The top 14 Cowboys draft blunders since 2000

[gimmesix]

COWBOYS 2000 DRAFT

RDSEL #PLAYERPOSITIONSCHOOL
249Dwayne GoodrichDBTennessee
4109Kareem LarrimoreCBWest Texas A&M
5144Michael WileyRBOhio State
6180Mario EdwardsCBFlorida State
7219Orantes GrantLBGeorgia

That one's just painful to look at. Sadly, I thought Larrimore, Wiley and Edwards might turn out to be good picks.

 

[Stash]

I don't know. Teams get picks totally, utterly, and completely wrong every year.

The year Tom Brady was selected in the sixth round (2000), there were six other QBs taken in front of him: Chad Pennington (1st round), Giovanni Carmazzi (3rd), Chris Redman (3rd), Tee Martin (5th), Marc Bulger (6th) and Spergon Wynn (6th).

I would say the teams that selected Carmazzi, Redman, Martin and Wynn got it totally, utterly and completely wrong based on what we know now. Now, I just pulled Brady out as an example off the top of my head, but there are plenty others we could go with.

Let's go with Alfred Morris in 2012, taken by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round. We can say now that Indianapolis (Vick Ballard in the fifth), Pittsburgh (Chris Rainey in the fifth), Atlanta (Bradie Ewing in the fith), Baltimore (Bernard Pierce in the third), San Francisco (LaMichael James in the second), St. Louis (Isaiah Pead in the second), NY Giants (David Wilson in the 1st) and Cleveland (Trent Richardson in the 1st) got the pick wrong, including several (depending on your definition) totally, utterly and completely wrong.

I want to make it clear that I am not defending Dallas' draft failures. The team should continue to work to refine its draft process and should closely examine each draft failure and why it missed on the players who succeeded.

Examining any team's draft history and the drafts themselves shows that the process is impossible to get right, but scouts still need to be held accountable for the picks they miss so that the team can try to put together the best draft team possible.

Totally agree, and I'd like to see them learn from past mistake and continue to get better and better. They're not as bad as some in the past, that's for sure, but I think there's still room for continued improvement as well. The draft is the lifeblood of a successful team in my opinion.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Drafting Sean Lee and relying on him was dumb.

It's hard to argue against since he obviously never stays healthy.

But what a shame that he can't. Because when he's healthy that looks like a brilliant pick.

The one thing that gives me pause about regretting these draft blunders is the question: Would the above players had the same career as a Cowboy?

That's a great question. We don't know that any of these guys would have had the same careers, or been as good, if they'd been drafted here. We might be seeing this article in reverse. It might be reading "Troy P. was pretty good but that Newman cat that went to Pittsburgh...wow."

 

[zrinkill]

It's hard to argue against since he obviously never stays healthy.

But what a shame that he can't. Because when he's healthy that looks like a brilliant pick.

Trust me I also though he was gonna be a hall of famer ....... but they need to move on.

Great guy ....... Great leader ....... great player ........ but cannot stay healthy.

 

[CATCH17]

We need to do a better job drafting but this article is ridiculous.

 

[jday]

It's hard to argue against since he obviously never stays healthy.

But what a shame that he can't. Because when he's healthy that looks like a brilliant pick.





That's a great question. We don't know that any of these guys would have had the same careers, or been as good, if they'd been drafted here. We might be seeing this article in reverse. It might be reading "Troy P. was pretty good but that Newman cat that went to Pittsburgh...wow."

Exactly. I think people tend to underestimate how important schematic fit is to a player. That is why I like the Cowboys approach to Free Agency and the Draft the last few years. Rather than overpaying for names they are looking for guys that both fit the lockerroom and the scheme. The Tapper and Collins picks in particular speak to that. Zeke, even moreso - I'm not sure the Cowboys would have drafted Zeke were it not for his overall talent and fit in the ZBS.

 

[CowboyGil]

I always felt like Newman never got enough respect around the league. He was a shutdown corner before there were shutdown corners. Yea he never got a lot of INTs but weren't there also whole years where he never allowed a touchdown. He was basically a poor man's Revis Island before Revis played. But I digress.

He shut down Santana Moss twice a year.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

If Claiborne was even half the player Newman was I'd be ecstatic.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I wanna read an article called "Aren't ya glad we didn't take this guy in the 5th round?"

 

[Jstopper]

So? Does that somehow absolve the Cowboys of their mistake? Actually drafting at the same position and taking a bum instead? Come on now.

What you're saying makes no sense. He went in the 55th freaking round. NOBODY knew he would be this good. This isn't like a Randy moss situation.

 

[Jstopper]

How does the fact that they drafted at the same exact position of cornerback make them look?

It's one thing to pass on a player where you don't feel that you have a dire need, it's quite another to get the pick totally, utterly, and completely wrong.

Stash that position sounds really ignorant

 

[Stash]

What you're saying makes no sense. He went in the 55th freaking round. NOBODY knew he would be this good. This isn't like a Randy moss situation.

Aren't people paid good money to know this? Isn't that their job? Isn't that what separates the good scouts from the bad ones? If every one of them were equal or the same, what's the point of hiring one over another? What's the point of paying anything above minimum wage if you're getting the same quality?

This team has a documented poor history of identifying talent in the secondary, be it in the draft or free agency, and this miss only further illustrates that.

 

[Stash]

Stash that position sounds really ignorant

Really? I think the "ignorant" position would be to intentionally blind yourself or avert your eyes to anything that might be construed as negative. That's ignorant. Self-imposed ignorance. "La-la-la, I'm not listening" ignorant. My fragile sensibilities can't handle anything that's not positive ignorant.

I'm able to see and handle both sides of the coin. When the Cowboys do something well, and when they don't. If other fans aren't capable of that, the problem is their own.

 

[gimmesix]

I wanna read an article called "Aren't ya glad we didn't take this guy in the 5th round?"

Trouble is, the article would be done by some other team's writers and just show all of Dallas' fifth-round failures, like Danny Coale, Josh Thomas and that trifecta of greatness in 2009 DeAngelo Smith, Mike Hamilin and the Buehler himself. (I apologize for speaking ill of His Awesomeness.)

I hope we fired whoever convinced us to make the picks we made in 2009. (Jerry had his hand in it, but based on where we were picking those were scout- and possibly coach-driven picks.)

 

[Ratmatt]

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (who?) over Kam Chancellor? The top 14 Cowboys draft blunders since 2000

By SportsDayDFW.com Contact SportsDayDFW.com on Twitter: @SportsDayDFW

Every NFL team can longingly look through its draft history and wonder what could've been. The Cowboys are no exception.

Since the turn of the century, Jerry Jones & Co. have made some decisions on draft day that are likely to leave Cowboys fans slapping their foreheads in hindsight.

With all due respect, we'll let the players from the 2014 and 2015 drafts develop a little more before rushing to any judgments.

Here's a look at the Cowboys' 14 biggest draft blunders since 2000.

2001: Tony Dixon over Adrian Wilson
This might go down as one of the worst drafts in Cowboys history. Most remember the infamous Quincy Carter pick at No. 53, but fewer remember that Alabama S Tony Dixon came to the Cowboys just three picks later. Dixon made 15 starts in five seasons with the Cowboys before being shown the door. The next safety came off the board just eight picks later when the Cardinals took Adrian Wilson, who was a cornerstone of the Arizona defense for 12 years. He had more than 700 career tackles and five Pro Bowl appearances.

2003: Terence Newman over Troy Polamalu

A bowl-game hamstring injury may have scared teams off Polamalu, who went to Pittsburgh in the first round with the 16th overall pick. The Cowboys passed early, taking cornerback Terence Newman with the fifth choice. It's hard to knock Newman's performance with the Cowboys, but Polamalu was an eight-time Pro Bowler, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.

2004: Bruce Thornton over Jared Allen
After going offensive with their first three picks, the Cowboys finally addressed the defense by taking Thornton, a CB out of Georgia, in the fourth round. But he made just one appearance with the team and lasted only two years in the NFL. The Vikings snagged Allen five picks later, while the Cowboys, who were still playing in a 4-3 base defense at the time, stuck with a 29-year-old Greg Ellis and a 30-year-old Marcellus Wiley as their DEs. Allen finished his 12-year career with 136 career sacks and named to the Pro Bowl five times.

2006: Bobby Carpenter over Tamba Hali
Linebacker Bobby Carpenter, the 18th overall pick in 2006, might qualify as the worst of the Cowboys' first-round picks in this century. He was ill-equipped to play inside as planned and had only three starts in four years with the Cowboys. Hali went to Kansas City two picks later. His career? Well, he's been a starter for 10 seasons with the Chiefs, racking up 86 sacks since.

2006: Anthony Fasano over Devin Hester

Fasano, No. 53 overall, was a Bill Parcells pick all the way. He was supposed to fill a substantial role as an H-back, but Fasano made all of 28 catches in two years before the Cowboys shipped him to Miami. Hester, who went just four picks later to the Bears, is the most electric return man in NFL history and has had an underrated career as a receiver, too. To add insult to injury, the Cowboys tried to draft a kick returner two rounds later -- LSU's Skyler Green -- but he didn't even make the team.

2006: Skyler Green over Elvis Dumervil
The Cowboys took Green out of LSU 125th overall, hoping he could be a deep threat at receiver and a star as a kick returner. Dumervil, who was tremendously productive in college but was thought to be undersized, went to Denver with the very next pick. He's accrued 96 sacks since joining the league in 2006 while Green couldn't even make the Cowboys' roster in preseason.

2007: James Marten over Marshal Yanda
Looking to add depth to their offensive line, the Cowboys picked tackle James Marten from Boston College with the 67th overall pick in '07. He never appeared in a game with the Cowboys, and made all of one appearance in a three-year NFL career. Later in the third round, Baltimore took Iowa tackle Marshal Yanda No. 86 overall. The Ravens moved Yanda inside to guard, where he's become one of the NFL's best. Yanda is a stalwart on the Baltimore line and has earned trips to five straight Pro Bowls.

http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...2/12/top-14-cowboys-draft-blunders-since-2000

That kind of says it all!

 

[arglebargle]

Really? I think the "ignorant" position would be to intentionally blind yourself or avert your eyes to anything that might be construed as negative. That's ignorant. Self-imposed ignorance. "La-la-la, I'm not listening" ignorant. My fragile sensibilities can't handle anything that's not positive ignorant.

I'm able to see and handle both sides of the coin. When the Cowboys do something well, and when they don't. If other fans aren't capable of that, the problem is their own.

Each year those late rounds have a couple of guys that really stand out. Most fail and are out of the NFL, or have a career as back ups and special teamers.

When you can show a team that consistently hits on 5th-7th round talent, you might have a point. Til then, it is just hindsight blather. Hindsight drafts are always perfect. That's the intentional blindness. 'Why didn't we pick the one guy in the late round who became a star!!' Well, for the same reason that the other 31 teams didn't for 4 plus rounds. It wasn't obvious.

Early round screw ups are cause for legitimate complaint. Still, the league wide average on hitting on even 1st round picks is pretty instructional.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Aren't people paid good money to know this? Isn't that their job? Isn't that what separates the good scouts from the bad ones? If every one of them were equal or the same, what's the point of hiring one over another? What's the point of paying anything above minimum wage if you're getting the same quality?

This team has a documented poor history of identifying talent in the secondary, be it in the draft or free agency, and this miss only further illustrates that.

I think in fairness, the farther you get away from the top rounds, typically you're dealing with lesser prospects or at least those that need a lot of developing or have one unique trait to them (e.g. size, speed, etc.). In other words, comparatively speaking, all things being equal, you're far less likely to hit on your 5th rounders as frequently as you do your 1st rounders.

Also, AOA was drafted to be a corner originally, so it's a bit of a misnomer by the writer to compare him to Chancellor, a safety.

 

[Floatyworm]

I always felt like Newman never got enough respect around the league. He was a shutdown corner before there were shutdown corners. Yea he never got a lot of INTs but weren't there also whole years where he never allowed a touchdown. He was basically a poor man's Revis Island before Revis played. But I digress.

We should have taken Terrell Suggs in 2003....paired him up w/ Ware....and never would have wasted a pick on Anthony Spencer.

 

[big dog cowboy]

irrelevance.

We haven't been irrelevant in over 50 years.

 

[Stash]

Each year those late rounds have a couple of guys that really stand out. Most fail and are out of the NFL, or have a career as back ups and special teamers.

When you can show a team that consistently hits on 5th-7th round talent, you might have a point. Til then, it is just hindsight blather. Hindsight drafts are always perfect. That's the intentional blindness. 'Why didn't we pick the one guy in the late round who became a star!!' Well, for the same reason that the other 31 teams didn't for 4 plus rounds. It wasn't obvious.

Early round screw ups are cause for legitimate complaint. Still, the league wide average on hitting on even 1st round picks is pretty instructional.

The draft is what separates good teams from bad ones. The NFL goes out of its way to establish a level playing field.

There was a time when this team was head and shoulders above the rest of the league, times have changed and standards have lowered for some. I'm not going to point at other teams' mistakes or failings as an excuse or validation of ours, but other fans are free to do so if they want.