What were Cowboys needs? (don't read if you satisfied with today's draft)

[sago1]

We seriously addressed 2 of our priority needs big time by drafting 2 players at each position. That's good. We also drafted another 2nd round TE to replace another 2nd round TE who didn't fit our needs. We added a DE/LB most never heard of. Did add a 3rd round pick & a 4th round pick in 09.

But...

1. Totally failed to address WR position so Jerry Jones better be right about our WRs if TO goes down; I don't think he is. Can Felix Jones or M.Bennett add enough to passing attack?
2. Didn't add an OG/C to challenge Proctor & certainly not Kosier. Proctor was unable to clean the pocket for Romo/overpowered by DTs.
3. Didn't address SS position. We only got RWilliams so better hope he doesn't get hurt/suspended. FS Hamlin probably moves to SS but who steps up at FS cause Watkins hasn't shown much improvement since rookie season; too soon to know about Courtney Brown.
4. Didn't draft an ILB who can stop the run or good in pass coverage. Got no problem with Zack Thomas for 1-2 years but Burnett becomes FA after 08 season. Is he our future ILB starter or does Bobby Carpenter finally show he's the starter at ILB.
5. No DT so guess we go with Ratliff & Tank Johnson (who becomes FA after 08 season).

I'd give us a B for Day 1; C/D for 2nd day. IMO, not a promising start to Cisowski (sp?)/Jerry Jones/Phillips/Garrett management team. I found today very depressing & that makes me very sad. This draft reminds me of the drafts Jerry Jones ran before we got Bill Parcells & before Jeff Ireland took over as head of scouting. Don't miss Parcells but we sure miss Ireland.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

This draft reminds me of the drafts Jerry Jones ran before we got Bill Parcells & before Jeff Ireland took over as head of scouting. Don't miss Parcells but we sure miss Ireland.

This draft may not turn out well 4 years from now...but it's nothing like those drafts. We weren't over-reaching for players that could've been had a round or two later. If anything, many of our picks were take much lower than most expected them to go which suggests great value on the picks.

 

[maxsports]

I could not disagree with you more. I think the Cowboys had a solid day 2. There were no SS in this draft worth taking. OG, C was not nor should have been a priority in this draft. ILB??????? We do not need to draft anymore line backers. We needed offense and cornerback!!! And special teams!!!

 

[AbeBeta]

What's better - getting the best players day 2 OR getting worse players b/c they fit a need?

 

[keds]

Personally I would have resigned Keith Davis... he served a dual role and would have been worth the money...

Backup linebackers can be had in the middle rounds next year...

We have three young players on the oline in Free, Marten and McQuistan that we need to see play this year... Lets hope Proctor has bulked and strengthened up and can man the middle for a few games...

Would like to see a free agent NT get signed to the practice squad this year

 

[jjktkk]

We seriously addressed 2 of our priority needs big time by drafting 2 players at each position. That's good. We also drafted another 2nd round TE to replace another 2nd round TE who didn't fit our needs. We added a DE/LB most never heard of. Did add a 3rd round pick & a 4th round pick in 09.

But...

1. Totally failed to address WR position so Jerry Jones better be right about our WRs if TO goes down; I don't think he is. Can Felix Jones or M.Bennett add enough to passing attack?
2. Didn't add an OG/C to challenge Proctor & certainly not Kosier. Proctor was unable to clean the pocket for Romo/overpowered by DTs.
3. Didn't address SS position. We only got RWilliams so better hope he doesn't get hurt/suspended. FS Hamlin probably moves to SS but who steps up at FS cause Watkins hasn't shown much improvement since rookie season; too soon to know about Courtney Brown.
4. Didn't draft an ILB who can stop the run or good in pass coverage. Got no problem with Zack Thomas for 1-2 years but Burnett becomes FA after 08 season. Is he our future ILB starter or does Bobby Carpenter finally show he's the starter at ILB.
5. No DT so guess we go with Ratliff & Tank Johnson (who becomes FA after 08 season).

I'd give us a B for Day 1; C/D for 2nd day. IMO, not a promising start to Cisowski (sp?)/Jerry Jones/Phillips/Garrett management team. I found today very depressing & that makes me very sad. This draft reminds me of the drafts Jerry Jones ran before we got Bill Parcells & before Jeff Ireland took over as head of scouting. Don't miss Parcells but we sure miss Ireland.

Yea I really miss the Parcells/Ireland combo who were responsible for the following draft pick blunders:

1. Jacob Rogers
2. Stephen Peterman
3. Julius Jones
4. Marcus Spears
5. Bobby Carpenter
6. Anthony Fasano

IMO I give the Boys a B for their draft. Although I was disappointed that they didn't take a wr, the overall wr class this year was weak. Since no wr was drafted until the 33rd pick(Houston's Donnie Avery), the rest of the NFL had pretty much the same opinion the Cowboys had on the wr class. Did not really see a strong need to draft a ILB, the Boys have pretty good depth there. Drafting Bennett was a good value pick at where he was taken at 61. He will play alot in the Cowboys two TE sets. I believe the Cowboys were hoping to have Sweed fall to them at 61, put Pittburgh picked Sweed ahead of the Cowboys. The safety class in this year's draft was very thin, so IMO the Cowboys didn't really like a safety. Plus what Patrick Wakins have you been watching? Hes steadly improving every year since hes been with the Cowboys. Watkins already plays in the nickel and will continue to challenge for playing time. And the DE/LB you mentioned(waldron) is a projected 3-4 outside ,rush linebacker, who can potentially become a extra pash rush specialist. If you looked at the Giants plethora of DE's that can get after the quarterback, you can never have to many pass rushers on your team.

 

[superpunk]

It was a decent draft. I can see why some people aren't in love with it.

But one thing you cannot say is that it feels like an old-time jerry draft. We did not reach for third and fourth round SEC players in the first and second. We did move around quite a bit, but we have done that for the past 5 years.

We got good value at EVERY single one of our draft slots. We didn't reach for needs, and for the most part (except for the Jones-mendenhall bit) it looks like we stuck to the board.

In my opinion, we did as well as we possibly could.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Rome wasn't built in a day. Do you think any team out there could fill all their needs in one draft? Get real. And just because you draft a player to fill a need, it doesn't necessarily translate to problem solved. For ex, drafting a OG in the 4th-7th rd might mean something on paper, but he could be another Rogers or Peterman. Or the prospect could get hurt. Only Jones, Jenkins, and Bennett have the team made. The others are fighting for a roster spot.

I think the Cowboys had an excellent draft on paper. Now we have to wait and see a)can they stay healthy, b)can they learn the system and c)can they perform at the next level.

28% of 1st rd picks are busts statistically, nearly 1 in 3 players.

 

[ComicBookGuy]

and for the most part (except for the Jones-mendenhall bit) it looks like we stuck to the board.

I'm betting nobody here knows which one was ranked higher on the Cowboys board.

 

[Boysboy]

We seriously addressed 2 of our priority needs big time by drafting 2 players at each position. That's good. We also drafted another 2nd round TE to replace another 2nd round TE who didn't fit our needs. We added a DE/LB most never heard of. Did add a 3rd round pick & a 4th round pick in 09.

But...

1. Totally failed to address WR position so Jerry Jones better be right about our WRs if TO goes down; I don't think he is. Can Felix Jones or M.Bennett add enough to passing attack?
2. Didn't add an OG/C to challenge Proctor & certainly not Kosier. Proctor was unable to clean the pocket for Romo/overpowered by DTs.
3. Didn't address SS position. We only got RWilliams so better hope he doesn't get hurt/suspended. FS Hamlin probably moves to SS but who steps up at FS cause Watkins hasn't shown much improvement since rookie season; too soon to know about Courtney Brown.
4. Didn't draft an ILB who can stop the run or good in pass coverage. Got no problem with Zack Thomas for 1-2 years but Burnett becomes FA after 08 season. Is he our future ILB starter or does Bobby Carpenter finally show he's the starter at ILB.
5. No DT so guess we go with Ratliff & Tank Johnson (who becomes FA after 08 season).

I'd give us a B for Day 1; C/D for 2nd day. IMO, not a promising start to Cisowski (sp?)/Jerry Jones/Phillips/Garrett management team. I found today very depressing & that makes me very sad. This draft reminds me of the drafts Jerry Jones ran before we got Bill Parcells & before Jeff Ireland took over as head of scouting. Don't miss Parcells but we sure miss Ireland.

You mean you want Andy "I have men-crush on linemen" Reid running our draft? Or Andy "I HOARD draft picks" Reid running our draft? Really?

 

[LeonDixson]

It was a decent draft. I can see why some people aren't in love with it.

But one thing you cannot say is that it feels like an old-time jerry draft. We did not reach for third and fourth round SEC players in the first and second. We did move around quite a bit, but we have done that for the past 5 years.

We got good value at EVERY single one of our draft slots. We didn't reach for needs, and for the most part (except for the Jones-mendenhall bit) it looks like we stuck to the board.

In my opinion, we did as well as we possibly could.

Bravo! Well said. You could nitpick here or there, but overall it was very good.

 

[AbeBeta]

Yea I really miss the Parcells/Ireland combo who were responsible for the following draft pick blunders:

1. Jacob Rogers
2. Stephen Peterman
3. Julius Jones
4. Marcus Spears
5. Bobby Carpenter
6. Anthony Fasano

You can look back on any teams drafts and pick out lots of guys that didn't pan out. That same combo got us Ware, Witten, Canty, Ratliff, Crayton, Newman, James, and Barber.

If you can find me a team that hit on every pick over a 4 year period, I'd love to see it

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I'm betting nobody here knows which one was ranked higher on the Cowboys board.

Does it even matter who was ranked higher? The ranking is pure guesswork. 3 Teams, 3 RBs drafted. Jones, Mendenhall, Johnson. Your guess is as good as anyone's. Come Sept, we will soon find out.

 

[AlterEgo]

Two o-linemen were drafted last year. They need a chance to show what they have. I will agree that a SS or WR would have helped but I'm hoping everything will be fine.

 

[superpunk]

I'm betting nobody here knows which one was ranked higher on the Cowboys board.

Either way, I don't think the difference between the two was significant on the board. I don't think the difference in talent is anything to observe. They're just different backs.

So it comes down to personal preference.

And even though I hate the process that led us to selecting another TE in the second, I can respect the fact that all our other picks were tremendous value.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

I think Tashard Choice saved our draft. I didn't see the need to trade up for Jenkins in the first if we would have let the draft come to us then we would have been fine. I would have felt better on passing on Mendenhall if jerry selected Jenkins on that pick.

I just don't understand the need to move up 3 spots when the guy could of been had at 28 or at worst case scenario we get Cason or Flowers. When you take into account the RB's that were taken after the Jones, Johnson and Mendenhall i think it would have been safe to let Jones slide and play the waiting game with him.

Then going TE in the second round leaves me baffled. Jason Witten is the best TE in the nfl you could make a case for it. I can't believe jerry could say theres no impact WR but jump at the chance for some TE.

Tashard Choice best pick of the draft behind Jenkins all though we had to trade up for Jenkins. He restored my faith in the draft and had me feel better about the passing up of Mendenhall.

I forgot who else we picked up but i don't care this draft was disappointing. It tells shows that we are satisfied with Hatcher and Tank at DT. We will be signing MB3 to a long term deal. I just hope that Jerry isn't getting to over confident in this team. Hopefully the UDFA will bring a lil more promise and make me want to look forward to the season a lil more.

 

[theogt]

Guard, SS, NT, and ILB were not needs. At all.

2 Cornerbacks, 2 RBs, backup OLB, and 2nd TE were needs.

These were all need picks. Drafting a SS, NT, or ILB would have been a complete waste of a pick.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Guard, SS, NT, and ILB were not needs. At all.

2 Cornerbacks, 2 RBs, backup OLB, and 2nd TE were needs.

These were all need picks. Drafting a SS, NT, or ILB would have been a complete waste of a pick.

was a second TE really a need?

 

[LeonDixson]

Hopefully the UDFA will bring a lil more promise and make me want to look forward to the season a lil more.

Man if you can't look forward to the season with enthusiasm even if we had passed in the draft altogether, you're a hard man to please. We've got a very good team and we did shore up our CB and RB positions.

 

[ZeroClub]

What did the Cowboys need?

1. More juice on offense.
2. Better corners.
3. Improved special teams.

Felix accomplishes #1.
The three new corners (including Adam Jones) hit #2.
And I think their return game got better too.

Not bad.