Today It Begins

[Sasquatch]

Embrace the hatred but resist the kool-aid.

I really like the priorities of this draft but remain cautiously optimistic about the individual prospects, most of whom, with the exception of Spencer, have legitimate question marks and who are in no way sure bets. Talk about which OL or WR is the odd man out on account of our new draftees, for instance, is a bit premature in my opinion.

B/B- for the time being.

Great post, though.

 

[Sasquatch]

I LOVE the Stanback pick, I really do. I have also seen him play. This kid is a baller, he makes things happen. I really believe Stanback is going to make in immediate impact on this team on returns, and select packages with him on offense THIS YEAR. Please do not compare him to Robinson or Smith like so many are. They are not in his league as an athlete.

Like many players who make things happen, though, they are often bad things in the form of turnovers and dumb plays.

I like the potential of Stanback, having watched many of his games (I beileve the OU game was nationally televised), but I'm not convinced at this point that he is going to make an immediate impact in any capacity.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Nice read Hos

I love the Spencer Pick.
I actually like the Free pick better than the Marten however as someone else noted (vela's article I think) I would probably feel better if they were switched in the order we drafted them so it makes no difference.

I will give Stanback a chance. He may turn out to be Crayton but with more speed, he may turn out to be a Dantzler. Just have to wait and see. I still think it was probably a reach at that spot but I am not one to cry over it now. I hope he pans out.

I really like the Courtney Brown pick and think he will get a roster spot. I would imagine he could turn out to be something pretty good for us down the road.

Don't have the same feeling for Ball but hey it was the last pick for the cowboys so even getting on the practice squad would be more than what happens to many late 7th rounders in the NFL.

I like the FB pick. IF...big IF, his off the field issues are behind him. He looks like a gamer and a true FB that many here have wanted for some time. It also appears that we wanted a true blocking FB and not the FBs that Bill liked.
I just hope this system does not forget to take advantage of the FB in the passing game and I don't think they will.

Overall I will not be one to jump up and down and scream and think all the picks were great and blah blah blah.

But I do think it is a solid draft. I guess the reason why I am not upset nor overly thrilled is I kind of prepared myself for this years draft.

By that I mean Jerry talking last week about not having any glaring holes. So I knew we would not be reaching for specific positions. Although I do think Stanback was a reach.

We get O-Lineman that can bulk up and learn for a year. When you have paid the money Jerry has for O-Linemen over the last few years you can understand it. Not only from an ownership view but as a team and fans view. Let's just hope that we don't have a Peterson/Rogers issue raise up, and I don't think we will with these two guys.

So not jumping for joy (except the Spencer pick) but at the same time not down on the draft.

It was solid and the reasons behind it were clear.

One thing do disagree with in your article.

I believe B.Johnson will be holding kicks not Stanback...well at least this year, maybe Stanback will later if he makes it.

 

[Big Dakota]

Embrace the hatred but resist the kool-aid.

I really like the priorities of this draft but remain cautiously optimistic about the individual prospects, most of whom, with the exception of Spencer, have legitimate question marks and who are in no way sure bets. Talk about which OL or WR is the odd man out on account of our new draftees, for instance, is a bit premature in my opinion.

B/B- for the time being.

Great post, though.

I think Portland Fanatic is right on with the OL. Barring injury those 10 guys make the team.
Oline:
LT = Flo/Free
LG = Kosier/McQ/Proctor
C = Gurode/Proctor
RG = Davis/Berger/Proctor
RT = Colombo/Marten

Rivera is gone. The WR situation is a different story and if we stay injury free and want to keep Stanback we might have to carry 6 WRs or take a chance with him on the PS. I have a hard time belieing he will beat out Hurd or Austin.

 

[EMMITTnROY]

In my couple years here, I've never seen you write a better post. And that's saying a lot. Well done.

 

[DallasEast]

I like the FB pick. IF...big IF, his off the field issues are behind him. He looks like a gamer and a true FB that many here have wanted for some time. It also appears that we wanted a true blocking FB and not the FBs that Bill liked.
I just hope this system does not forget to take advantage of the FB in the passing game and I don't think they will.

:signmast:

 

[MadCow]

Great review Hos.

I like the FB pick. IF...big IF, his off the field issues are behind him. He looks like a gamer and a true FB that many here have wanted for some time.

Honestly BP, I don't see this as that big of an IF. The UConn coach stated that he made poor decisions but they were not horrific. He showed his diligence to persevere and succeed by paying out of pocket (student loan) for a college semester while not having a defined place to live. Also, he now has a wife striving towards a Master's degree and a baby due any moment.

I can tell you from experience that being surrounded by excellence and the privilege of responsibilities can create a mindset of success.

 

[Hostile]

Embrace the hatred but resist the kool-aid.

I really like the priorities of this draft but remain cautiously optimistic about the individual prospects, most of whom, with the exception of Spencer, have legitimate question marks and who are in no way sure bets. Talk about which OL or WR is the odd man out on account of our new draftees, for instance, is a bit premature in my opinion.

B/B- for the time being.

Great post, though.

I'm not drinking the koolaid Jackal. I will be in 2008 if we have a legit shot at Darren McFadden though. I openly admit that now without any shame.

I already want to go to that draft (it's only 361 days from now) and be there for that pick. I asked AdButcher if he wants to go. I told him I might need him to bail me out of jail because my celebration is likely to be illegal in NYC. He said he's going to be in jail with me. Now that's friendship. Hopefully neither his wife nor mine are out shopping and can get to Western Union when we get our one phone calls.

My evaluation of the team was that we needed WR, CB, OL, and DT as well as backup QB. I will be honest, I think Jerry wanted Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State with the 53 pick and would have settled for Steve Smith, WR, USC. I have my reasons for believing this that I prefer to keep to myself.

When both of those guys were gone he felt it would be better to move back and add some picks. Neither Stanton nor Smith would have been my choice, but I can't say they would be horrible either. The move to the top of the 3rd and the top of the 4th turned out to be James Marten and Isaiah Stanback. I won't blow smoke up anyone's skirt and say these are can't miss prospects. I do like the potential reward more than the potential risk.

As I look back at my Mocks, my evaluations of other people's Mocks, and the "experts" Mocks and see that the Cowboys did not follow those patterns it reminds me of something I've been saying since last year's draft. The Mocks do not EVER get it right. Not mine, not other fans, not the "experts." This is a striking thing to me.

Why don't they get them right? Why don't I get it right? Quite simply because I have no idea what the plans are for Flo, Fergy, TO, both Glenn's, Henry, et al. I think Flo won't be back in 2008. Is this what the team thinks? I have no clue.

I think people grade drafts too closely to what they expected to happen. This is a bad practice. If I were grading this based on what I thought the team should do, I assure you my grade would be lower than the B+ I gave it.

So does that mean I'm drinking the Koolaid? That the team not doing what I think has somehow reassured me that I have no clue what I'm doing and they are right? Oh goodness no. I'm too freaking arrogant to totally prostrate myself before the Cabal at Valley Ranch and genuflect.

It means that before I react, and potentially over-react (I'm damned good at that BTW) that it pays for me to step back away from my own opinions and look at what they tried to do here. In the case of this Draft I actually can see the gameplan. I don't by any wild stretch of the imagination agree with every pick. If I went strictly by my own opinions and emotions for everything, and was close minded to any other options I would grade this Draft a C.

However, I'm not close minded. Last night rather than jump the gun, put the cart in front of the horse, or whine about missing out on Brady Quinn and Robert Meachem (two players I have praised for months) I took the time to read up on the guys we did select. Anything I could find. Most of it was posted here. Some of it wasn't. Some I bookmarked and will post here if I feel the need. Here's what I found out.

Every guy we picked is praised by those around them for their character (very important to me personally), for their work ethic, and for their passion for the game. Each of them is considered a difference maker in some way.

I can process that information and come to a conclusion that is a bit uncomfortable to admit. I don't know everything. So I push my agendas aside and get excited.

That's all you see from me here. My excitement about what this could turn into. It could be better, I truly believe that. If I didn't my grade would be higher.

 

[AsthmaField]

Very nicely written Hos. I'm an optimist for sure, so take this however you like: I really do love this draft and think we did a very solid job for the franchise. The franchise is in better shape now than before the draft... including Cleveland's #1 next year.

Spencer will be a great pass rusher. The two OL should both stick and have long careers in the NFL. Stanback is worth the risk, IMO and could turn out to be a terrific return guy sooner rather than later. The FB and two late Corners I like (particularly Brown) and think at least one of those guys will stick.

IOW... I agree with you.

 

[Joe a Cowboys fan]

Nice piece Hos, I am never undully impressed with draft grades as the only way to see how good they really are is after a year, or 3 years or 5 years. I am almost never impressed with my own picks because I never can do the research and see enough games to really get a feel for it.

I love old time religeon FBs and would be hard pressed to find fault with ours.

I agree with you about Flo. Some how and some one needs to be in the wings for us because we need a great OLT and we have gotten burned before on big contracts that went beyond what they were worth next year, rewards are great so long as you are not paying them for years after they are gone. Tui where is your next replacement?

I like Standback, I want to know his foot is good before I get crazy but he seems to be intrigueging.

I always hope the next unknown CB will be another Larry Brown. It doesn't happen at all frequently but it is always worth a hope.

I will give your post an A- as it is a good read.

 

[arglebargle]

Go Hos, Go!

Nice posts there, makes me want to hoot 'n hollar....

Thanks too for the followup on the type of guys we drafted this year. That's nice to hear, and will be good for the team I am sure.

Funny thing here on draft day: I had to work a big event Saturday, with no radio, tv or online hookup. As the crowd circulated, I talked to Cowboys fans and heard little bits of news.....we'd traded out of the 1st with Cleveland; wait, we'd traded up in the first and gotten some lineman; we'd gotten Spencer; traded with Cleveland again?? It was actually pretty fun getting the 'telepone game' grapevine reports of the draft's first day. And due to the length of it, I even got home in time to see the Cowboy's second pick.

I see the Cowboys preparing for this year and the next with this draft. Getting guys who have the chance to be real players in the future, if they apply themselves. In 2008, some of these guys are going to be starters.

 

[77Cowboy]

Nice I am a big time Husky fan and have watched 90% games that IS played in, we may have something special here with this kid.

At worst we get a punt/ko returner and an emergency QB, at best we get a 4.3 receiver with good skills and real intelligence to push Crayton.

 

[ethiostar]

nice post hos,

i've also been reading up on the picks since yesterday afternoon and i feel much better about the draft.

 

[Hostile]

More of my wacky math.

The day started with us having the following picks.

22, 53, 87, 122, 159, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237

Cleveland wants Brady Quinn, and I don't blame them, they need a QB and he is a the hometown hero who wants to fulfill his dream of playing there. So they make us an offer. Here's what we had after that trade.

36, 53, 87, 122, 159, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

We wanted Spencer. We knew New England and Baltimore did too. That meant we hade to get back ahead of pick 28. Philadelphia was willing to deal. Here's what we had after that trade.

26, 53, 122, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

As 53 approached the players we had targeted for there left the board. Cleveland came calling again and we shipped them 53. In exchange we switched in the 6th round and added their high 3rd and 4th round picks. Here's what it looked like.

26, 67, 103, 122, 178, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

Then we wanted to take our FB, supposedly because we learned the Giants were going to take him. So we traded back to 195 from 200 and gave them 234. here's what it looked like after that trade.

26, 67, 103, 122, 178, 195, 212, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.



Now is where I do my goofy math stuff.

This means that for the 1st round we went down 4 slots and got the player we wanted at 22.

-4 in draft slots.

We lost our mid 2nd round pick, but added a 1st round pick in 2008. Hopefully it will be a high pick. Let's say by some miracle Cleveland wins the Super Bowl in 2007. That pick is #32. At the very worst this is 53-32 = 21. At the very best Cleveland gifts us #1 as they stink out loud. 53-1=52.

+21 in draft slots at the very worst.
+52 in draft slots at the very best.

In the 3rd round we went from 87 to 67.

+20 in draft slots.

In the 4th round we stayed at 122.

In the 5th round we moved all the way up to the top of the 4th round. From 159 to 103.

+56 in draft slots.

In the 6th round we went from 195 to 178 and from 200 to 195. For the ease of math 200 - 167 = 33.

+33 in draft slots.

In the 7th round we gave up #234.


So let's leave out next year's pick for a minute.

-4 + 20 + 56 + 33 = +105 draft slots for this draft alone that we improved position on.



Now throw in next year's #1. At worst 21 draft slots, and at best 52.

That means that we improved somewhere between 126 and 157 draft slots and all we lost was pick #234.

We went from 10 picks to 9 counting that 2008 #1. Call me crazy, but I'll sacrifice a 7th round pick every year to get that kind of pay back.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Hostile,

I'm actually very excited about Deon Anderson too, but not as much as a FB than as a special teams player.

I didn't see this story posted here, so I will post a new thread about Deon Anderson.

LINK

 

[Spurs21Cowboys22]

At first glance at Alan Ball, our last pick, all you look at is his weight. I will admit, the dude needs to seriously step away from the salad bar. Mix in a few steaks. Chicken fried with lots of gravy isn't a bad idea. Add a biscuit or two. If that's all you focus on you might miss the fact that he was a 4 year starter at Illinois. That's in the Big 10 folks. Maybe, just maybe, the kid can play a little bit. I admit it won't be easy for me not to call him SlimFast, but I'll give him some credit. 4 year starter for any college team is amazing. For a school in a big conference even more so because they can recruit anyone they want. At his weight, it's downright phenomenal. Translation, somewhere in that skinny frame this kid can play football. Okay, so he should sue his legs for non support. Anyone want to measure his heart? I do.

Like I said in the other thread, I have insight into this guy.

Yesterday he was on the phone with his agent trying to figure out where to go as a UDFA when he got a call from the Cowboys. He hadn't talked to them previously, so he was surprised. He said at that point in the draft, most players want to go undrafted and pick a team to sign with. He's excited to be a Cowboy and likes how they use their corners because it fits his style.

Before he leaves for Dallas, he is going to talk to Ron Zook (our coach) about what to do to improve his game. This kid will give his all to make the team. When Zook came to Illinois, he got rid of almost all of Ron Turner's players and the ones he didn't get rid of, were basically benched. However, Alan Ball remained the starter, which says something about him.

He is a very aggressive player, which leads to him missing tackles after missing the big hit and getting beat deep by overplaying for an interception. The kid will stick his nose in the action, though.

As I said before, if he makes the team, he'll be a gunner on special teams.

 

[Verdict]

Everywhere you look today the talking heads around the NFL will be grading the Draft. You're going to discover that these sites do not all grade the Cowboys the same. Some of the grades are going to thrill you as you read the glowing reports. Some of them are going to piss you off as you see their grade as a diss. I have some advice for you.

Embrace the hatred. That's what all of this boils down to folks. You gotta let that stuff go. You need to see it for what it is, an expressed opinion and not a written in stone fact. Savor it, relish it, or soak it up, whichever works for you. But you absolutely can't let it get to you.

I love the hatred. On a cold day it keeps me warm. On a warm day it stokes the fires of passion. The hatred is a good thing. Make that a great thing. Want some evidence?

Take a good look at the National TV Schedule for the games in 2007. Notice that the reigning Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts do not dominate the National coverage in 2007. Everyone loves the winner right? So why aren't they the draw? Because everyone loves the straw that stirs the drink more. That's the Cowboys and it is going to drive the fans of other NFL teams nuts.

Ah, it's as refreshing as a nice cold glass of lemonade when the temperature outside is in the triple digits. Give me more and let me bask in the nice warm glow.

Okay, so how did the Cowboys really do in this draft? It's a fair question and I'll do my best to give it a fair answer. Let's analyze what the biggest failures of the last few years have been for this team. What things have we as fans been concerned about?

Anyone remember the GROZ movement? What was that about? Don't search for responses, I'll tell you. It was about the fact that we played a read and react style of defense that put limited emphasis on pressuring the QB and more emphasis on closing running lanes. We wanted more pressure on the QB.

Guess what? Brian Stewart and Wade Phillips are here to make you forget GROZ. Saturday they decided to get a compliment to DeMarcus Ware and found their guy in a kid named Anthony Spencer from Purdue. Purdue has turned out several DEs who have made the transition to LB in the NFL including our own Akin Ayodele. They've also sent Roosevelt Colvin and Shaun Phillips to the big boys. Per Joe Tiller of Purdue, the kid we just took is better than any of them. That's high praise folks. Why would he say it? Just look at the stats line. 93 tackles by a DE. Unheard of. That means he sheds blockers and attacks the ball. of those 93 tackles, 26.5 of them happened behind the line of scrimage. Of that 26.5 10.5 of them put the QB on his backside.

I got 3 words for you about the potential of this pick. Make a wish. That's what he and Ware are going to try and do. Get to the QB and treat him like a wishbone. Other fans are going to hate it and we're going to love it.

The second gripe we've had has been not addressing the Offensive Line and when we have addressed it...we've paid too much. Next in line for a big pay day is Flo. Not if we did our homework and I have a good feeling we did. I hear people asking some questions. What about Proctor? What about Berger? What about McQuistan? My question is all inclusive. What about them? If they can beat out Marten and Free, great. If they can't goodbye. Are we married to those guys? What about loyalty you say. Well, what about it? What are we loyal to, the team or some players who haven't taken the starting job away from the entrenched starters? You think they have shown something? I say what they've shown isn't enough that they should feel their job is safe. Go back to work and don't look in the rearview mirror.

Like many of you, I wanted a WR in this draft. Didn't get one, but maybe we did. Isaiah Stanback played WR at Washington before moving to QB. I've seen him play a lot and the best thing I can tell you about him is that he has serious wheels. Now you're going to hear all kinds of whining about him being a project at best. So what? Our starting QB was once a project. Sometimes projects pay off. He talked about being a kick returner as well. So now the talk is what about Miles Austin? What about Tyson Thompson? Check that marriage certificate again. Do you see their names? What about them? If they are better than him simple. Beat him out. It wouldn't surprise me to see him given a shot at RB because he ran some out of the option at UW.

Oh yeah, one more thing, bet he's the new holder on PATs and FGs. He will be dangerous on fakes.

That brings me to the freaking kicker. Yeah, we took a kicker in the draft and I hate it. But make no mistake about it, this kid was the best kicker in this draft. You're going to hear some people mention Mason Crosby. They've read that name for years and have never heard of Folk. That makes Crosby better right? Give me a huge break. Folk has a stronger leg. On kickoffs he can put the kicks out of the back of the endzone. Not into the endzone, out the back. No returns. Immediately our coverage units benefit. Immediately our defense benefits by making the offense have to go 80 yards. If McBriar were to get hurt this kid can also punt. He averaged 50 yards per punt in 2006. He missed 5 FGs in 2006 all from beyond 45 yards, and no PATs. Bottom line, I still hate kickers, but this kid is a potential weapon for many years.

We drafted a FB. Now you know I'm going to love this pick because he's a FB right? Yeah, well I will also openly admit to you that he wasn't at the top of my FB man crush lists. Perhaps I didn't do my homework as thoroughly as the Cowboys did, because ever since last night every word I have read on this kid (outside of some legal entanglements) has been glowing. No one loves Lousaka Polite as much as me. None of you. I got it bad. I know that. It makes for a good joke at my expense. That's all fun. On the football field this kid is all about dead serious. I gotta tell you, that pumps me up. Ask LaDanian Tomlinson how valuable Lorenzo Neal is to him. Ask Emmitt Smith how valuable Moose was. By the end of the year it's quite possible that Julius and Marion will feel that way about Deon Anderson.

You ever get the feeling you've pulled one over on someone? Meet Courtney Brown, CB, Cal Poly. He's 6'2", 205 pounds. He runs a 4.32 time in the 40 and has a 41.5" vertical leap. Why did he fall to the 7th round? Who did Cal Poly play in 2006? What conference do they play in? Hell, what is their mascot name? Most will not know. Let me tell you about him. In 2005 this kid did not allow a TD and he swiped 7 passes. In 2006 no one threw the ball at the guy he was covering. Therefore it looks like he has no stats. Doesn't matter, the kid has skills.

At first glance at Alan Ball, our last pick, all you look at is his weight. I will admit, the dude needs to seriously step away from the salad bar. Mix in a few steaks. Chicken fried with lots of gravy isn't a bad idea. Add a biscuit or two. If that's all you focus on you might miss the fact that he was a 4 year starter at Illinois. That's in the Big 10 folks. Maybe, just maybe, the kid can play a little bit. I admit it won't be easy for me not to call him SlimFast, but I'll give him some credit. 4 year starter for any college team is amazing. For a school in a big conference even more so because they can recruit anyone they want. At his weight, it's downright phenomenal. Translation, somewhere in that skinny frame this kid can play football. Okay, so he should sue his legs for non support. Anyone want to measure his heart? I do.

I'm not going to talk about the #1 pick next year, or the fact that we moved up a lot of places in the draft to acquire these players. I want to talk about this class alone and what kind of impact they can have on 2007. That's the true litmus test right? Let's add it up.

We got help in QB pressure, depth for O-line, a potential starting FB, a WR/KR with serious track speed, 2 CBs to push the guys on the roster and one who might be a very real steal, and a kicker who can pin teams deep, is deadly on FGs inside 40 yards and has the leg strength to hit from much further out, and who in an emergency could spell the punter.

I'll give this draft a B+ right now and feel good about it. You are more than free to hate this analysis and believe whatever you want. Me, I'm going to smile and embrace your hatred, because that's what Cowboys fans do. Work yourselves into a lather if you want to. All that lather does is activate the soap and clean up the mess.

Kudos from me to Jerry, Wade, Jeff, Stephen and all the coaches and scouts at Valley Ranch. I think you did real well. Not everyone is going to agree. Myopia is often the backbone of hatred. Long live myopia.

Embrace the hate.

I agree that getting players in the pipeline for offensive tackle should be a priority. I don't know how these two will pan out, but it is either impossible or costly to find quality offensive tackles in free agency. It was a good idea to draft at least one OT. I hope it pans out for us.

I hadn't thought about the 4th round QB acting as a holder, but I will have to admit, it has me salivating. I know Mayock was expressing lots of manlove regarding the pick and he seems to be pretty solid at analyzing talent.

Drafting specialty positions like kicker and fullback (and a holder if applicable) in this draft do sound like the best way to improve this team. It is a luxury most teams can't afford since they have more glaring needs. I think that is why the rich always seem to get richer. I am not sure if we drafted a good kicker, or a fullback, but I think addressing the positions was a good call. I would have liked for us to address a backup/replacement to Ferguson, but maybe will will find an UDFA to fill that spot.

 

[Verdict]

More of my wacky math.

The day started with us having the following picks.

22, 53, 87, 122, 159, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237

Cleveland wants Brady Quinn, and I don't blame them, they need a QB and he is a the hometown hero who wants to fulfill his dream of playing there. So they make us an offer. Here's what we had after that trade.

36, 53, 87, 122, 159, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

We wanted Spencer. We knew New England and Baltimore did too. That meant we hade to get back ahead of pick 28. Philadelphia was willing to deal. Here's what we had after that trade.

26, 53, 122, 195, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

As 53 approached the players we had targeted for there left the board. Cleveland came calling again and we shipped them 53. In exchange we switched in the 6th round and added their high 3rd and 4th round picks. Here's what it looked like.

26, 67, 103, 122, 178, 200, 212, 234, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.

Then we wanted to take our FB, supposedly because we learned the Giants were going to take him. So we traded back to 195 from 200 and gave them 234. here's what it looked like after that trade.

26, 67, 103, 122, 178, 195, 212, 237 and Cleveland's 1st in 2008.



Now is where I do my goofy math stuff.

This means that for the 1st round we went down 4 slots and got the player we wanted at 22.

-4 in draft slots.

We lost our mid 2nd round pick, but added a 1st round pick in 2008. Hopefully it will be a high pick. Let's say by some miracle Cleveland wins the Super Bowl in 2007. That pick is #32. At the very worst this is 53-32 = 21. At the very best Cleveland gifts us #1 as they stink out loud. 53-1=52.

+21 in draft slots at the very worst.
+52 in draft slots at the very best.

In the 3rd round we went from 87 to 67.

+20 in draft slots.

In the 4th round we stayed at 122.

In the 5th round we moved all the way up to the top of the 4th round. From 159 to 103.

+56 in draft slots.

In the 6th round we went from 195 to 178 and from 200 to 195. For the ease of math 200 - 167 = 33.

+33 in draft slots.

In the 7th round we gave up #234.


So let's leave out next year's pick for a minute.

-4 + 20 + 56 + 33 = +105 draft slots for this draft alone that we improved position on.



Now throw in next year's #1. At worst 21 draft slots, and at best 52.

That means that we improved somewhere between 126 and 157 draft slots and all we lost was pick #234.

We went from 10 picks to 9 counting that 2008 #1. Call me crazy, but I'll sacrifice a 7th round pick every year to get that kind of pay back.

I feel a lot better after reading this "math". I say that in all seriousness. I still feel bad that we didn't move up in the second round and get a Sears, or Blalock, or Branch.

 

[kojak]

In my couple years here, I've never seen you write a better post. And that's saying a lot. Well done.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75077

The absolute truth!!

 

[Hostile]

In my couple years here, I've never seen you write a better post. And that's saying a lot. Well done.

Thank you.

http://cowboyszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75077

The absolute truth!!

That one is my all time favorite post. I was off on a rant and just kept going.