We all have our opinions about the draft.....

[CowboyWay]

I realize we could use a LB and a Safety, but to me, I think we have such a glaring need at O-line, its not even funny. What good is having TO if you can't get him the ball? We have to make a decision on Julius soon as far as resigning him, wouldn't we like to know what he can do before we make that decision (Granted he needs to stay healthy too).

My point is this. Our defense was pretty good last year. And I expect it to be better this year, even without adding a top LB or Safety in the draft. Look at the inexperiece we had on D last year, and the first year in the 3-4. I expect great things from them this year without getting much more help.

The offense though is another matter. If Flo or Fabini go down, we're back to Pettiti.......if that happens, our season is over, just like it was last year when we had to put that hack Torrin Tucker in. Are we really that confident in Kossier? I've never even heard of the guy prior to us picking him up. What about Marco Rivera? Hurt or not, he didn't have a good year. Al Johnson stunk all season (although I heard he put on 15lbs of muscle this offseason, and if so, I think he could play). And Fabini? He's got to be a huge upgrade over Pettiti, but I hear Jets fans say he wasn't very good at all.
Picking O-lineman in the first and 2nd round isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it is something that WILL payoff now and in the future.............

Anyway, thats my rant, I'd like to use this thread as a forum for why any of you think our first couple selections in the draft should go to LB, Safety, or anything else for that matter...............Lets hear em.

 

[Doomsday101]

I realize we could use a LB and a Safety, but to me, I think we have such a glaring need at O-line, its not even funny. What good is having TO if you can't get him the ball? We have to make a decision on Julius soon as far as resigning him, wouldn't we like to know what he can do before we make that decision (Granted he needs to stay healthy too).

My point is this. Our defense was pretty good last year. And I expect it to be better this year, even without adding a top LB or Safety in the draft. Look at the inexperiece we had on D last year, and the first year in the 3-4. I expect great things from them this year without getting much more help.

The offense though is another matter. If Flo or Fabini go down, we're back to Pettiti.......if that happens, our season is over, just like it was last year when we had to put that hack Torrin Tucker in. Are we really that confident in Kossier? I've never even heard of the guy prior to us picking him up. What about Marco Rivera? Hurt or not, he didn't have a good year. Al Johnson stunk all season (although I heard he put on 15lbs of muscle this offseason, and if so, I think he could play). And Fabini? He's got to be a huge upgrade over Pettiti, but I hear Jets fans say he wasn't very good at all.
Picking O-lineman in the first and 2nd round isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it is something that WILL payoff now and in the future.............

Anyway, thats my rant, I'd like to use this thread as a forum for why they think our first couple selections in the draft should go to LB, Safety, or anything else for that matter...............Lets hear em.

I agree however I think Dallas has a few options in this draft be it OT,LB or Safety that we will not have to reach for a quality player. If there is a tackle the Cowboys really like at 18 then take him same thing about LB. Main thing to me is to get BPA that fits our needs in rd 1 of this draft and I would keep that approach through out day 1.

 

[Big Country]

LINEBACKER, O-LINE in first and second round... not necessarily in that order... after that NT, FS, and all the rest!!

 

[DragonCowboy]

1. Manny Lawson OLB (he's just a perfect piece for the Cowboys)
2. Best OT/OG on the board (I'm wavering between that or Maurice Stovall)
3. Pat Watkins FS
4-7, pick up 2 OLs, and an NT.

IMO, the Offensive Line isn't that horrible.

At the tackle positions, a healthy Flo, and a healthy Fabini will do wonders for our once Turnstile OT position. Flozell and Fabini should be able to solidify the OT position for atleast this year. I would draft 1-2 OTs for depth, but we have Petitti also, and he could show some improvement.

At the guard position, a healthy Rivera would do worlds for us, and a faster-than-LA OG in Kosier shouldn't be too much of a downgrade. I would draft 1 OG for Rivera's replacement.

At the center position, there isn't much we can really do. Just stick with Al Johnson and hope he shows some progress.

So really, I don't see us getting more than 2-3 O-Linemen in the draft. And most likely, all the draftees will be backups.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I realize we could use a LB and a Safety, but to me, I think we have such a glaring need at O-line, its not even funny. What good is having TO if you can't get him the ball? We have to make a decision on Julius soon as far as resigning him, wouldn't we like to know what he can do before we make that decision (Granted he needs to stay healthy too).

My point is this. Our defense was pretty good last year. And I expect it to be better this year, even without adding a top LB or Safety in the draft. Look at the inexperiece we had on D last year, and the first year in the 3-4. I expect great things from them this year without getting much more help.

The offense though is another matter. If Flo or Fabini go down, we're back to Pettiti.......if that happens, our season is over, just like it was last year when we had to put that hack Torrin Tucker in. Are we really that confident in Kossier? I've never even heard of the guy prior to us picking him up. What about Marco Rivera? Hurt or not, he didn't have a good year. Al Johnson stunk all season (although I heard he put on 15lbs of muscle this offseason, and if so, I think he could play). And Fabini? He's got to be a huge upgrade over Pettiti, but I hear Jets fans say he wasn't very good at all.
Picking O-lineman in the first and 2nd round isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it is something that WILL payoff now and in the future.............

Anyway, thats my rant, I'd like to use this thread as a forum for why any of you think our first couple selections in the draft should go to LB, Safety, or anything else for that matter...............Lets hear em.

Drafting a OL in the first round just because you feel it is the right thing to do is wrong. The draft is all about getting value for the pick. It doesn't matter when we get our hogs (and we will get a couple) we just have to make sure we get them at the right time. Taking a player earlier than necessary is called reaching. We don't need to do that.

 

[garyv]

I believe the Boyz go OLB and Safety in Rounds 1 & 2. You are correct they do need Offensive Lineman bad. Their whole season revolves on whether Bledsoe gets the needed protection. In saying this there are several scenarios such as:

1. OLB
2. Safety
3. OL

OR

1. OLB
2. OL
3. Safety (Possibly risking hoping for Pat Watkins)

I personally would like to see the Boyz trading some picks even including
2007 Draft picks to fill needs:

1st Round: Manny Lawson OLB

2nd Round: Marcus McNeill OL
Eric Winston OL
Max Jean-Gilles OL

3rd Round: Darnell Bing S
Pat Watkins S

4th Round: Ryan O'Callaghan OL

Nose Tackle is also a Need for Boyz

 

[dallasfaniac]

BPA, period.

I'm sorry, but everyone that says draft this position in the second, this position in the third etc. etc. is just, well, wrong. We don't know and will not know who will be available until it is our pick.

Let's say that Bush falls all the way to us at 18. You can bet there's no way we take the 3rd best linebacker or 3rd best OT before we took him, even though we have both Julius and Marion and have needs at other positions. Now here we sit in the second having taken Bush, it's our pick and Vernon Davis is miraculously sitting there. Do you reach and take a FS just because it's a need? No, you take Vernon even though you have Witten. Now obviously neither of these scenarios would ever happen, but I think it kind of gets the point across.

I have created a database with players and where I think they will land and a numeric value that ranks them in different tiers. If it's my pick at 18 and a tier one player sits there that has much more value than a player at a need position, I take the tier one player. If a tier one drops but he doesn't have that much seperating from a need position then I would probably say take the other position or try to move down a few picks. Anyway, you never know who will be available so it's all moot.

 

[theogt]

BPA, period.

I'm sorry, but everyone that says draft this position in the second, this position in the third etc. etc. is just, well, wrong. We don't know and will not know who will be available until it is our pick.

Let's say that Bush falls all the way to us at 18. You can bet there's no way we take the 3rd best linebacker or 3rd best OT before we took him, even though we have both Julius and Marion and have needs at other positions. Now here we sit in the second having taken Bush, it's our pick and Vernon Davis is miraculously sitting there. Do you reach and take a FS just because it's a need? No, you take Vernon even though you have Witten. Now obviously neither of these scenarios would ever happen, but I think it kind of gets the point across.

I have created a database with players and where I think they will land and a numeric value that ranks them in different tiers. If it's my pick at 18 and a tier one player sits there that has much more value than a player at a need position, I take the tier one player. If a tier one drops but he doesn't have that much seperating from a need position then I would probably say take the other position or try to move down a few picks. Anyway, you never know who will be available so it's all moot.

I'm sorry but anyone who says its best to pick "BPA, period." is wrong. It's just as ridiculous as picking solely based on need. You weigh your need and BPA and make the optimal choice. Purely drafting BPA is absurd and is considered as such by everyone but a few silly fans.

 

[Hostile]

There are 2 ways to win it all.

1. Have a dominant defense. (Hold opponents under 15 points per game)

2. Have a dominant offense. (Score over 28 points per game.)

We're closer to the dominant defense than we are to the dominant offense. I think we should draft 2 O-lineman in this Draft but they need to be OG and C and not in round 1. Maybe not in round 2 if a top notch NT, LB or FS is there.

Give Bledsoe and Parcells a defense that holds teams to 14 points per game and with the pieces we hav eon offense right now, we can win a lot of games.

Add young OL and leave the gaps at SOLB and FS, maybe NT not addressed and I think we finish 8-8 or 9-7. A couple of O-lineman do not put this team far enough ahead. We're not going to go from a 20 points per game offense to a 30 points per game offense just by getting more OL help.

 

[theogt]

Or 3. Have an above average offense and an above average defense. See the patriots.

 

[Hostile]

Or 3. Have an above average offense and an above average defense. See the patriots.

Look at the points per game they allowed. They were better than above average.

 

[theogt]

Look at the points per game they allowed. They were better than above average.

True, but the point is that they were a well-balanced team, unlike Tampa Bay (#1 defense) or Oakland (#1 offense) in their SB.

 

[DragonCowboy]

There are 2 ways to win it all.

1. Have a dominant defense. (Hold opponents under 15 points per game)

2. Have a dominant offense. (Score over 28 points per game.)

We're closer to the dominant defense than we are to the dominant offense. I think we should draft 2 O-lineman in this Draft but they need to be OG and C and not in round 1.

Hey Hostile,

You sure we won't need another OT in the draft? We have Flozell and Fabini, who IMO (and I'll admit, I don't know much) are getting up there with age. Of course, we have Petitti, but what do you think?

There are good guards in the draft, but which OCs do you think we can draft? I was under the impression that only Nick Mangold was worth a pick, and he's supposed to be a second rounder.

 

[peplaw06]

I realize we could use a LB and a Safety, but to me, I think we have such a glaring need at O-line, its not even funny. What good is having TO if you can't get him the ball? We have to make a decision on Julius soon as far as resigning him, wouldn't we like to know what he can do before we make that decision (Granted he needs to stay healthy too).

My point is this. Our defense was pretty good last year. And I expect it to be better this year, even without adding a top LB or Safety in the draft. Look at the inexperiece we had on D last year, and the first year in the 3-4. I expect great things from them this year without getting much more help.

The offense though is another matter. If Flo or Fabini go down, we're back to Pettiti.......if that happens, our season is over, just like it was last year when we had to put that hack Torrin Tucker in. Are we really that confident in Kossier? I've never even heard of the guy prior to us picking him up. What about Marco Rivera? Hurt or not, he didn't have a good year. Al Johnson stunk all season (although I heard he put on 15lbs of muscle this offseason, and if so, I think he could play). And Fabini? He's got to be a huge upgrade over Pettiti, but I hear Jets fans say he wasn't very good at all.
Picking O-lineman in the first and 2nd round isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it is something that WILL payoff now and in the future.............

Anyway, thats my rant, I'd like to use this thread as a forum for why any of you think our first couple selections in the draft should go to LB, Safety, or anything else for that matter...............Lets hear em.

The thing with this is, if you draft an OT in the first round, with Fabini and Flo, there's little chance that the rookie will start from the first game. You're essentially drafting for depth. We don't have a OLB opposite Ware who can rush the QB. I don't think we can depend on Singleton. That's why I think OLB is the more pressing need, but like we've been saying, not if we have to reach for a player.

There's a lot of depth in this draft at OT and OLB, so we don't HAVE to draft one position in the first or one position in the second. We can find the BPA according to our needs.... we also need to get some youth in the WR corp. That's why we need to keep a level head and not fear that our OLine won't stay healthy. Fear causes you to reach.

 

[Hostile]

Hey Hostile,

You sure we won't need another OT in the draft? We have Flozell and Fabini, who IMO (and I'll admit, I don't know much) are getting up there with age. Of course, we have Petitti, but what do you think?

There are good guards in the draft, but which OCs do you think we can draft? I was under the impression that only Nick Mangold was worth a pick, and he's supposed to be a second rounder.

I'm not sold on Kosier at all. Rivera scares me. AJ does too.

Mangold at Center would be great in the 2nd.

Lutui or Spencer at OG would be good too.

 

[Crown Royal]

While we have needs, we have come far enough in the last 3 years that we can truly start to draft BPA or trade around to get value, much like the Pats, Eagles and Steelers have been building. We have been lucky the last year, and didn't suffer too bad from 04, that we can be kinda flexible now.

 

[BigDFan5]

I realize we could use a LB and a Safety, but to me, I think we have such a glaring need at O-line, its not even funny. What good is having TO if you can't get him the ball? We have to make a decision on Julius soon as far as resigning him, wouldn't we like to know what he can do before we make that decision (Granted he needs to stay healthy too).

The glaring need is for a starting OLB and FS, We already have our starters at the 5 line positions, but no starters for OLB and FS

As for JJ we have a couple more years before we even have to think about his contract

My point is this. Our defense was pretty good last year. And I expect it to be better this year, even without adding a top LB or Safety in the draft. Look at the inexperiece we had on D last year, and the first year in the 3-4. I expect great things from them this year without getting much more help.

No way should we go into this season with Keith Davis at FS, he is a special teamer thats his niche. OLB we have NOBODY to take pressure off of Ware. We need a threat on the other side to help our passrush so we can disguise who is coming.

The offense though is another matter. If Flo or Fabini go down, we're back to Pettiti.......if that happens, our season is over, just like it was last year when we had to put that hack Torrin Tucker in.

Which is why we may take an OLineman later on, but not round 1

Are we really that confident in Kossier? I've never even heard of the guy prior to us picking him up.

He did well last year, and the coaches thought enough of him to make him #1 priority. You having heard of him is not a required element in his skill set.

What about Marco Rivera? Hurt or not, he didn't have a good year.

Marco Rivera hurt < Marco Rivera Healthy

Al Johnson stunk all season (although I heard he put on 15lbs of muscle this offseason, and if so, I think he could play).

While he is not spectacular, he is lambasted more on this site than he deserves to be.

And Fabini? He's got to be a huge upgrade over Pettiti, but I hear Jets fans say he wasn't very good at all.

A fan of another team putting down a player that signed somewhere else? You dont say.

Picking O-lineman in the first and 2nd round isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it is something that WILL payoff now and in the future.............

It wouldn't pay off now at all since they would be backups right now.

 

[dallasfaniac]

I'm sorry but anyone who says its best to pick "BPA, period." is wrong. It's just as ridiculous as picking solely based on need. You weigh your need and BPA and make the optimal choice. Purely drafting BPA is absurd and is considered as such by everyone but a few silly fans.

I assume you stopped reading after the first line. If you look at the second to last sentence, you will see I say that if there is a person that is slightly better then another who is in a position of need then you take the lower rated player or trade down. I say BPA period, because the Cowboys don't have any glaring holes despite statements otherwise. A glaring need is one that you need to throw a first round pick at, and you can't have a first round pick everywhere.

 

[theogt]

I assume you stopped reading after the first line. If you look at the second to last sentence, you will see I say that if there is a person that is slightly better then another who is in a position of need then you take the lower rated player or trade down. I say BPA period, because the Cowboys don't have any glaring holes despite statements otherwise. A glaring need is one that you need to throw a first round pick at, and you can't have a first round pick everywhere.

So you're saying "BPA only where the BPA is clearly better than the players in the position of need."

Well I can agree with that, as it seems pretty obvious. It's nowhere near "BPA period", though.

 

[DragonCowboy]

I'm not sold on Kosier at all. Rivera scares me. AJ does too.

Mangold at Center would be great in the 2nd.

Lutui or Spencer at OG would be good too.

Actually, IMO, Rivera will be fine, just a hunch though, baseless for the most part.

So would we have to trade up for Mangold in the 2nd, or will he be there when we pick? There are so many ways we can go with this draft, I just can't wait. There are two avenues that I would love though.

Plan 1:

Offseason: Marcus Coleman, Jerald Sowell

Draft:
1. Manny Lawson OLB
2. Nick Mangold OC
3. Deuce Lutui OG (would he be there at our 3rd pick?)
4-7 (pick up a WR and an NT, along with others)

IMO, Plan 1 will solidify the OL for a good amount of time, with just OT a problem for the future (but fine for now), and make it one of the better OLs. The LB corp would be great for a decade. The WR corps might be getting a bit old, and we would definitely have to use a pick for a WR in the next drafts. Hopefully, we'll get a good NT, and good FS's can be taken in the later rounds. In the meanwhile, Marcus Coleman will help out in the FS position.

So then, the only problems for now would be NT, which would depend on Ferguson staying healthy. QB and WR would need to be looked at in the future, but we would look like a great team for a long time.


Plan 2:

Offseason: Jerald Sowell, maybe Marcus Coleman

Draft:
1. Manny Lawson OLB
2. Maurice Stovall WR
3. Pat Watkins FS
4-7 (pick up a OL, NT, OLB, etc..)

IMO, Plan 2 would help out the LB core and the FS position, along with the WR position on offense. OL would still be a problem, not to mention NT.


I've gotta admit, I was looking at Plan 2, but you've got me looking at Plan 1. I would be very happy if Plan 1 happens. With Plan 1, the only future problems I see coming up are WR(old WRs), QB(Bledsoe's up there), and MAYBE OL(but probably not). This would leave us with a huge playoff push opportunity. Thanks for the input, Hostile.