What Do We Need To Get Out Of A Draft Pick To Have It Not Be A Bust?

[tyke1doe]

At the very least, all his nerves should be firing.

 

[Verdict]

I think you have to consider where the player was picked as to whether the player was a bust, and if a bust, how bad a miss was it??

1. Any pick that doesn't make the rookie year final 53 man roster was a bust, at least initially. The caveat is that if you get that player signed to the practice squad then it is essentially the same as making it to the 53, so they still have a chance.

2. If a player drafted in rounds 4 through 7 plays at at a standard position that player must at least serve as quality primary serviceable depth, with at least occasional flashes that they could eventually be a starter. Failure to meet this would be considered a bust. If the player plays a specialty position such as kicker, punter or long snapper then that player must be a starter in his rookie year regardless of round. If a player drafted in rounds 4-7 is a special teams phenom, then they would not be considered a bust.

3. 3rd round player. Should be fighting for a starting position within the first year, serve as a strong backup, and eventually steal the starting position away from the players in front of him at his position by the end of his 2nd year.

4. 2nd round player. This is the high value area of the draft. Great potential at a much cheaper cap cost than a 1st rounder,. This player should start as a rookie, or at the very least be in a dog fight for starting position, a strong reserve and rotational player as a rookie. If you draft a guy like Jaylon Smith, then he should be a first round talent and be judged by first round criterion set forth below after his red shirt medical year. It is not worth it if Smith only performs at a round 2 level since we have already pissed off one year of his contract.

5. 1st round player. Should play well enough to start his rookie year on about 70 percent of the teams in the draft. Not starting in the player's rookie year is unacceptable unless it is a position which requires extra training (QB) or there is such a strong player in front of him that the pick was a luxury pick for the team acquiring that player. In the event that player doesn't start but should start because of talent level, but is buried on the depth chart due to exceptional players in front of him that player would not be a bust so long as the player eventually bumped the ageing player off of the roster and secured a starting position.


I think these are the minimum criterion for a player to not be considered a bust.

 

[HappyOnions]

Like many have said, I think it all depends on where the player was drafted. If it's a first round pick, then obviously you expect a lot out of him...but if it's the 2nd overall pick compared to the 32nd, then you have to take that into consideration as well.

I'll limit it to just 1st round picks since 2000...In my opinion:

Not a bust
- DeMarcus Ware
- Zack Martin
- Travis Frederick
- Tyron Smith
- Dez Bryant
- Terence Newman

Borderline
- Mike Jenkins
- Roy Williams ( I realize he was good early on, but for the 8th overall pick, and for the rapid decline that he had, he has to go here)
- Anthony Spencer (the epitome of a borderline player)
- Byron Jones (Obviously has time to move up, but I think the verdict is still out)

Bust
- Morris Claiborne (I know he was showing signs of improvement, but he hasn't shown enough to get rid of the "bust" label)
- Bobby Carpenter
- Felix Jones (probably could be in the borderline group. He occasionally had the big play, but was never a solid, consistent contributor)
- Marcus Spears

I couldn't place Zeke in a group yet, but I think he'll be one of the best backs of his generation. I don't foresee any kind of drop-off in production, but you never know.

 

[Verdict]

Like many have said, I think it all depends on where the player was drafted. If it's a first round pick, then obviously you expect a lot out of him...but if it's the 2nd overall pick compared to the 32nd, then you have to take that into consideration as well.

I'll limit it to just 1st round picks since 2000...In my opinion:

Not a bust
- DeMarcus Ware
- Zack Martin
- Travis Frederick
- Tyron Smith
- Dez Bryant
- Terrance Newman

Borderline
- Mike Jenkins
- Roy Williams ( I realize he was good early on, but for the 8th overall pick, and for the rapid decline that he had, he has to go here)
- Anthony Spencer (the epitome of a borderline player)
- Byron Jones (Obviously has time to move up, but I think the verdict is still out)

Bust
- Morris Claiborne (I know he was showing signs of improvement, but he hasn't shown enough to get rid of the "bust" label)
- Bobby Carpenter
- Felix Jones (probably could be in the borderline group. He occasionally had the big play, but was never a solid, consistent contributor)
- Marcus Spears

I couldn't place Zeke in a group yet, but I think he'll be one of the best backs of his generation. I don't foresee any kind of drop-off in production, but you never know.

I think the only real bust on that list is Bobby Carpenter. The rest started and played a significant role for the Cowboys. I wasn't really a fan of Almost Anthony, but you can't really call a guy a bust if he starts for you for more than one year and is serviceable as a starter. I think Bobby Carpenter is the only player who played at a non starter level, and would probably not have played much at all but for his draft position.

Roy Williams was not a bust either. He played at a very high level until the game went away from his strengths and they made a rule up specifically for him which negated his game to a large degree.

 

[Robbieac]

That said, there is no ignoring the fact they could have traded their 2016 second round pick, which was a high second round pick, for a first round pick in 2017's draft, which means if Jaylon Smith never regains his playing ability or is not cleared to play in 2017, it will definitely turn out to be a really bad decision and completely wasted pick, especially if we keep having winning seasons for a few years and have much lower picks.

Wait a second. Which team was offering a 2017 first for our 2016 2nd? I wouldnt have thought there was a player worthy of that trade there.

 

[Idgit]

Like many have said, I think it all depends on where the player was drafted. If it's a first round pick, then obviously you expect a lot out of him...but if it's the 2nd overall pick compared to the 32nd, then you have to take that into consideration as well.

I'll limit it to just 1st round picks since 2000...In my opinion:

Not a bust
- DeMarcus Ware
- Zack Martin
- Travis Frederick
- Tyron Smith
- Dez Bryant
- Terence Newman

Borderline
- Mike Jenkins
- Roy Williams ( I realize he was good early on, but for the 8th overall pick, and for the rapid decline that he had, he has to go here)
- Anthony Spencer (the epitome of a borderline player)
- Byron Jones (Obviously has time to move up, but I think the verdict is still out)

Bust
- Morris Claiborne (I know he was showing signs of improvement, but he hasn't shown enough to get rid of the "bust" label)
- Bobby Carpenter
- Felix Jones (probably could be in the borderline group. He occasionally had the big play, but was never a solid, consistent contributor)
- Marcus Spears

I couldn't place Zeke in a group yet, but I think he'll be one of the best backs of his generation. I don't foresee any kind of drop-off in production, but you never know.

I don't think your estimation is all that far off from many fans, but I wonder how many teams in the league have fans that consider 5x probowlers with allpro credentials to be 'borderline.'

The same goes for 9 year starters with 10+ sack seasons and probowls to their names.

 

[Jstopper]

Like many have said, I think it all depends on where the player was drafted. If it's a first round pick, then obviously you expect a lot out of him...but if it's the 2nd overall pick compared to the 32nd, then you have to take that into consideration as well.

I'll limit it to just 1st round picks since 2000...In my opinion:

Not a bust
- DeMarcus Ware
- Zack Martin
- Travis Frederick
- Tyron Smith
- Dez Bryant
- Terence Newman

Borderline
- Mike Jenkins
- Roy Williams ( I realize he was good early on, but for the 8th overall pick, and for the rapid decline that he had, he has to go here)
- Anthony Spencer (the epitome of a borderline player)
- Byron Jones (Obviously has time to move up, but I think the verdict is still out)

Bust
- Morris Claiborne (I know he was showing signs of improvement, but he hasn't shown enough to get rid of the "bust" label)
- Bobby Carpenter
- Felix Jones (probably could be in the borderline group. He occasionally had the big play, but was never a solid, consistent contributor)
- Marcus Spears

I couldn't place Zeke in a group yet, but I think he'll be one of the best backs of his generation. I don't foresee any kind of drop-off in production, but you never know.

Claiborne has had injury problem but I wouldn't call him a bust. Byron Jones isn't borderline.

 

[Plankton]

To me, a bust for a first or second round pick is a player who doesn't get a second contract with the team.

 

[Verdict]

To me, a bust for a first or second round pick is a player who doesn't get a second contract with the team.

That is a pretty reasonable point of view. I think it is a pretty decent barometer.

 

[Eddie]

Had we decided to play it safe, Frank Clark was drafted by the C-Hoks two picks after Gregory. Clark has 9 sacks this year and 12 total for his 2 year career.

Sometimes you just have to draft smart. No need to run these risks all the time. Ticks me off to no end.

 

[Plankton]

Had we decided to play it safe, Frank Clark was drafted by the C-Hoks two picks after Gregory. Clark has 9 sacks this year and 12 total for his 2 year career.

Sometimes you just have to draft smart. No need to run these risks all the time. Ticks me off to no end.

Frank Clark was as much of a risk as Gregory - he assaulted a woman in a hotel.