Who were the Best and Worst Drafting teams in the past decade

[DanA]

coaching and position selection plagued the cowboys. Offensive heavy strategy sells tickets but does not get you a super bowl. I think jerry is realizing this lately. i hope

We drafted plenty of defenders, we just didn't nail them like we did offense. We got Martin, Frederick and Smith in successive years. Imagine if we got TJ Watt, Chris Jones and Vita Vea rather than Taco, Jaylon, and LVE.

 

[Crown Royal]

We are an excellent offense-drafting team.

We are an ok defensive drafting team.

Strategically, we are bitten because we KNOW we are good drafting team and therefore allow that to the the primary acquisition strategy, with minimal trade and free agent selection. Add to that the risks that the team takes on players like Gregory and Jaylon that just haven't panned out, and it has left the team with holes. I wish the team was slightly more active in free agency but that's me. Curious to see how Cooper/Gallup works out next year.

 

[Diehardblues]

actually, we drafted well offensively, but not defensively. now, I am not judging 2020 yet.....but it looks more positive

Right

And we’ve probably over drafted offensively when we’ve had greater needs on defense . Like last year.

Id even argue in 2016 we didn’t need to use our 1st pick on Elliott. A great pick and talent much like Lamm but that high of pick on Zeke could have been better utilized probably on defense and found a solid RB in 2nd or 3rd round for example.

Those are great picks but only if you don’t miss on any picks on defense over the years. If not then they become more like luxury picks and how we’ve become so over balanced talent wise on one side of the ball.

 

[Diehardblues]

Look at all of our misses in 1st and 2nd round last 10 years on defense.

Clairborne- 1st rd bust and gave up a 2nd to move up
Gregory- 2nd risk( has never met potential with multiple suspensions )
Jaylon- 2nd rd injury risk( has yet to meet potential )
Van Esch- 1st rd injury risk- can’t stay on the field ( too much risk for 1st round)
Taco- 1st rd bust
Jones- 1st round- not enough to resign him
Awuzie-2nd rd- not enough to resign
Hill- 2nd rd( overall 1st pick) bust so far

Far too many bust, misses and risk in 1st and 2nd rd on defense . If we hit on half of them we’d of probably built a top 10 caliber defense to compliment our offense.

 

[jnday]

Shows you just how valuable coaching is.

No, it shows that smart free agency signings are needed in addition to good drafting to produce a winner. Dumpster diving for free agents limits the success that a team has.

 

[Bigdog]

Shows you just how valuable coaching is.

Yeah I was going to say that those top 8 teams all have something in common that we don’t- a trip to a Super Bowl but hopefully that will change this year.

 

[Hardline]

Shows you just how valuable coaching is.

And not coming to a team with a country club atmosphere.

 

[Risen Star]

Bro, we get it. The Packers are better than us. Enough.

 

[Risen Star]

And not coming to a team with a country club atmosphere.

Yes. People either don't understand that or they choose to ignore it.

I'll judge head coaches here when they get to be an actual head coach. Not when they have some lunatic owner and his incompetent son following him around the building when they aren't calling him up to tell him his training camp is now a TV show.

 

[Hardline]

Yes. People either don't understand that or they choose to ignore it.

I'll judge head coaches here when they get to be an actual head coach. Not when they have some lunatic owner and his incompetent son following him around the building when they aren't calling him up to tell him his training camp is now a TV show.

I think the league forced Hard Knocks on them. But I get your point.

 

[Redline360]

coaching and position selection plagued the cowboys. Offensive heavy strategy sells tickets but does not get you a super bowl. I think jerry is realizing this lately. i hope

Exactly what I was going to say however we have incredibly bad luck on the defensive side of things bar a few

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Right

And we’ve probably over drafted offensively when we’ve had greater needs on defense . Like last year.

Id even argue in 2016 we didn’t need to use our 1st pick on Elliott. A great pick and talent much like Lamm but that high of pick on Zeke could have been better utilized probably on defense and found a solid RB in 2nd or 3rd round for example.

Those are great picks but only if you don’t miss on any picks on defense over the years. If not then they become more like luxury picks and how we’ve become so over balanced talent wise on one side of the ball.

I agree with you on 2016....why draft a RB, no matter how good they are....its been proven 100 times over that RBs can be found in lower rounds (see pollard). imagine if we had taken Ramsey instead....great point

 

[John813]

Look at all of our misses in 1st and 2nd round last 10 years on defense.

Clairborne- 1st rd bust and gave up a 2nd to move up
Gregory- 2nd risk( has never met potential with multiple suspensions )
Jaylon- 2nd rd injury risk( has yet to meet potential )
Van Esch- 1st rd injury risk- can’t stay on the field ( too much risk for 1st round)
Taco- 1st rd bust
Jones- 1st round- not enough to resign him
Awuzie-2nd rd- not enough to resign
Hill- 2nd rd( overall 1st pick) bust so far

Far too many bust, misses and risk in 1st and 2nd rd on defense . If we hit on half of them we’d of probably built a top 10 caliber defense to compliment our offense.

I wouldn't list Byron Jones in there IMO.

He was a hit, just that the team had him playing the wrong spot for 3 years and the FO decided they rather re-sign Jaylon Smith, Elliott and Cooper over re-signing Jones.
And then when he was able to hit FA Miami overpaid to sign him.

Outside of that, I agree.

 

[Mobinvans]

Drafted ok but we have Jerry Jones…

 

[Diehardblues]

I wouldn't list Byron Jones in there IMO.

He was a hit, just that the team had him playing the wrong spot for 3 years and the FO decided they rather re-sign Jaylon Smith, Elliott and Cooper over re-signing Jones.
And then when he was able to hit FA Miami overpaid to sign him.

Outside of that, I agree.

Jones definitely falls in another category. But the point remains he’s a 1st rd pick that for whatever reason is no longer here and contributing.

And only reason I listed him . Otherwise he wouldn’t have made the list.

I’d argue 1st rd picks we don’t resign is a pick that didn’t meet its potential.

 

[kskboys]

Counting starters is not an accurate way to rate drafts. Playoff success is how you rate drafts.

 

[Diehardblues]

Counting starters is not an accurate way to rate drafts. Playoff success is how you rate drafts.

Yep

Becoming a starter could mean a couple things. One that the competition for the position isn’t strong. And unfortunately there are teams who might start a top drafted player or one with a high contract for perception reasons.

 

[Diehardblues]

I agree with you on 2016....why draft a RB, no matter how good they are....its been proven 100 times over that RBs can be found in lower rounds (see pollard). imagine if we had taken Ramsey instead....great point

Elliott was an over reaction pick from the poor decision on RB by committee. Which might have worked with someone other than Randle .

We just were over confident in the hype around our OL after 2014. MCFadden didn’t do too badly. A 1000 yards if I recall correctly but we misjudged Randle. A solid 2nd or 3rd pick might have been enough behind that OL. Murray was a 3rd round pick.

And our defense desperately could have used Ramsey. Just saying. These decisions are often what makes a difference in the end .

 

[kskboys]

Yep

Becoming a starter could mean a couple things. One that the competition for the position isn’t strong. And unfortunately there are teams who might start a top drafted player or one with a high contract for perception reasons.

Remember that horrible OL we traded for, ol' Alex Barron? He'd been a starter from day one, and had been terrible the whole time. So, the Rams get credit for good drafting?

Mitch Trubiskey and Blake Bortles were good drafting?

 

[kskboys]

Elliott was an over reaction pick from the poor decision on RB by committee. Which might have worked with someone other than Randle .

We just were over confident in the hype around our OL after 2014. MCFadden didn’t do too badly. A 1000 yards if I recall correctly but we misjudged Randle. A solid 2nd or 3rd pick might have been enough behind that OL. Murray was a 3rd round pick.

And our defense desperately could have used Ramsey. Just saying. These decisions are often what makes a difference in the end .

It really wasn't an overreaction. Elliot was the consensus among many many scouts.