The draft... quality over quantity

[THUMPER]

Having filled most of the gaping holes with free agent signings, I think the focus of this draft should be about finding quality starters and should emphasize quality over quantity, and best player available rather than need.

For example, if they view DeCastro as a once in a decade guard, then unless they believe they can trade down a few spots and get DeCastro, or a player equally dominant at his position then if Castro is there you take him, period. You don't trade down and take a guy like Glenn and another player unless you know, not hope that he can get it done at guard.

An example of this is like passing on S. Jackson for Julius Jones. S. Jackson is STILL a workhorse back, many years later. Granted he wasn't a L. Tomlinson (in Tomlinson's prime) but a guy who can be a top 5 player at his position for the duration of his career shouldn't be passed over based on quantity alone. We drafted a ton of players one year(2009???) and how many of those players are still on the team?

The premium picks are the first three rounds ....So let's make sure the first 3 picks count by having a high probability of each pick being on the team 5 years from now.

I hate how Jerry constantly goes for quantity over quality and look where it's landed us. I see a lot of fans who also advocate trading down for more picks. People, those picks rarely do anything for us!

I would rather see us trade up as often as possible. I don't mean moving higher in the first round but trade away those later round picks for more picks in the earlier rounds.

If we can trade away 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th round picks to move up into the 3rd round or higher then let's do it! I would much rather go into a draft with 5 picks in rounds 1-3 than 12 picks with 7 of them in the 6th & 7th rounds.

Then of course we need to follow my draft axioms and we should be successful pretty much every year. Here they are for those who don't know them:

1. Draft solid football players! No reaches, no project players, no primmadonnas, no headcases, druggies, criminals, or thugs. No WRs who used to play QB, no QBs who used to play baseball. No me-first players, no sons of friends. Just draft guys who showed they could play every week and wanted to be part of the team. Men who have some sense of what it means to be a man and understand that it is a privilege to be selected to play in the NFL.

2. Draft an OL within the first 3 rounds every year. I am of the opinion that a team wins or loses at the O-Line so having quality depth there is imperative. You can NEVER have too many quality O-Linemen and if you find that you do have more than you can keep then you have good trade bait. We saw in 2008 how important it is to have quality depth when Kosier went down and we were stuck with Proctor at LG. Not good. Also, Adams was playing at less than 100% because neither of our young OTs was good enough to replace him even at 70%.

3. Don't fall in love with certain players. Too many times we will reach for a guy or trade up for him when we didn't have to. Is he REALLY that much better than some other players at that position? Or do you just really like something about him? Jerry has a nagging tendency to do this and it has cost us in the past (think Tony Dixon). The draft is about finding guys that can step in and play when needed, not for stocking your fantasy team.

4. Don't be too quick to trade away multiple high picks for a single player. Jerry has also shown a tendency to go after WRs and trade away multiple high picks for them (Galloway and Williams). WRs are simply not that important and those picks could have been used to pick one plus fill another position.

5. Don't draft backups. If you are selecting a guy make sure he is someone who could start within a year or two. Drafting for depth is not the same as drafting backups.

6. Spread out the positions. We have seen a number of times where we will draft 3 DBs with our first 3 picks, or 3 LBs. Use the draft to fill roster spots, be a sniper not a machine-gunner.

I believe that if a team sticks with these rules they will build a team that can compete for the championship every year.

 

[cowboy_ron]

No, there was an old time Southern comedian named Brother Dave Gardner who said that on one of his albums and I always have thought it was brilliant.

[youtube]QpZPqAwXWZ4[/youtube]

I remember listening to his records

 

[Leadbelly]

I'm all for quality over quantity when there's clear quality. Doesn't look like it's there this year.

If the DL has been picked clean, I'd rather trade down to 21/22 ish and pick up another 2nd.

• There are 6-8 quality prospects for interior OL
• I'm not sure there's a quality OLB...maybe Perry (not an Ingram fan)
• Barron is not worthy of #14 and no other Safety is a 1st rounder
• Dallas solved CB and ILB (hopefully)
• We clearly don't need OT, RB, TE, or QB
• We need a 3rd WR but #14 is too high for that

Seems like G or C is a strong bet if DL is gone. And lucky us, there are a ton of options there. DeCastro is great, but we're helped just as much with a Glenn, a Konz, a Silatolu, a Brooks, a Brandon Washington, a Zeitler, a Ben Jones. Any of them would be a massive step up from what we have.

Which is better?

R1: David DeCastro, G
R2: Bruce Irvin, OLB
(or Stephen Hill, Hosley, Ben Jones, Ta'amu, Fleener, Curry...whoever)

or...

R1: Peter Konz, C
R2a: Bruce Irvin, OLB
R2b: Amini Silatolu, G

Option 2 still looks like quality...just more quality.

 

[sonnyboy]

I hate how Jerry constantly goes for quantity over quality and look where it's landed us. I see a lot of fans who also advocate trading down for more picks. People, those picks rarely do anything for us!

I would rather see us trade up as often as possible. I don't mean moving higher in the first round but trade away those later round picks for more picks in the earlier rounds.

If we can trade away 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th round picks to move up into the 3rd round or higher then let's do it! I would much rather go into a draft with 5 picks in rounds 1-3 than 12 picks with 7 of them in the 6th & 7th rounds.

Then of course we need to follow my draft axioms and we should be successful pretty much every year. Here they are for those who don't know them:

Not as much as I hate BS generalizations that have no truth to them.

1) This team trades up and down.
2) Since 2003, this team has drafted about as well as your average NFL team. Maybe a little better.
3) Trading up and down can both be a very effective strategy.
4) The 2009 draft didn't suck because we traded down. The 2009 draft sucked because we went into it down a 1st and 3rd rd pick. Then the guy we wanted in rd 2 went off the board. After we did trade down, we made really bad picks. That's whay that draft sucked.

IDK what this team should or will do. I certainly don't believe it has a predisposition to anything in particular or employ a particular strategy.


Here's a few things I do believe:

1) The league as a whole drafts better today than it did 30 years ago when I first started following the draft. Lots of reasons for that, but it's too much for one post.

2) Stack your board and stay true to it, while addressing needs early on. The single worst way to do that is to simply stay put in each round. Odds simply do not favor that the BPA will address a need.
So what you need to do is stay active on the phone through out the draft exploring trade options both up and down. Hours before the draft the Cowboys should be putting our mutiple feelers for moves both up and down and see what teams are looking to do.
If a player you love and have ranked 5th is now sitting in the 9 hole, you should know what it will take to get there or to the 10th spot if he slips a little futher.

3) You need to know the best you can how those first 13 selctions should play out and if you're likely to have at least two BPAs availible who may fill a need at 14. IF you don't believe you will, you need to consider a move up or down.
BTW I love it when my team moves up just a couple spots for a guy even though most fans don't and end up wishing they had just stayed patient.
For me it's proof positive that my team got what it thought was a BPA that filled a need.

 

[CATCH17]

You would think after 20 years Jerrah would have learned this lesson by now. Quality always wins. Potential is most often meaningless. You should always draft proven performers from college than some guy with "potential" because you think you can use him better than college coaches. Most of the time, the college coaches were right....

I agree on DeCastro. Go get him, even if you have to trade a late round with our first round to move up. Just do it, get him. Don't be stupid.

Had Jerry done this we wouldn't have drafted D WARE.

Potential is a big part of it.

 

[arglebargle]

I am all for quality, but the OP's example has issues: Parcells was on record saying that if the Cowboys had stayed at their slot, they would have chosen Kevin Jones, not Jackson. Which would have been an even bigger error. At least with Julius they got something for the trade down.

+1 to Sonnyboy.

 

[CF74]

Nobody really knows for certain if a player is gonna pan out. There have been many 1st round busts that were deemed to be sure locks...

But if we had a "Crystal Ball" then I would say get the 4 best players and trade away the rest of the picks, heck even three "For sure studs" would be awesome....

3 studs is better than 7 duds....:splat:

 

[sonnyboy]

Had Jerry done this we wouldn't have drafted D WARE.

Potential is a big part of it.

That's a great point and is so often overlooked. Hate all the know nothing talking heads and fans with BS opinions on "how to do it right".

"Don't ever trade down"
"Don't ever trade up"
"Just sit where you are and let the draft come to you" - This is my all-time favorite moronic axiom
"Don't pay attention to anything that happens in the combine, just look at the film"

Then the moronic fan will go on to sight one or two examples of why their idiotic axiom holds true.

 

[burmafrd]

If you have a prospect most say is a once in 5 year or once in 10 year, then passing him up especially when it is at a position of need is just plain stupid.

As regards Glenn, his supposed ability to play tackle has inflated his worth in some areas.

However just about everyone agrees that its much more likely that DeCastro will make the better guard. And he certainly is considered more ready to play right away.