Hostile
The Duke
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I expect us to end up drafting 8 rookies. This is a gut feeling. It is not based on any inside tips or anything. I have a feeling we will trade down at least once and that at least one veteran player could be dealt for a Draft pick.
When evaluating what a team will do in a given Draft you have to look at three things closely.
1. What position needs an immediate starter?
2. What position has incumbents who may only have a year left?
3. Where are we really thin?
The answer to the first question is possibly the most controversial topic on this forum at this time of year. Is it Free Safety or is it Offensive Tackle? Is it Wide Receiver given the inadequacies to fill that role exemplified by Roy Williams so far? The easy answer is Free Safety.
I have earlier this year posted a belief that the Safety position is changing, morphing, going through a metamorphoses, or just plain re-focusing. I stand by that belief. However, I also believe there is strong evidence to suggest it will be a short change that moves back towards stronger run coverage. That is why Dallas is looking so hard at Taylor Mays. They are trying to determine if he is a better SS than FS and if they can play him closer to the LOS where they can blitz him or use him more in run support.
Remember, Mosley earlier this year said we only gave 3 Safeties a 1st round classification. Berry and Thomas will not reach us at 27. Therefore they are going to seriously consider Mays. Whether that means they will roll the dice or not, I don't know. If a Defensive minded coach like Wade Phillips cannot pull the talent out of a player with Mays abilities, no one can.
One thing to remember as well, Stephen Jones said a key to this position is what we get from Mike Hamlin. Keep that in the back of your mind if we draft a Safety late, as opposed to early. It will mean they think of him as the starter. More likely at SS with Sensy moving to FS. Just food for thought.
Answering the 2nd question is the easiest one of the 3. Putting it mildly obvious we need to fortify the Offensive line for the future, find a permanent replacement for T-New and for Keith Brooking. T-New is the least likely to be replaced immediately of the last 2 names. Yes, he is 32, but he is a young 32 and we do have Scandrick on the roster. Some can argue that we have Jason Williams and Bobby Carpenter behind Brooking, but neither is going to show his leadership or fire.
That is why if we were going to trade up at all, I believe it would be for Rolando McClain, not Dez Bryant, and not Earl Thomas.
It is preferable that we replace our starting O-lineman one at a time. Free for Flo this year. Kosier next year. Columbo in 2 years. Gurode in 3. BIGG in 4. Can we do that? Probably not. That is why Iupati and Pouncey are so perfect right now and why they top our needs list over any other spot. That is why I have always believed interior OL is our focus moreso than OT. It is also why I think we want to groom the other replacements the same way we did with Free. Perhaps Brewster is already in place to do this. We can certainly hope so.
The last question is what the late rounds are for. Find guys to groom into eventual starters. Guys with high character who will adopt the team concept. Guys who love the game with a passion equal to a Jay Ratliff, a Choice, a Romo. Yeah, he was a UDFA gem. So was Austin. Ogletree might be. Will we find some more? If we do, all it does is help the immediate future and the long term future both.
If we get a Kick Return guy who also is a Punt Return guy I think that alone will fire me up. I want better starting field position because I believe we are this close to being a top 5 Offense and Defense at the same time. Last year we nearly added top 5 Special Teams to that. Having all three could mean a special season.
In our house no less.
You may hate the new Draft format, but come Thursday, you're going to be as excited for Christmas in April as you ever were. 3 questions need to be answered. I believe the truth is out there.
When evaluating what a team will do in a given Draft you have to look at three things closely.
1. What position needs an immediate starter?
2. What position has incumbents who may only have a year left?
3. Where are we really thin?
The answer to the first question is possibly the most controversial topic on this forum at this time of year. Is it Free Safety or is it Offensive Tackle? Is it Wide Receiver given the inadequacies to fill that role exemplified by Roy Williams so far? The easy answer is Free Safety.
I have earlier this year posted a belief that the Safety position is changing, morphing, going through a metamorphoses, or just plain re-focusing. I stand by that belief. However, I also believe there is strong evidence to suggest it will be a short change that moves back towards stronger run coverage. That is why Dallas is looking so hard at Taylor Mays. They are trying to determine if he is a better SS than FS and if they can play him closer to the LOS where they can blitz him or use him more in run support.
Remember, Mosley earlier this year said we only gave 3 Safeties a 1st round classification. Berry and Thomas will not reach us at 27. Therefore they are going to seriously consider Mays. Whether that means they will roll the dice or not, I don't know. If a Defensive minded coach like Wade Phillips cannot pull the talent out of a player with Mays abilities, no one can.
One thing to remember as well, Stephen Jones said a key to this position is what we get from Mike Hamlin. Keep that in the back of your mind if we draft a Safety late, as opposed to early. It will mean they think of him as the starter. More likely at SS with Sensy moving to FS. Just food for thought.
Answering the 2nd question is the easiest one of the 3. Putting it mildly obvious we need to fortify the Offensive line for the future, find a permanent replacement for T-New and for Keith Brooking. T-New is the least likely to be replaced immediately of the last 2 names. Yes, he is 32, but he is a young 32 and we do have Scandrick on the roster. Some can argue that we have Jason Williams and Bobby Carpenter behind Brooking, but neither is going to show his leadership or fire.
That is why if we were going to trade up at all, I believe it would be for Rolando McClain, not Dez Bryant, and not Earl Thomas.
It is preferable that we replace our starting O-lineman one at a time. Free for Flo this year. Kosier next year. Columbo in 2 years. Gurode in 3. BIGG in 4. Can we do that? Probably not. That is why Iupati and Pouncey are so perfect right now and why they top our needs list over any other spot. That is why I have always believed interior OL is our focus moreso than OT. It is also why I think we want to groom the other replacements the same way we did with Free. Perhaps Brewster is already in place to do this. We can certainly hope so.
The last question is what the late rounds are for. Find guys to groom into eventual starters. Guys with high character who will adopt the team concept. Guys who love the game with a passion equal to a Jay Ratliff, a Choice, a Romo. Yeah, he was a UDFA gem. So was Austin. Ogletree might be. Will we find some more? If we do, all it does is help the immediate future and the long term future both.
If we get a Kick Return guy who also is a Punt Return guy I think that alone will fire me up. I want better starting field position because I believe we are this close to being a top 5 Offense and Defense at the same time. Last year we nearly added top 5 Special Teams to that. Having all three could mean a special season.
In our house no less.
You may hate the new Draft format, but come Thursday, you're going to be as excited for Christmas in April as you ever were. 3 questions need to be answered. I believe the truth is out there.
DAL @ GB
