CCBoy
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 46,795
- Reaction score
- 22,479
Will McClay...
While the NFL is a win now league, you can’t build a successful team in one year. The bulk of any roster is made up of players in their first four years, with a core of seasoned and hopefully very good veterans to lead and make plays. For a long time, fans of the Dallas Cowboys were very frustrated as the team struggled to put good rosters on the field. One thing that really irritated many was the refusal to invest in free agents to help the team. Instead, the team focused almost entirely on the NFL draft and growing their own, with a few low-cost additions from outside.
That is not a plan that yields immediate results. It takes time. It also requires some excellent player evaluations. Not everyone is good at that. But looking at the past few years, it certainly appears Dallas has it figured out. If you go back five years, drafting has gone very well. There are some misses, like Trysten Hill, but a lot more successes. CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Tyler Smith are a very impressive three-year run of first-round picks that the team hopes to continue with Mazi Smith. Of note, initial reactions of the fan base to both the Parsons and Tyler Smith picks were underwhelming, yet both turned out to yield immediate starters. Parsons is simply one of the best defenders in the league, and following his rookie season, Tyler Smith is seen as a foundational piece for the offensive line for years to come. However, you should not put much weight on first-round picks. Most teams find a keeper in the first round, although there are certainly some real failures, like the Cowboys had with Taco Charlton back in 2017. One good player a year is not going to make a successful roster. It is the way the rest of the draft picks pan out that determines the quality of the roster.
By that standard, Dallas has been doing an outstanding job recently. Last year they added Sam Williams and Jake Ferguson, both of whom are expected to play significant roles. But the real highlight of that year’s draft class was the fifth round, where the Cowboys used two picks to add DaRon Bland and Damone Clark. Due to injuries, Bland would start eight games and Clark five. All Bland did with his opportunity was lead the team in interceptions as opponents made the mistake of trying to pick on him. That is impressive, but Clark is even more so. He had surgery after the combine, due to a problem the Dallas medical staff uncovered at the combine. Most thought he would never see the field last season, but he fought his way back and now is projected to start this year, as is Bland. That is a return on investment that doesn’t happen often with fifth-round picks.
However, you should not put much weight on first-round picks. Most teams find a keeper in the first round, although there are certainly some real failures, like the Cowboys had with Taco Charlton back in 2017. One good player a year is not going to make a successful roster. It is the way the rest of the draft picks pan out that determines the quality of the roster. By that standard, Dallas has been doing an outstanding job recently. Last year they added Sam Williams and Jake Ferguson, both of whom are expected to play significant roles. But the real highlight of that year’s draft class was the fifth round, where the Cowboys used two picks to add DaRon Bland and Damone Clark. Due to injuries, Bland would start eight games and Clark five. All Bland did with his opportunity was lead the team in interceptions as opponents made the mistake of trying to pick on him. That is impressive, but Clark is even more so. He had surgery after the combine, due to a problem the Dallas medical staff uncovered at the combine. Most thought he would never see the field last season, but he fought his way back and now is projected to start this year, as is Bland. That is a return on investment that doesn’t happen often with fifth-round picks ...
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...s-secret-success-draft-trades-roster-building
While the NFL is a win now league, you can’t build a successful team in one year. The bulk of any roster is made up of players in their first four years, with a core of seasoned and hopefully very good veterans to lead and make plays. For a long time, fans of the Dallas Cowboys were very frustrated as the team struggled to put good rosters on the field. One thing that really irritated many was the refusal to invest in free agents to help the team. Instead, the team focused almost entirely on the NFL draft and growing their own, with a few low-cost additions from outside.
That is not a plan that yields immediate results. It takes time. It also requires some excellent player evaluations. Not everyone is good at that. But looking at the past few years, it certainly appears Dallas has it figured out. If you go back five years, drafting has gone very well. There are some misses, like Trysten Hill, but a lot more successes. CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Tyler Smith are a very impressive three-year run of first-round picks that the team hopes to continue with Mazi Smith. Of note, initial reactions of the fan base to both the Parsons and Tyler Smith picks were underwhelming, yet both turned out to yield immediate starters. Parsons is simply one of the best defenders in the league, and following his rookie season, Tyler Smith is seen as a foundational piece for the offensive line for years to come. However, you should not put much weight on first-round picks. Most teams find a keeper in the first round, although there are certainly some real failures, like the Cowboys had with Taco Charlton back in 2017. One good player a year is not going to make a successful roster. It is the way the rest of the draft picks pan out that determines the quality of the roster.
By that standard, Dallas has been doing an outstanding job recently. Last year they added Sam Williams and Jake Ferguson, both of whom are expected to play significant roles. But the real highlight of that year’s draft class was the fifth round, where the Cowboys used two picks to add DaRon Bland and Damone Clark. Due to injuries, Bland would start eight games and Clark five. All Bland did with his opportunity was lead the team in interceptions as opponents made the mistake of trying to pick on him. That is impressive, but Clark is even more so. He had surgery after the combine, due to a problem the Dallas medical staff uncovered at the combine. Most thought he would never see the field last season, but he fought his way back and now is projected to start this year, as is Bland. That is a return on investment that doesn’t happen often with fifth-round picks.
However, you should not put much weight on first-round picks. Most teams find a keeper in the first round, although there are certainly some real failures, like the Cowboys had with Taco Charlton back in 2017. One good player a year is not going to make a successful roster. It is the way the rest of the draft picks pan out that determines the quality of the roster. By that standard, Dallas has been doing an outstanding job recently. Last year they added Sam Williams and Jake Ferguson, both of whom are expected to play significant roles. But the real highlight of that year’s draft class was the fifth round, where the Cowboys used two picks to add DaRon Bland and Damone Clark. Due to injuries, Bland would start eight games and Clark five. All Bland did with his opportunity was lead the team in interceptions as opponents made the mistake of trying to pick on him. That is impressive, but Clark is even more so. He had surgery after the combine, due to a problem the Dallas medical staff uncovered at the combine. Most thought he would never see the field last season, but he fought his way back and now is projected to start this year, as is Bland. That is a return on investment that doesn’t happen often with fifth-round picks ...
https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...s-secret-success-draft-trades-roster-building
