CFZ The best NFL teams draft QBs even when they have a good starter

[Cowboys5217]

The Cowboys are one of the best. 25 wins in the last 2 years and look to be in the hunt with another 12 wins on the horizon this year.

Even if we were coming off winning three straight SBs Bob's advice still applies.

 

[removed_20241105]

The QB position is THE hardest to find sustainable, quality talent. It often requires several attempts before finding a QB that has real value. Doesn’t mean you have to use Day one or two draft picks every year, but there is certainly evidence that even after you find a quality starting QB, your team should still be QB shopping in the draft often.

For some reason, our front office does not choose to draft QBs very often. Since JJ bought the team in 1989, the Cowboys have drafted 7 QBs. That’s 7 QBs in 34 years. From 1992-2009, the Cowboys only drafted 2 QBs- Quincy Carter in 2001 and Stephen McGee in 2009. From 2010-23, we have drafted 3 QBs- Dak, Mike White and Ben DiNucci.

Part of this was because of finding Tony Romo as an UFA in 2003 and stumbling upon Dak in round 4 in 2016. But it is still interesting how little the Cowboys have used draft capital to draft a QB. In the combined 19 years of the Cowboys having Romo and Dak under center, the Cowboys have only drafted 4 QBs.

One of the things I’ve noticed is the habit of many of the better NFL organizations is drafting QBs even when they have a quality starter. Look at these three organizations’ approach to drafting QB talent, even when they had a great starter:

• Green Bay- even when Brett Favre was QB, putting together a HOF career, the pack drafted 9 QBs in 13 drafts. In 2005, they drafted Aaron Rodgers in round 1, and went to 5 NFC championships and won a SB with Rodgers, yet in the 18 seasons Rodgers was in GB, the pack still drafted 6 QBs.
  
  
• San Francisco- the niners have played in 6 NFC championships and 2 SBs in this century and they have done that with 4 different starting QBs. Their habit of acquiring QB talent even when they have a great starter goes all the way back to the 80s when they acquired Steve Young in a trade with the Bucs when they already had the great Joe Montana. The niners have drafted 6 QBs in the last 12 drafts, and their draft of Brock Purdy with the last pick of the 2022 draft, even after drafting Trey Lance in round 1 in 2021 paid big dividends last season.
  
  
• New England- in the 20 seasons the GOAT Tom Brady was winning SBs in NE, the pats still drafted 9 QBs. Three of those QBs- Jacoby Brissett, Matt Cassel, and Jimmy Garropolo all were traded for better draft capital than they were originally drafted. New England‘s philosophy of drafting QBs even when they had the greatest QB in NFL history served them well.
  
  
• Kansas City- KC had Alex Smith from 2013-17, and he led the chiefs to the playoffs in 4 of his 5 seasons there. He was certainly seen as a good starter. Yet the chiefs chose to trade up in round 1 to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017. No one knew Pat Mahomes was going to be what he turned into. And I’m a Texas Tech fan who saw Mahomes play in person 5 times!

Bottom line- IMO the Cowboys would be wise to draft a QB more often. The above teams have drafted QBs even with HOF talent in place. Regardless of what happens with Dak and his future with Dallas, this organization needs to draft a QB more often.

Great post. I think this is a casualty of having an owner that’s also the GM. The investment by Jerry into the feelings of his fave players really prevents him from making certain sound decisions for the team. I think he doesn’t want to send negative signals to Dak, and previously to Romo.

 

[Proof]

I just posted this in a different thread:
"Waiting for the perfect opportunity to just land in your lap...might have you waiting forever.

Sometimes you do make your own "luck". Nobody expected Brady, late round draft pick...to become GOAT."

like drafting Dak when we had Romo?

 

[Bobhaze]

like drafting Dak when we had Romo?

The team only drafted 2 QBs in the 14 seasons Romo was here.

 

[Hardline]

When it comes to the QB position you keep throwing darts atthe position until one sticks.
This is exactly why I was hoping Jalen Hurts would've fell to us in the 2nd round and we took him.

 

[TwistedL0g1k]

The team should also have 3 QB's on the roster. The failure to allocate a third roster spot is really no different than the failure to allocate more draft capital.

If Dak goes down, Dallas would have Rush and nothing behind him. Maybe they could bring up a practice squad guy. This compares starkly with the approach of the 49ers.

It's not just about injuries either. The 3rd roster spot allows the team to make measured bets on developmental players. Difficult to have a developmental guy on the roster as the #2 QB.

 

[rambo2]

Even if we were coming off winning three straight SBs Bob's advice still applies.

The deal right now is that the Cowboys have a solid qb room with Dak, Rush, and Greer.

 

[rambo2]

The team should also have 3 QB's on the roster. The failure to allocate a third roster spot is really no different than the failure to allocate more draft capital.

If Dak goes down, Dallas would have Rush and nothing behind him. Maybe they could bring up a practice squad guy. This compares starkly with the approach of the 49ers.

It's not just about injuries either. The 3rd roster spot allows the team to make measured bets on developmental players. Difficult to have a developmental guy on the roster as the #2 QB.

They have Greer, who is just as good as Rush if not better.

 

[CouchCoach]

This brain trust is terrible at evaluating and drafting QB's. They are one team that needs to trade for a QB or pick one up in FA, they got lucky with an UDFA and a 4th rounder.

 

[INCowboysFan]

I disagree. New England turned 3 of the QBs they drafted into trades for better draft capital. SF drafted Brock Purdy in 2022, one year after drafting Trey Lance in round 1, who was drafted 2 years after Jimmy G took them to a SB. If they hadn’t taken Purdy, they wouldn’t have made it to the NFC championship game last year.

The pack drafted 6 QBs after Rodgers was drafted. They drafted 9 QBs after they acquired Favre in a trade. Six of those 8 QBs were after the cap was instituted. Matt Hasselbeck was drafted in 1998 and in 2000 the pack got a 1st and 3rd rounder in return. In 2008, the pack drafted Matt Flynn who turned into a highly sought after FA later.

Sure, you don’t have to draft a QB every year. But to only draft 7 QBs in 34 years is not smart.

SF caught lightning in a bottle last year with Purdy. They had no intention of playing him until they were forced to by injuries. If Lance and Jimmy G didn't go down, nobody would have heard of Purdy. It also helped that he had one of the best rosters in football surrounding him.

So GB wasted draft picks other than Rogers and Hasselbeck. Matt Flynn was terrible. My contention is that they pulled the trigger and drafted Rogers and Love because Favre and Rogers were rumbling about retiring and they needed to cover their bases.

Alex Smith was always mid. If Dallas were to implode this year and draft in the top 15, I could see a trade up to draft a QB like KC did when they had a chance to draft an elite talent.

I definitely think Dallas needs to draft a QB every now and then, but to waste 1st or 2nd round draft capital on a guy that will likely sit the bench for 2-3 years seems silly. Especially when there are other needs that need an injection of talent.

 

[INCowboysFan]

This brain trust is terrible at evaluating and drafting QB's. They are one team that needs to trade for a QB or pick one up in FA, they got lucky with an UDFA and a 4th rounder.

And the Pats got lucky in the 6th round way back when. and SF got lucky and hit on Mr. Irrelevant. Seems to me that the brain trust here has been pretty good at finding diamonds in the rough for at QB over the last 20 years. They've also signed decent backup like Andy Dalton and Cooper Rush.

Packer fans were livid when they burned a first round pick on Jordan Love when they had clear needs elsewhere. It may work out for them again, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[CouchCoach]

GB picked Rodgers because he fell to them. It was supposed to be a race for the #1 between Rodgers and Alex Smith.

GB also had no problem pissing off Favre and Rodgers and the Joneses want to keep Prrescott happy. They wouldn't even let Romo compete with him for his old job back.

 

[TwistedL0g1k]

They have Greer, who is just as good as Rush if not better.

Are they keeping both on the final 53?

A promising developmental guy will not last being unprotected on the practice squad. If no other team in the league wants a free look, it smells like a JAG.

 

[CouchCoach]

And the Pats got lucky in the 6th round way back when. and SF got lucky and hit on Mr. Irrelevant. Seems to me that the brain trust here has been pretty good at finding diamonds in the rough for at QB over the last 20 years. They've also signed decent backup like Andy Dalton and Cooper Rush.

Packer fans were livid when they burned a first round pick on Jordan Love when they had clear needs elsewhere. It may work out for them again, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Romo was a pure Sean Payton pick and Prescott was actually their 3rd choice after Lynch and Cook. We'll just disagree on their prowess at QB and take a good long look at that rogue's gallery between Aikman and Romo.

 

[Xizor]

We drafted Ben Dinucci and got Cooper Rush undrafted. Very rare to hit on a QB but we did get a capable backup QB from a draft class. Drafting has never been a Cowboy problem. We do great there. This can go other way too. What if we had drafted Matt Leinart or Johnny Football. LOL!!!

 

[rambo2]

Are they keeping both on the final 53?

A promising developmental guy will not last being unprotected on the practice squad. If no other team in the league wants a free look, it smells like a JAG.

The Cowboys look like they want to go with those 3.

 

[McKDaddy]

There's a lot misleading about this.

- Drafting before the salary cap is pretty irrelevant because you could afford to pay depth pieces and didn't need mid-round picks to fill out your roster.
- Brisset was traded for Philip Dorsett, Garropolo was drafted in the 2nd and traded for a 2nd, Cassel was traded with Vrabel.
- Alex Smith was bad, held them back, and needed to be replaced.
- Most of these QBs were whiffs entirely

There's really no reason to draft a QB if you have a starter, because chances are it's just a wasted pick.

Not sure why you are bringing up cap when all his examples except 80's SF are during the cap era.
You are also overlooking a couple of important considerations. It's a lottery ticket at the sports most important position. You get to see what you won and if it's anything at all you will get your investment back at a minimum. If you really hit on a pick, it gives you options to improve your team and significantly alter the financial structure all in one fell swoop.
Cassel saved a season for the Patriots. Should have made the playoffs at 11-5. Garropolo would have been Brady's successor most likely if Brady hadn't tried to play forever.
Alex Smith was most certainly not bad. He was right in line with all the QB's we discuss on a regular basis. Good enough to win quite a few games but not really likely to get you over the hump. Most organizations would have stood pat. Fortunately for KC, their brain trust knew they needed to take a shot at upgrading.
Today it makes more sense than ever because the college game is much closer to the pro game. QB's need reps and they are getting much more in college nowadays. Your that much closer to potentially finding one ready to blossom.

 

[noshame]

Fortunately we have Jerald

 

[Bobhaze]

We drafted Ben Dinucci and got Cooper Rush undrafted. Very rare to hit on a QB but we did get a capable backup QB from a draft class. Drafting has never been a Cowboy problem. We do great there. This can go other way too. What if we had drafted Matt Leinart or Johnny Football. LOL!!!

“Drafting has never been a Cowboy problem”…? Seriously? We’ve been pretty good drafting the last several years for sure. Will McClay starting having big influence in 2013 or 2014. Drafts have been better since then.

But let me introduce you to the 2000, 2001, and 2009 drafts. 2000 and 2009 have been called by two of the worst drafts in Cowboys history and maybe NFL history. Jerry famously dubbed the 2009 draft as the “special teams draft”.

​

2000​	1​	2​	18​	49​	Dwayne Goodrich​	DB​	Tennessee​
	2​	4​	15​	109​	Kareem Larrimore​	DB​	West Texas State​
	3​	5​	15​	144​	Michael Wiley​	RB​	Ohio State​
	4​	6​	14​	180​	Mario Edwards​	DB​	Florida State​
	5​	7​	13​	219​	Orantes Grant​	LB​	Georgia​

​

2001​	1​	2​	22​	53​	Quincy Carter​	QB​	Georgia​
	2​	2​	25​	56​	Tony Dixon​	DB​	Alabama​
	3​	3​	31​	93​	Willie Blade​	DT​	Mississippi State​
	4​	4​	27​	122​	Markus Steele​	LB​	USC​
	5​	5​	6​	137​	Matt Lehr​	G​	Virginia Tech​
	6​	6​	8​	171​	Daleroy Stewart​	DT​	Southern Mississippi​
	7​	7​	7​	207​	Colston Weatherington​	DE​	Central Missouri State​
	8​	7​	40​	240​	John Nix​	DT​	Southern Mississippi​
	9​	7​	42​	242​	Char-ron Dorsey​	T​	Florida State​

​

2009​	1​	3​	5​	69​	Jason Williams​	LB​	Western Illinois​
	2​	3​	11​	75​	Robert Brewster​	T​	Ball State​
	3​	4​	1​	101​	Stephen McGee​	QB​	Texas A&M​
	4​	4​	10​	110​	Victor Butler​	DE​	Oregon State​
	5​	4​	20​	120​	Brandon Williams​	DE​	Texas Tech​
	6​	5​	7​	143​	DeAngelo Smith​	DB​	Cincinnati​
	7​	5​	30​	166​	Michael Hamlin​	DB​	Clemson​
	8​	5​	36​	172​	David Buehler​	K​	USC​
	9​	6​	24​	197​	Stephen Hodge​	DB​	Texas Christian​
	10​	6​	35​	208​	John Phillips​	TE​	Virginia​
	11​	7​	18​	227​	Mike Mickens​	DB​	Cincinnati​
	12​	7​	20​	229​	Manuel Johnson​	WR​	Oklahoma​

Drafting here now is better for sure. But “never a problem”….cant agree with that.

 

[StarOfGlory]

There's a lot misleading about this.

- Drafting before the salary cap is pretty irrelevant because you could afford to pay depth pieces and didn't need mid-round picks to fill out your roster.
- Brisset was traded for Philip Dorsett, Garropolo was drafted in the 2nd and traded for a 2nd, Cassel was traded with Vrabel.
- Alex Smith was bad, held them back, and needed to be replaced.
- Most of these QBs were whiffs entirely

There's really no reason to draft a QB if you have a starter, because chances are it's just a wasted pick.

Alex Smith wasn't bad under Reid. Big Andy squeezed every ounce of talent he could out of him. Alex Smith is the ultimate bus driver. Reid knew he wasn't good enough to get you to the big game, so he after Mahomes. Alex Smith held them back, not because he was bad, but because he wasn't good enough. There is a difference. As a starting QB under Reid, he led his team to a 50-30-1. He never had a losing season under Reid. Coaching matters.