Would You Be Upset Taking a Guard?

[Malhavoc]

Makes sense. Part of my problem is how they built their board.

IMO they should’ve a lot of players above Smith and viewed him more as a 2nd rounder.

Every team is going to have 4 or 5 players that don‘t match these scouts that put together these mocks. Last year we had Cine, Smith, Lloyd, Hill, and Hall ranked as top 20 players. I bet every other team has several players that didn’t match the consensus mocks as well.

 

[TheCritic]

I'll take Avila! Pairing him next to Tyler Smith (both of them have a nasty demeanor) would be brutal!!

 

[75boyz]

Tackle or guard is my first choice.
No matter the HC or OL coach, and the team has developed them well once picked, but mostly the Cowboy scout team has excelled in selecting home run 1st rd o-linemen for a decade.
It's the absolute one consistent thing they have been great at for that time.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I'd be delighted with a guard or tackle in round 1.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I'll take Avila! Pairing him next to Tyler Smith (both of them have a nasty demeanor) would be brutal!!

Exactly, this would be a great choice, and it's probably the best move we can make. Especially if we trade down.

 

[Beaker42]

I actually view Taco as more of a bust than big reach. I think he was a late 1st rounder by most.

He was both.

 

[beware_d-ware]

I'd be pretty bummed if we took a guard first round. Torrance is tolerable IMO... he's got some rare, standout traits that are worth a shot, but I don't know if he's a scheme fit.

Avila honestly looks like just another guy. Not bad, but not good. I don't see him as changing this team's trajectory at all.

 

[AsthmaField]

I actually view Taco as more of a bust than big reach. I think he was a late 1st rounder by most.

This is correct. When the pre-draft process first started, I remember seeing Taco as a top 10 pick in some mocks. As the process went on, his stock started falling some, but not a lot. He started getting mocked in the middle of the first round, and then by mid April, not long before the draft, I remember seeing him mocked in the later first round.

He was drafted about where he was supposed to go.

However, I will say this: I was never a fan of Taco in the pre draft lead-up, and wasn’t crazy about the pick… but I never really considered him as a bust player. I thought he might just be a steady player who was solid against the run but never really would put up much in the sack department. He just did little to excite me as a player.

Obviously, he was a bust… mainly because of what was between his ears, not because he lacked physical traits.

That is what we have to rely on the team for. Scout the player and the person. We fans can’t interview a guy to see if he has the desire to be great, or if he has a love of the game of football. Does he want to be the best at his position? Does he hate to lose? How is he in practice? These are questions that we have to trust that the team has tried to answer.

Somebody missed something with Taco, that’s for sure.

That is actually where people/teams missed on Parsons. The guy is as competitive a player as I’ve ever seen. Micah hates to lose. At anything. And the guy loves, loves, loves to play football. He never wants to come out… not even in preseason games. And the game and the outcome of the game is absolutely important to Micah. It is all that matters to him

You mix that type of personality and love of the game with elite, blue-chip traits… and Micah Parsons is the type of player you get.

Teams need to be real sure about the make-up of all players… but especially one’s they’re drafting in the first round. That is information that us draftniks can’t really get.

 

[AsthmaField]

Makes sense. Part of my problem is how they built their board.

IMO they should’ve a lot of players above Smith and viewed him more as a 2nd rounder.

Why should they have graded him 20 spots lower than where they thought he belonged? He was obviously a really good player with really good traits. With hindsight available to us now, we can see that they graded Tyler correctly. A lot of the OL drafted before him seem to have been graded too highly by teams.

 

[CowboyoWales]

This is correct. When the pre-draft process first started, I remember seeing Taco as a top 10 pick in some mocks. As the process went on, his stock started falling some, but not a lot. He started getting mocked in the middle of the first round, and then by mid April, not long before the draft, I remember seeing him mocked in the later first round.

He was drafted about where he was supposed to go.

However, I will say this: I was never a fan of Taco in the pre draft lead-up, and wasn’t crazy about the pick… but I never really considered him as a bust player. I thought he might just be a steady player who was solid against the run but never really would put up much in the sack department. He just did little to excite me as a player.

Obviously, he was a bust… mainly because of what was between his ears, not because he lacked physical traits.

That is what we have to rely on the team for. Scout the player and the person. We fans can’t interview a guy to see if he has the desire to be great, or if he has a love of the game of football. Does he want to be the best at his position? Does he hate to lose? How is he in practice? These are questions that we have to trust that the team has tried to answer.

Somebody missed something with Taco, that’s for sure.

That is actually where people/teams missed on Parsons. The guy is as competitive a player as I’ve ever seen. Micah hates to lose. At anything. And the guy loves, loves, loves to play football. He never wants to come out… not even in preseason games. And the game and the outcome of the game is absolutely important to Micah. It is all that matters to him

You mix that type of personality and love of the game with elite, blue-chip traits… and Micah Parsons is the type of player you get.

Teams need to be real sure about the make-up of all players… but especially one’s they’re drafting in the first round. That is information that us draftniks can’t really get.

Yep some good points and I bet we wish we'd invited Tolbert last year, rather than draft him on physical traits and tape.
....then again we hid our Tyler interest (until the last day...probably Jerry), probably fearing lising him to a trade up. Did we see the value in the expected plug and play Guard with potential to move to LT, or in the (as hapoened), he has the traits as a Tackle (so long as we fix his hand playment(?

 

[sjmike]

Who's to say that they don't have Torrance or Avila graded as highly as Tyler was last year? Could be one of them is both the best player available and in a position of need

 

[CowboyoWales]

Who's to say that they don't have Torrance or Avila graded as highly as Tyler was last year?

Possible, but unlikely. If you agree that Torrance/Avila are inferior to last year's top Guards (Zion/Kenyon) and we only had them as a second round grades it follows that we saw the value/grading of Tyler not because they saw a possible plug and play Guard, but because we saw him as a Tackle of the future.

Could be one of them is both the best player available and in a position of need

Highly unlikely, and that's the point of those fans who want strict BPA, you want/need your 1st Rd pick to be a success (btw - that's the reason im reticent on draft ANY WR, just because of positional value).

Depending on board, and im sure there would be receivers available at 26, we could trade down to 27, 29,31, draft the Guard and pick up another 3rd/4th....but you're are right, it's about the differential between the Guards and whoever's available.

 

[cnuball21]

But that's our evaluation, ironically in last years draft Cine eventually went to the Ravens, another team well regarded for there draft evaluation.
Interestingly, we only had second round grades of the 'Guard' only picks - Zion and Kenyon and they were regarded higher than this year's crop.....so there's a distinct probability if for some reason a team picked Tyler before us we wouldnt have taken any Guard in the first.

Maybe. Like I said part of my problem has been how the Cowboys build their board and rank players.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Maybe. Like I said part of my problem has been how the Cowboys build their board and rank players.

How can you fault the reasoning behind drafting a plug and play Guard in Tyler who's value is in the likely potential to be your future Tackle or trading down obviously preferring Micah's traits over Devonte Smith.
The idea of picking a: WR, Edge, or CB (especially in late 1st Rd) is just insane if the player doesn't have the skillset to play how you want him to....top end of the first I get you want the elite prospect regardless of position as there's a drop off...but at 26 the available talent bunches up.
I also get that fans want bling in the 1st RD but again at 26 there's no guarantee there's one available.

 

[cnuball21]

Every team is going to have 4 or 5 players that don‘t match these scouts that put together these mocks. Last year we had Cine, Smith, Lloyd, Hill, and Hall ranked as top 20 players. I bet every other team has several players that didn’t match the consensus mocks as well.

Of course. There will always be some variance I just wish we werent so far off sometimes.

 

[cnuball21]

How can you fault the reasoning behind drafting a plug and play Guard in Tyler who's value is in the likely potential to be your future Tackle or trading down obviously preferring Micah's traits over Devonte Smith.
The idea of picking a: WR, Edge, or CB (especially in late 1st Rd) is just insane if the player doesn't have the skillset to play how you want him to....top end of the first I get you want the elite prospect regardless of position as there's a drop off...but at 26 the available talent bunches up.
I also get that fans want bling in the 1st RD but again at 26 there's no guarantee there's one available.

If Tyler would’ve been an actual 1st round talent I would’ve loved it…but he wasn’t and we reached.

 

[CowboyoWales]

If Tyler would’ve been an actual 1st round talent I would’ve loved it…but he wasn’t and we reached.

No, on our board he was a 1st...trust inMcClay

 

[cnuball21]

No, on our board he was a 1st...trust inMcClay

Correct…which is part of my problem.

 

[stilltheguru]

No, on our board he was a 1st...trust inMcClay

We should follow imaginary consensus boards. That's what GMs do

 

[baltcowboy]

If Tyler would’ve been an actual 1st round talent I would’ve loved it…but he wasn’t and we reached.

Interesting that you believe in draft nicks over NFL front offices. Tyler was going to be a first round pick even if the Cowboys passed. Tennessee was going to take him and Tampa liked him as well.