be a team capable of winning playoff games. When your first AND second round picks barely even make the box score, your draft is already a disaster.

Yesterday in Atlanta, 2023 1st round pick Mazi Smith had 28 snaps and literally did not make the stat sheet with even an assisted tackle. Second round pick TE Luke Schoonmaker had 1 snap on offense. The UFA Brevyn Spann-Ford is getting 4 times as many snaps as Schoonmaker. What a complete disaster.

The lone bright spot from last year’s draft is 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown who had 7 tackles yesterday including 3 TFLs. He is an impact player on a really bad defense.

So here are the players selected in 2023 and what they bring to the team:

• 1st round: DT Mazi Smith. Shown almost nothing in 25 regular season games so far. Not only showing he’s not a first round talent, he’s not even appearing to be even a draftable talent. On a team literally begging for DL to shore up the run stoppage, he plays less than 50% of the snaps.
• 2nd round TE Luke Schoonmaker. Can’t earn playing time. Typically gets less than 5 snaps a game. Has 8 receptions in 8 games this year and 16 receptions in 23 regular season games in his career.
• 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown. Missed his rookie year due to a knee injury but has been a real bright spot showing great speed, range and tackling ability.
• 4th round DE Vilami Fehoko. No longer with the team - waived this last September.
• 5th round T Asim Richards. A backup OL who has looked decent at times in training camp but will only be pressed into regular season duty in a pinch.
• 6th round CB Eric Scott. Was also waived in September; now on the chiefs practice squad.
• 6th round RB Deuce Vaughn. In a season and a half almost never plays. Has only played in 12 regular season games and has 7 carries for 20 yards.
• 7th round WR Jalen Brooks. He has played as a backup WR with occasional receptions but in a season and a half has 13 receptions, no TDs.
• There are some 2023 UFAs who have been decent for this team. FB Hunter Luepke, G TJ Bass and (now injured) TE John Stephens Jr. Contributors and depth pieces.

So for a draft and develop team, having a draft be this unhelpful is a disaster. It’s one of the biggest reasons this team is so bad this year.

Stephen, McClay & scout squad are at least co-responsible for all this over-hyped amazing drafting capability that has been lauded by fans and the media over a handful of years.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Yeah I have no problem with Parcells, I was just thinking that’s where these two seemed to get the idea of signing “the devil you know.” I remember BP saying it and Stephen repeating it years later. Thinking on it more, their problems are far worse than copying whatever they learned from him.

The timing of the CD and Dak contracts is mind numbing. That shows you they don't have a plan they are executing.

I think they did take a lot from the BP era but that was a long time ago. Everything they do now point organizational laziness. I honestly think Jerry and Stephen just want to get on their boat after the season and be done with football for awhile. The GM job is 24/7/365 and we have nobody doing the work required.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Don't forget Deuce!

You must have overlooked him.

Tbf, he's hard to find.

 

[fivetwos]

The timing of the CD and Dak contracts is mind numbing. That shows you they don't have a plan they are executing.

I think they did take a lot from the BP era but that was a long time ago. Everything they do now point organizational laziness. I honestly think Jerry and Stephen just want to get on their boat after the season and be done with football for awhile. The GM job is 24/7/365 and we have nobody doing the work required.

I can agree with that.

As far as an actual plan, your guess is as good as mine and I have yet to see anyone’s guess that makes sense, my own included…which can only tell me that there is no actual plan.

It possible that’s it’s a ‘your way this time, my way next time’ type of thing, which would be beyond stupid, but also why things are all over the place. It’s also possible that Stephen is just reluctant to be aggressive and has Jerry convinced that they don’t have cap dollars. I really couldn’t say….except for the fact that it doesn’t work and until they hire someone else to handle it (which Jerry probably refuses to do), it’s not likely to get any better.

It seems strange to speak this way of team that is coming off three 12-win seasons, but it’s fairly clear they blew that window by being conservative/cheap and are desperately trying to hang on to what little is left of it.

 

[CWR]

Don't forget Deuce!

You must have overlooked him.

The Deuce fixation has become more difficult to understand. Lol. I'll never forget a poster arguing he was already better than Pollard, last preseason.

 

[Verdict]

This organization has sold itself for years as being built as a “draft and develop“ team. Not only is this “draft and develop” model outdated and long ago shown to be not enough. Without some decent FAs thrown in as well, it places enormous pressure on each year’s draft to produce starters or at the very least, quality depth.

The 2023 draft is starting to look like a total disaster for an organization completely dependent on the draft to stay competitive, much less be a team capable of winning playoff games. When your first AND second round picks barely even make the box score, your draft is already a disaster.

Yesterday in Atlanta, 2023 1st round pick Mazi Smith had 28 snaps and literally did not make the stat sheet with even an assisted tackle. Second round pick TE Luke Schoonmaker had 1 snap on offense. The UFA Brevyn Spann-Ford is getting 4 times as many snaps as Schoonmaker. What a complete disaster.

The lone bright spot from last year’s draft is 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown who had 7 tackles yesterday including 3 TFLs. He is an impact player on a really bad defense.

So here are the players selected in 2023 and what they bring to the team:

• 1st round: DT Mazi Smith. Shown almost nothing in 25 regular season games so far. Not only showing he’s not a first round talent, he’s not even appearing to be even a draftable talent. On a team literally begging for DL to shore up the run stoppage, he plays less than 50% of the snaps.
• 2nd round TE Luke Schoonmaker. Can’t earn playing time. Typically gets less than 5 snaps a game. Has 8 receptions in 8 games this year and 16 receptions in 23 regular season games in his career.
• 3rd round LB DeMarvion Overshown. Missed his rookie year due to a knee injury but has been a real bright spot showing great speed, range and tackling ability.
• 4th round DE Vilami Fehoko. No longer with the team - waived this last September.
• 5th round T Asim Richards. A backup OL who has looked decent at times in training camp but will only be pressed into regular season duty in a pinch.
• 6th round CB Eric Scott. Was also waived in September; now on the chiefs practice squad.
• 6th round RB Deuce Vaughn. In a season and a half almost never plays. Has only played in 12 regular season games and has 7 carries for 20 yards.
• 7th round WR Jalen Brooks. He has played as a backup WR with occasional receptions but in a season and a half has 13 receptions, no TDs.
• There are some 2023 UFAs who have been decent for this team. FB Hunter Luepke, G TJ Bass and (now injured) TE John Stephens Jr. Contributors and depth pieces.

So for a draft and develop team, having a draft be this unhelpful is a disaster. It’s one of the biggest reasons this team is so bad this year.

I try to respond directly to a thread rather than derail a thread, but your post is a little bit “low hanging fruit”. It’s easy to see that your comments are mostly correct, but what team hits in every draft?

A team will have some good drafts and a few average drafts and a few poor drafts. A lot of that is the talent pool, how the draft falls and a little bit of luck. So that’s going to vary a little bit year by year.

This organization has drafted well enough, on overage to compete year in and year out. But this team arguably can’t 1. overcome having Dak at QB and 2. overpaying its own players.

If the Cowboys don’t solve these two issues, I don’t think that the Cowboys will ever right the ship.

In some ways it really pisses me off that we paid Dak all that cap money, but maybe Jerry will finally learn his lesson. I think Jerry is finally feeling the pressure that the Cowboys fan base is FED UP WITH the product being put on the field.

 

[atlantacowboy]

I can agree with that.

As far as an actual plan, your guess is as good as mine and I have yet to see anyone’s guess that makes sense, my own included…which can only tell me that there is no actual plan.

It possible that’s it’s a ‘your way this time, my way next time’ type of thing, which would be beyond stupid, but also why things are all over the place. It’s also possible that Stephen is just reluctant to be aggressive and has Jerry convinced that they don’t have cap dollars. I really couldn’t say….except for the fact that it doesn’t work and until they hire someone else to handle it (which Jerry probably refuses to do), it’s not likely to get any better.

It seems strange to speak this way of team that is coming off three 12-win seasons, but it’s fairly clear they blew that window by being conservative/cheap and are desperately trying to hang on to what little is left of it.

Bingo. That is the truth.

I got an opportunity over the weekend to see the Cowboys in Atlanta. I got there early bc the seats were great and observed Jerry and Stephen for almost a full 2 hours pregame on the field. Stephen is no alpha. He reminded me of a spoiled frat boy. He fits that stereotype to a tee. While Jerry is working the field talking to everyone and shaking hands like some kind of diplomat. Stephen just stands around with a goofy grin surrounded by a posse of backslapping pals. I was waiting for one of them to shotgun a beer. There is no doubt in my mind that Jerry is still running the team. Him his boy are not cut from the same cloth. I think when Jerry dies, we get a GM. SJ will handle finances but not football operations. IMO anyway