CFZ Whose Draft Board do you Trust? McClay’s, the Talking Heads, or Yours?

[Chuck 54]

As I shared in chat, Big Mike has arrived! If he wasn’t throwing his weight around before, he is now, and Jerry and others are listening. It started with essentially the firing of Kellen Moore because Mike feels we don’t prepare to play playoff football despite the flashy success of the offense in the regular season.

This draft skipped some flashy players we were all excited about, but it is clear that Mike is being listened to….bigger, stronger, faster. That applies to the DT, the TE, the LB, the DE, the OT/OG, even the late CB. Deuce Vaughn is the only guy it doesn’t apply to, but we took the best RB on the board. Small, but mighty and durable. back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and earned All-America honors both seasons. He finished his career with 651 carries for 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns and made 116 receptions for 1,280 yards and nine touchdowns.

Mike has seen the flashy offense and the run to the ball aggressive “small” defense, and I’m sure he loved it. But Mike is now adding pieces that are mostly about our division and the playoffs. Bigger, stronger, faster.

 

[CowboyFrog]

As I shared in chat, Big Mike has arrived! If he wasn’t throwing his weight around before, he is now, and Jerry and others are listening. It started with essentially the firing of Kellen Moore because Mike feels we don’t prepare to play playoff football despite the flashy success of the offense in the regular season.

This draft skipped some flashy players we were all excited about, but it is clear that Mike is being listened to….bigger, stronger, faster. That applies to the DT, the TE, the LB, the DE, the OT/OG, even the late CB. Deuce Vaughn is the only guy it doesn’t apply to, but we took the best RB on the board. Small, but mighty and durable. back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and earned All-America honors both seasons. He finished his career with 651 carries for 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns and made 116 receptions for 1,280 yards and nine touchdowns.

Mike has seen the flashy offense and the run to the ball aggressive “small” defense, and I’m sure he loved it. But Mike is now adding pieces that are mostly about our division and the playoffs. Bigger, stronger, faster.

I agree

 

[Kwyn]

The annual screaming based on who we just drafted is nothing new. When we as fans don’t see our pet cat coming to Big D after the draft, the disappointment oozes on this forum. (I was hoping we would land Zach Charbonnet for example) Last night’s response to the Cowboys 2nd and 3rd round picks was typical of us as fans- judging our picks based on our own analysis or some other “expert” at ESPN, etc.

But serious question here: Whose draft board are you going to trust? Will McClay’s, Mel Kiper’s…or yours? Give me Will McClay every time.

Truth is, all the pre-draft hype of individual players by the media talking heads is not always close to what the real scouts think about those same players. The last 25 years of “Mel Kiper‘s Greatest Hits” must also include the incredible amount of misjudging of talent he and guys like Todd McShay and other draft gurus so often make.

So if the Cowboys followed their own draft board as they have in recent years, we should wait before declaring this draft a dud. It always takes 2-3 years to judge a draft anyway. IMO, this front office did a good enough job leading up to the draft, they could do exactly what they should do- follow Will McClay’s board.

Anyone who thinks they are smarter and more well-informed than Will McClay needs to go ahead and pull a Darwin and exit themselves from the gene pool.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I think they let Jerry's grandson make the picks in round 2. There's no other explanation how this happens year after year

 

[conner01]

To me it’s not the board but the approach
I obviously wanted us the get a guard and have Tyrone as swing. They didnt
That’s not really about the board but the approach
I’m not a fan of our first pick. Not because he’s a bad player but my approach is about impact a guy can bring
I know many love the pick and value a run stuffer more than I do. Again the pick was fine I just have a different aporoach
For me a first round pick has to impact the passing game. I’m not as scared of teams running as most are

 

[conner01]

Anyone who thinks they are smarter and more well-informed than Will McClay needs to go ahead and pull a Darwin and exit themselves from the gene pool.

There’s not a fan on this board that knows more about scouting players than any scout or GM in the nfl. And even they miss on guys
It’s a lot harder than fans think

 

[Pass2Run]

I think we grabbed two players early on, then went special teams the rest of the way.

Pretty much a special teams draft.. But it's all good.

Highly uneventful. And, definitely not sexy. lol

 

[Pass2Run]

To me it’s not the board but the approach
I obviously wanted us the get a guard and have Tyrone as swing. They didnt
That’s not really about the board but the approach
I’m not a fan of our first pick. Not because he’s a bad player but my approach is about impact a guy can bring
I know many love the pick and value a run stuffer more than I do. Again the pick was fine I just have a different aporoach
For me a first round pick has to impact the passing game. I’m not as scared of teams running as most are

I think they plan on picking up some free agents, and having several players play roles of guys like Turpin.

A guy like Vaughn can come in at slot in a pinch, or be your 3rd RB, and he can return.

So that allows for a 2 extra players.

 

[SuspectCorner]

Mmmmmmm…McClay. Fo sho. Dallas is one of - if not THE best drafting team in the whole NFL. What happens after that? I can only lament… ‘I DUNNOOOOOO!!!’

 

[conner01]

I think they plan on picking up some free agents, and having several players play roles of guys like Turpin.

A guy like Vaughn can come in at slot in a pinch, or be your 3rd RB, and he can return.

So that allows for a 2 extra players.

I’m always excited about UDFA
There can be some players there
Hopefully if we sign a FA it’s a kicker lol

 

[cowboyec]

risen's.
100%.
don't tell him i said that,tho.

 

[Reid1boys]

The annual screaming based on who we just drafted is nothing new. When we as fans don’t see our pet cat coming to Big D after the draft, the disappointment oozes on this forum. (I was hoping we would land Zach Charbonnet for example) Last night’s response to the Cowboys 2nd and 3rd round picks was typical of us as fans- judging our picks based on our own analysis or some other “expert” at ESPN, etc.

But serious question here: Whose draft board are you going to trust? Will McClay’s, Mel Kiper’s…or yours? Give me Will McClay every time.

Truth is, all the pre-draft hype of individual players by the media talking heads is not always close to what the real scouts think about those same players. The last 25 years of “Mel Kiper‘s Greatest Hits” must also include the incredible amount of misjudging of talent he and guys like Todd McShay and other draft gurus so often make.

So if the Cowboys followed their own draft board as they have in recent years, we should wait before declaring this draft a dud. It always takes 2-3 years to judge a draft anyway. IMO, this front office did a good enough job leading up to the draft, they could do exactly what they should do- follow Will McClay’s board.

serious question..... how much do you know about McClay's "Draft board?" How much do you know about the interactions between the entire front office in regards to selection of players?

 

[garyo1954]

The annual screaming based on who we just drafted is nothing new. When we as fans don’t see our pet cat coming to Big D after the draft, the disappointment oozes on this forum. (I was hoping we would land Zach Charbonnet for example) Last night’s response to the Cowboys 2nd and 3rd round picks was typical of us as fans- judging our picks based on our own analysis or some other “expert” at ESPN, etc.

But serious question here: Whose draft board are you going to trust? Will McClay’s, Mel Kiper’s…or yours? Give me Will McClay every time.

Truth is, all the pre-draft hype of individual players by the media talking heads is not always close to what the real scouts think about those same players. The last 25 years of “Mel Kiper‘s Greatest Hits” must also include the incredible amount of misjudging of talent he and guys like Todd McShay and other draft gurus so often make.

So if the Cowboys followed their own draft board as they have in recent years, we should wait before declaring this draft a dud. It always takes 2-3 years to judge a draft anyway. IMO, this front office did a good enough job leading up to the draft, they could do exactly what they should do- follow Will McClay’s board.

I didn't get the feeling we were following a one board approach. Seemed to me everyone was having a say this draft. McCarthy was not much involved in Green Bay drafts with Gutekunst. He even said when he was hired, "just get me players and we'll put it together." Then DQ gets a certain type player in his mind and that's what he looks for.

So we got a mixed bag of potential this year.

We got a space eater. Parsons probably defined it best when he said, "No more of those QB sneaks."
McCarthy wants to run more. We acquired a blocking TE.
We got a "heat seeking missile" guy always around the ball type with huge upside.
We got a smaller Zeke in Vaughn. (Not sure Zeke won't be coming back either, and can't say that hope didn't cross their minds which prevented an all in approach to RB)

I wasn't watching the war room, but from here it didn't seem like the guys had a well thought out plan. Maybe they were filling holes. Maybe they were taking the best player available approach from each one's personal perspective weighed against McClay's board. And it could be each person involved had a certain area they were responsible for.

Maybe our best laid plans didn't pan out.

All in all, no matter what board we used we added talent, filled needs, and acquired players with room to grow.

 

[75boyz]

we haven't gone BPA in years and neither has any NFL team

I'm borrowing and agreeing from MikeT22's previous post on this so he gets the credit.
And that is: "A strict BPA isn't reasonable but a BPA among several need areas is.
I think there was better value at need areas available when we picked."

 

[kskboys]

Mmmmmmm…McClay. Fo sho. Dallas is one of - if not THE best drafting team in the whole NFL. What happens after that? I can only lament… ‘I DUNNOOOOOO!!!’

Except in the 2nd round!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kskboys]

30 carries is 30 carries...TP and Duece can be VERY effective in late games they may even run farther than 3 yards late in a game.

Absolutely false.

 

[Bobhaze]

serious question..... how much do you know about McClay's "Draft board?" How much do you know about the interactions between the entire front office in regards to selection of players?

Nothing.

 

[Bobhaze]

Ronald Jones is actually an underrated pickup for us. He actually had 61 rushing yds in the super bowl against KC for TB. Problem is, at 5-11/208, he appears to be another Pollard type.

I had hoped Zach Charbonnet or Roschon Johnson had fallen our way. I like the Deuce Vaughn pick but he cannot be anything more than an occasional use player. I‘m curious now if the team sees the addition of Jones coupled with Malik Davis as a “committee” along with Pollard?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Anybody saying "theirs" has no clue.

 

[plasticman]

I didn't catch all the interviews so I don't know what was said about McClay's draft board. If McClay himself claimed that the Cowboys did well based on his board, then I feel reassured. I trust him.

However, if those words came out of Jerry's mouth.....I'm somewhat skeptical.