Will McClay on drafting offense or defense

[viman96]

Seems like they are all about getting the BPA, and not just on side of the ball where they have a need.

Almost agree. Dallas many times goes after the best value available and not best player available. Sometmes they end up being the same player but many times it does not.

 

[DallasEast]

Yeah but I still think Gregory was worth the risk. I know a lot of people disagree but he was a Top 10 talent and the Cowboys thought they could help him get over his drug issue. I don't think you can just stop doing things like that have huge upsides.

For example, a guy like Noah Spence.

I agree that Gregory was an acceptable risk at the time but risk can be minimized if certain behavioral indicators can be properly identified. While I don't know if that's possible, I do hope that any possible lessons learned after Gregory's selection can be used if needed.

 

[erod]

Always draft the best player available. Always. You'll never regret it.

Now, if it's a tie between a couple of players, draft the one you need more.

 

[Vinnie2u]

It sounds like he may be referencing BPA rather than obligating to strictly defense.

BPA is only part of the Equation.. you have to also consider who sucks, who gonna suck, and who's leaving down the road.

 

[Jake]

Yeah but I still think Gregory was worth the risk. I know a lot of people disagree but he was a Top 10 talent and the Cowboys thought they could help him get over his drug issue. I don't think you can just stop doing things like that have huge upsides.

For example, a guy like Noah Spence.

I agree with your point, but cringe when I see Spence mentioned in the same breath as Gregory. Spence has been clean for years now. Gregory has had ongoing issues that are still not resolved.

 

[guag]

Almost agree. Dallas many times goes after the best value available and not best player available. Sometmes they end up being the same player but many times it does not.

Good point, Randy Gregory comes to mind.

 

[Bullflop]

What McClay has to say is certainly the sensible approach -- I think most of us understand that. It isn't practical to force defensive talent if it's not extremely likely to satisfy our most desperate needs. Sometimes, the draft favors certain needs when you time comes due to pick and then, sometimes it doesn't. Our scouting crew appeared to have a pretty good eye on the talent pool last time around, as I recall.

There's no doubt but what Lady Luck always plays a big role in our biggest needs being satisfied when our turns come due on draft day. Here's hoping some of that luck comes our way once again this year. It's a long wait 'til April but maybe it'll turn out to be well worth the wait in the upcoming draft. McClay & Company came through for us famously last year -- here's hoping they'll hit that jackpot one more time!

 

[Kaiser]

McClay's comments are sensible but generic. I'm confident in their current talent analysis but not so much concerning how stringent they evaluate drafting certain characteristics. Randy Gregory is an outlier but I hope he has taught them better ways of discerning whether players with unquestionable talent and great potential can be solid draft options who can actually contribute early and often.

Agree and even if Randy Gregory never plays again, you win by taking that gamble. There are only a few dominant edge rushers in the NFL and if you can get one with top ten talent in the late second round, you take him even if its 50/50 (or less) that it pans out.

If I can bet 20 dollars with a 25% chance of winning 500, I'm going to do it every time.

 

[Kaiser]

Best player available regardless of position.. literally don't give a damn about cdap players or reaches just because we need a body there.

Exactly, our improvement on defense is going to come from a FA or two along with improvement from the young guys like Jaylon Smith, Irving, Collins, Mayowa, Brown, Frazier, etc.

 

[Nova]

This is the smart thing to do.

Address needs in FA. Draft BPA.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

What else is he going to say? That's just GM talk right there so they don't paint themselves into a box.

Much ado about nothing.

Right. And even if what he's saying is true....I have no problem with it. Don't reach for a DE or a CB just because you need one. People will hate this but if the best player on the board is a tight end they need to look at him.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Exactly, our improvement on defense is going to come from a FA or two along with improvement from the young guys like Jaylon Smith, Irving, Collins, Mayowa, Brown, Frazier, etc.

Maybe or maybe not. We saw what impact Zeke and Dak had on our offense. Granted, that shouldn't be the bar but rookies can come in contribute now. Not at a All Pro level but even a guy like Anthony Brown came in and contributed right now. Collins too. We could use some more defensive players who can come in and play now.

 

[TNCowboy]

If people didn't obsess over the Cowboys and the draft, your website would be largely empty.

 

[TNCowboy]

I want the Cowboys to go big on defense if they can, but the truth is if McClay can get the organization to stick to that philosophy, we'll be better in the long-run.

 

[Kaiser]

Maybe or maybe not. We saw what impact Zeke and Dak had on our offense. Granted, that shouldn't be the bar but rookies can come in contribute now. Not at a All Pro level but even a guy like Anthony Brown came in and contributed right now. Collins too. We could use some more defensive players who can come in and play now.

Sure, I'm not saying they should avoid draft picks on defense, I'm saying they don't have to reach for anyone. Like you say, even in a draft where we picked Zeke and Dak, we still got contributors like Collins and Brown.

I think we add several more guys like that next year, especially at CB and DL. I also daydream about getting a good pick for Romo and then packaging picks to move up into the top five for an impact DE. I have a friend that is a Bears fan that says if the Cowboys offered Romo and their late first for the Bears pick in the top five, the Bears would jump on it. I don't see that happening, but a deal could happen.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Do people expect him to say otherwise?

Especially after Stephen came out and said the defense was the priority.

Attention all teams drafting after us... WE ARE TAKING DEFENSIVE PLAYERS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JUMP AHEAD OF US AND DRAFT THE GUYS WE REALLY WANT.

 

[Reality]

If people didn't obsess over the Cowboys and the draft, your website would be largely empty.

And if there was no internet, CZ would have no users. If computers were never invented, there would be no users here either. There are many things you can say randomly that would be ring true had they been mentioned in the image. However, the only thing the image mentions is the "draft", not the "Cowboys" so your comment is really pointless since even without a draft, the Cowboys would still have fans. Life is funny sometimes

 

[rwalters31]

What else is he going to say? That's just GM talk right there so they don't paint themselves into a box.

Much ado about nothing.

So, the draft is about smoke and mirrors? Picking the best player works when you are already set at all positions. When you are not really good in an entire portion of your team that does not work. Now If you said the BPA at positions of need then you are solving problems. Otherwise you are the Dallas Cowboys of the last 21 years.

 

[Alexander]

The only thing he said that was remarkable was the comment that we have "talent there" defensively. I can reasonably say that we could upgrade at least half of the starting defense. The only top shelf player is Sean Lee.

Hopefully they evaluate the existing talent not thinking that was a 13-3 defense.

 

[bayeslife]

He's right. If the best players available are on offense that's where you should go.

I'm not taking a pass rusher round 1 if there is a better talent available on offense.