The Dallas Draft Process

[Ring Leader]

Blair Thomas would have been a very good rb if he had had the OL the Cowboys had in front of him.

Not. Our OL would have been very average with Thomas as the primary RB.

 

[BourbonBalz]

If I remember correctly, Junior Seau was the highest rated player on our entire draft board that year. Johnson really wanted a top notch defensive player first in that draft. Thank God the scouts won out. Jimmy was a great talent evaluator, but he missed that one. Then again, so did numerous other NFL teams.

 

[Randy White]

in my opinion the best approach to the draft are this 3 rules:

Have a plan and come in prepared, but be open minded to anything and everything. Think 2 or 3 years down the line ( used to be 5 to 7 in the ol' days ) and not just for the upcoming season with your first round pick.

2nd round or later, think of the draft as the stock market. Obviously you want to hit on a stock early that goes up very fast ( Google ? ) but if you see a late 1980's, early 1990's apple, you might want to " keep your powder dry " and use it on them.

Accept the fact that you're going to miss on at least half of this picks in today's NFL. There's little time to develop long term, particularly with the new CBA, and act accordingly. That could mean trading up for a player that falls through the cracks, like they always do every year, OR that could mean using the fish net approach: trade down and get more picks to accumlate players. Don't be afraid to use either, see rule #1.

The worst approach ( that does not include the consensus #1 pick overall ) ? Come into the draft with a made up mind for a player or position. That doesn't mean you still won't succeed, but, more than likely, you're either going to fail OR pass up a better opportunity to improve your roster.

 

[Randy White]

If I remember correctly, Junior Seau was the highest rated player on our entire draft board that year. Johnson really wanted a top notch defensive player first in that draft. Thank God the scouts won out. Jimmy was a great talent evaluator, but he missed that one. Then again, so did numerous other NFL teams.

Yea, and it was Jimmy Jenius' fault why Junior Seau didn't end up playing his career in Dallas too.

Jimmy was a great motivator, perhaps he was a good coordinator in his assistant days, but his best asset wasn't really talent evaluation. There are many examples already posted on this boards, but here are a couple more that I haven't seen mentioned. In 1996, he was desperately trying to trade up for RB Tim Biakabutuka before Carolina finally turned him down. His consolation prize ? Darryl Gardner. Just like in the Emmitt Smith case, all he needed to do was to get out of the way. In '97 he didn't and drafted Yatil Green in the first round overruling former Cowboys outstanding talent evaluator Bob Ackles ( who had a fall out with Jerrah at the time, I think ), who wanted OT Jerry Wunch ( I still remember ESPN showing the Dullphins war room and Bob showing a card to the cameras with the name of the player he wanted ). That didn't turn out well. To his credit, though, that was his best draft as a Dullphins stealing Sam Madison and this guy named Jason Taylor in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

That was also the year I started really hating Dave Campo, Insignificant Sideline Personel was just that so I won't even mention his name, ( and to a certain extent Jerry Jones ) with a passion because, as I've heard to story, when asked for his opinion Campo thought Jason Taylor was too skinny to play DE in the NFL, which is why they passed on him to select Dexter Coakley. But I digress.. ( my therapist says I'm doing much better 16 years after the fact )

And, of course, we all know the " trade down " and selection of John Avery, passing on this guy named Randy Moss, fiasco. Then again, I shouldn't be throwing stones at that one living in a glass house at the time..

 

[Arch Stanton]

Blair Thomas would have been a very good rb if he had had the OL the Cowboys had in front of him.

Didn't he play for the Cowboys?

 

[Qbert]

the cowboys in 94 wanted willie mcginest and had a trade with the rams for their number one pick for dallas's number 1 and alvin harper but new england took mcginest first

 

[sago1]

If that was Wade's philisophy (and not Jerry's), Jerry should have fired him on the spot. I do find it hard to believe it was Wade & not Jerry who was responsible. Only reason I say this is because back in 1995?, Jerry did that exact same thing; it was a disaster. Same as 2009!

 

[CCBoy]

If that was Wade's philisophy (and not Jerry's), Jerry should have fired him on the spot. I do find it hard to believe it was Wade & not Jerry who was responsible. Only reason I say this is because back in 1995?, Jerry did that exact same thing; it was a disaster. Same as 2009!

Philosophy as to drafting to fill special team needs is tough to ignore. Time has given that ability for objectivity to Jerry. From the draft, of '95, the team was trying to upgrade it's game day roster actives. But in drafting special teams types of players, the depth at actual offensive and defensive positions wasn't watered strong enough.

Wade's moe recent draft, was handcuffed already, with that draft starting at the third round level. That meant that there were gambles based upon potential projections they were trying to raise to a higher level. Most of those prominent gambles in that draft failed. So, this year, the team hit on quite a few picks, but their first three picks all had real and close to first round value, but some injury and question to their status.

But they compared to top levels in the draft, from the start.

 

[CCBoy]

Yea, and it was Jimmy Jenius' fault why Junior Seau didn't end up playing his career in Dallas too.

Jimmy was a great motivator, perhaps he was a good coordinator in his assistant days, but his best asset wasn't really talent evaluation. There are many examples already posted on this boards, but here are a couple more that I haven't seen mentioned. In 1996, he was desperately trying to trade up for RB Tim Biakabutuka before Carolina finally turned him down. His consolation prize ? Darryl Gardner. Just like in the Emmitt Smith case, all he needed to do was to get out of the way. In '97 he didn't and drafted Yatil Green in the first round overruling former Cowboys outstanding talent evaluator Bob Ackles ( who had a fall out with Jerrah at the time, I think ), who wanted OT Jerry Wunch ( I still remember ESPN showing the Dullphins war room and Bob showing a card to the cameras with the name of the player he wanted ). That didn't turn out well. To his credit, though, that was his best draft as a Dullphins stealing Sam Madison and this guy named Jason Taylor in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

That was also the year I started really hating Dave Campo, Insignificant Sideline Personel was just that so I won't even mention his name, ( and to a certain extent Jerry Jones ) with a passion because, as I've heard to story, when asked for his opinion Campo thought Jason Taylor was too skinny to play DE in the NFL, which is why they passed on him to select Dexter Coakley. But I digress.. ( my therapist says I'm doing much better 16 years after the fact )

And, of course, we all know the " trade down " and selection of John Avery, passing on this guy named Randy Moss, fiasco. Then again, I shouldn't be throwing stones at that one living in a glass house at the time..

Nice post, but some have already informed us that it all is just a Jerry incompetance thingy...no matter who he listens to.

 

[Dodger12]

If I remember correctly, Junior Seau was the highest rated player on our entire draft board that year. Johnson really wanted a top notch defensive player first in that draft. Thank God the scouts won out. Jimmy was a great talent evaluator, but he missed that one. Then again, so did numerous other NFL teams.

Yea, and it was Jimmy Jenius' fault why Junior Seau didn't end up playing his career in Dallas too.

How is it Jimmy's fault we didn't land Seau? He couldn't and wouldn't trade up past the 13th pick to get Francis, how was he going to trade up into the top 5 to get Seau? He had already said it would have cost too much to move up further than than the 13th pick.

 

[joseephuss]

How is it Jimmy's fault we didn't land Seau? He couldn't and wouldn't trade up past the 13th pick to get Francis, how was he going to trade up into the top 5 to get Seau? He had already said it would have cost too much to move up further than than the 13th pick.

I agree. Although if Jimmy doesn't take Steve Walsh in the 1989 supplemental draft then Dallas has the #1 overall pick in the 1990 draft.

 

[Dodger12]

I agree. Although if Jimmy doesn't take Steve Walsh in the 1989 supplemental draft then Dallas has the #1 overall pick in the 1990 draft.

Good point and I didn't think of that angle, but then we'd never have had Emmitt either. We also wouldn't have had Russell Maryland or Erik Williams who (I think) we acquired with the draft picks we got from the Walsh trade to the Saints.

 

[joseephuss]

Good point and I didn't think of that angle, but then we'd never have had Emmitt either. We also wouldn't have had Russell Maryland or Erik Williams who (I think) we acquired with the draft picks we got from the Walsh trade to the Saints.

The still possibly could have made the trade up to get Emmitt. Who knows? I think they would have ended up drafting Cortez Kennedy, so that would have offset the loss of Russell Maryland. Or maybe they trade down. It is one of those things that just happened to work out well for Dallas.

 

[Dodger12]

The still possibly could have made the trade up to get Emmitt. Who knows? I think they would have ended up drafting Cortez Kennedy, so that would have offset the loss of Russell Maryland. Or maybe they trade down. It is one of those things that just happened to work out well for Dallas.

Yep. People forget the Miami Hurricane connection and Jimmy would have almost certainly taken him. Spags once wrote that Johnson said if we would have stayed put at #21, we'd have taken Rodney Hampton with the pick. The "what if's" are endless.

 

[birdwells1]

James Francis from Baylor. He went to the Bengals at 12. Dallas moved up from 21 to 17 to take Emmitt.

Gotta say Hos, you've been saying for awhile that the personnel decisions were made by the majority.

 

[Hostile]

Gotta say Hos, you've been saying for awhile that the personnel decisions were made by the majority.

You'll find that I am 100% right on that. The loudest voice belongs to the Head Coach.

For all the beef Jerry gets I have been told that what he does more than anything else is ask his Head Coaches what they need or want and then he instructs his football guys to make it happen if at all possible.

People talk about him as boss. Who wouldn't want to work for a boss like that? I mean seriously. If you ran a division in a company and the boss wanted to give you the tools or personnel that you wanted, you'd hate the job?

Might be a big reason why our former Head Coaches still speak highly of him.

But who am I to be sharing this stuff when the media can portray so many myths for people to buy into?