The top 14 Cowboys draft blunders since 2000

[Stash]

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.

No doubt about it. And they're also a whole heckuva lot cheaper. And that essentially doubles the reward when you do hit on later round or undrafted players. Not only do you have a quality contributor, you have them at a huge discount.

 

[Stash]

We haven't been irrelevant in over 50 years.

Feel free to tell yourself whatever you need to.

 

[big dog cowboy]

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

Really? You do know he has played in many many more games than the general perception among fans is right?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Feel free to tell yourself whatever you need to.

It's not me who is saying that. Merch sales, TV ratings and so on speak for themselves.

 

[Stash]

It's not me who is saying that. Merch sales, TV ratings and so on speak for themselves.

If that's your measurable for it.

The Browns make money too.

 

[big dog cowboy]

If that's your measurable for it.

The Browns make money too.

Yes they do. Thanks to the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones.

 

[Jstopper]

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.

DALLAS BETTER DRAFT BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER TEAM AND BETTER KNOW WHICH 7TH ROUND PICKS WILL SOMEHOW BE PROBOWLERS!!! That about cover it?

 

[tyke1doe]

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.

Uh, you're forgetting one Deion Sanders.

 

[tyke1doe]

I like these look back/what if articles. They remind me who was in the draft besides the players we took. Of course, we don't know if they would have developed the same way had Dallas pick them.
Still, it's just an article. I don't see why people get all bent out of shape about "what could have been" articles.

 

[tyke1doe]

An argument can be made about taking Roy Williams over Ed Reed.

Roy was the consensus best safety coming out of that draft. And I thought he was going to be all-world after his first season. But his horse-collar tackle on T.O. and the subsequent banning of that technique started his slide, IMO.
Reed, on the other hand, became the epitome of a play-making free safety - the best I've seen in a long time.
In hindsight, we could have used Reed more because we have been long in search of a standout free safety.

Be that as it may, I did enjoy the one year of dominance Roy Williams displayed. What could have been, indeed.
Sigh.

 

[Stash]

DALLAS BETTER DRAFT BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER TEAM AND BETTER KNOW WHICH 7TH ROUND PICKS WILL SOMEHOW BE PROBOWLERS!!! That about cover it?

Or you could make excuses or avert your eyes every time they screw up? I'll leave it up to you.

 

[Stash]

I like these look back/what if articles. They remind me who was in the draft besides the players we took. Of course, we don't know if they would have developed the same way had Dallas pick them.
Still, it's just an article. I don't see why people get all bent out of shape about "what could have been" articles.

Because they can't handle anything that's not positive and raining down praise. It's either talking the team up, or its wrong and should be attacked.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Really? You do know he has played in many many more games than the general perception among fans is right?

Yes. I do.

But he has been hurt a lot.

Either seriously hurt or missing even parts of games because of nagging injuries.

I love the guy as much as the next person. But it's been pretty hard to depend on the guy.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I like these look back/what if articles.

I'm not a big fan of them either. It just confirms how inexact the draft process is and how hindsight is always 20/20.

 

[gimmesix]

DALLAS BETTER DRAFT BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER TEAM AND BETTER KNOW WHICH 7TH ROUND PICKS WILL SOMEHOW BE PROBOWLERS!!! That about cover it?

Or you could make excuses or avert your eyes every time they screw up? I'll leave it up to you.

I think a balance between these two standpoints is needed.

First, acknowledge that it is difficult to find NFL stars in the draft (no matter the round) and very few are found in the later rounds.

However, also hold scouts accountable for both the players they convince the team to take and the players who should have been taken.

Using the example on this list of Josh Thomas vs. Richard Sherman, Dallas' front office should question the scout who convinced them to take Thomas about what he was looking at compared to how he has played as a pro. The scout who didn't stand up for Sherman should be evaluated the same way. If it is the same scout, he should be made to study what has made Sherman a success and Thomas a failure.

A scout who has convinced Dallas more often than not to take picks who fail as pros needs to be dropped by the team and it needs to try to hire scouts from other teams who've had at least some degree of success. There is a need to remember both that this is a difficult process (especially in the later rounds) and that scouts' jobs are still dependent on having success at it.

Now, I say this not knowing how Dallas handles its draft failures. There is likely lots of evaluation and re-evaluation of their scouts and the work they did. Seemingly gone are the days when someone like Larry Lacewell could keep his job despite terrible drafting just because he was JJ's buddy.

Out of all the recent drafts, 2009 bugs me the most because that should have been a scout's draft based on where we drafted. The Cowboys ended up with 12 picks and Victor Butler and John Phillips were the only ones that turned out to be decent reserves. The evaluation process after that draft should have led to several changes in the scouting department.

 

[tyke1doe]

I'm not a big fan of them either. It just confirms how inexact the draft process is and how hindsight is always 20/20.

I understand your point.

 

[KingintheNorth]

We haven't been irrelevant in over 50 years.

From championship contention we have been irrelevant for 20 years. Sucks but unfortunately true.

 

[TrailBlazer]

Some fans are so sensitive. There's nothing wrong with showing all the draft blunders of the past 15 years. They happen. Get over it.

 

[BigStar]

Awful. Three corners and two of which were headcases.

And I was SURE that Larrimore was Deion reincarnated; fans don't know anything more than the scouts and vice versa. Good professional niche to get into if you are able...(draft/FO). You're always right or wrong to due to these infinite number of variables in the draft... both initially and in hinsight. Moneyball kind of let that cat out of the bag (the draft is a coin flip many times and not a personnel science by any means) not taking the effort/preparation that FO personnel insinuate, etc. Comes down to the how good your scouting dept is (ours has been terrible after rd 1) and the trigger puller (JJ/SJ) when these opps pop up throughout the draft; (trading up/down) to fit this/that need short term/long term, who to take @ your slot, etc.

 

[BigStar]

Late rounds are pretty random. We haven't hit big late recently but calling late round misses draft blunders is just stupid and agenda fueling.

Jax also took a CB before Sherman. Rod Issac. He's a decent player. For an Arena league team.

Over 20 CBs went before Sherman. Team like Seattle who people point to as great in the draft took James Carpenter, John Moffitt, and Chris Durham before him. So let's not pretend this was about us making a blunder

Good point, but also fits our lack of ability to scout DBs and are more in the coin flip group after drafting CB earlier (we weren't likely even looking for other CBs after that, etc. w/o knowing); we're lazy drafters. Sherman is an all-pro so that is a Brady/DB gem comparison and a stretch but also confirms our years of drought considering our scouting ability when it comes to post rounds 1-3 in the draft. Some would claim post 1st but won't go that far until Crawford can show he was a real find in the 3rd in terms of pass rush this upcoming season and see how Lawrence is progressing once back from suspension. I like Gregory's potential as well. We're just bad in the mid rounds, every year. Sometimes even just post 1st, etc. It comes back to hurt you in that dept and we're witnessing that on the D right now (depth, next guy up, etc.) on all 3 levels.