Draft ‘07 — The Amazing Disappearing 2nd Round
Posted: April 29, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
The caterwauling has begun, among Dallas faithful and across the NFL. This pick stinks. That pick stinks. The team reached. They didn’t fill this or that need…
I’m seeing this more than usual this year, because the board was softer than any in the 18 years I’ve been buying draft guides and dissecting the action.
The War Room Scouts, who put together an NFL-type draft board for The Sporting News gave 26 players 1st round grades this year, just 22 players 2nd round grades, 39 players 3rd round grades and 51 players 4th round grades, suggesting that smart teams needed to get their guy in round one and head for the middle, if they wanted maximum value.
Want proof that any type of consensus among real War Room boards fell apart after approximately 30 picks? Take a look at Rick Gosselin’s Top 100, which he compiles from league sources. It’s the best information laymen will get pre-draft on what teams are really thinking about players. It’s so good I’ve been told some NFL teams use the top 100 as a guide when running through pre-draft scenarios.
But look at the ratings of some 2nd round-rated players and their actual draft positions:
36. Ryan Kalil – taken 59th, - 23 spots;
37. Trent Edwards — taken 92nd, - 55 spots;
43. Craig Davis — taken 30th, +13 spots;
47. Antonio Pittman — taken 107th, -60 spots;
50. Marcus McCauley — taken 72nd, - 22 spots;
51. John Beck — taken 40th, + 11 spots;
53. Tank Tyler — taken 82nd, - 29 spots;
54. Zack Miller – taken 38th, + 16 spots;
55. Ray McDonald – taken 97th, - 42 spots;
57. Eric Weddle — taken 37th, +20 spots;
59. Charles Johnson — taken 83rd, - 24 spots;
60. Tanard Jackson — taken 106th, -46 spots;
61. Jason Hill – taken 76th, - 15 spots;
62. Jonathan Wade — taken 84th, - 22 spots;
65. Andy Alleman — taken 88th, - 23 spots;
That’s half of the second round, the meat of the first day, that didn’t fall within ten spots of their ratings. In many cases, the players dropped almost a full round and in four cases almost two rounds from their ratings.
This suggests that the middle and late second round was a giant black hole, where teams scrambled to get the best deals or just fled. Dallas has taken some heat for trading out of the 53rd spot but look at two consensus draft gurus and their actions:
– San Diego GM A.J. Smith pushed Gosselin’s board to the breaking point. Smith took WR Craig Davis 13 spots higher than his rating, landing the mid-2nd round rated wideout late in the first. Then, he traded up 25 spots, from the 62nd pick to the 37th slot, and took Utah’s Eric Weddle, though Weddle was rated 57th. Said Smith, “I felt there was no chance he would be there in the bottom of the round.”
You think Gosselin’s draft grades will slap Smith with a D for getting cute? Fat chance.
Next, look at New England’s behavior. The Pats gambled on Miami FS Brandon Meriweather, then traded the 28th overall pick to San Francisco for the ‘Niners’ ‘08 #1 and a fourth this year. The Pats didn’t ask for San Fran’s second rounder at 42, though they didn’t have a second of their own.
Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick didn’t feel the second was worth the trouble this year. The Boston Herald summarized the Pats thinking this way:
This isn’t considered the deepest draft in the world, so rather than address an immediate need at linebacker with a player like Michigan’s David Harris, the Pats pocketed the pick for next year when the draft class is supposed to improve and the pick will likely be higher than 28th.
New England made a trade for an ‘08 first rounder, speculating it will be higher and the Pats bailed altogether on the 2nd round. Hmmm. Sound like some wacky, hyperactive owner some people bashed this weekend?
Lastly, look at the Eagles. They tracked Meriweather and were willing to let Dallas back into the first after the Pats selected him. They spent their first pick on QB Kevin Kolb, suggesting they didn’t see any “wow” to immediately bolster their squad in the 26 to 40 pick range either.
Any team can justify taking any player almost anywhere after the first 35 picks this year. Take 4th round pick Isaiah Stanback, the most controversial Cowboys’ pick, judging from reactions on this site and elsewhere. One draft book lists him as a sixth rounder. Another as a fifth. On the other hand, Pro Football Weekly’s ‘07 Draft Guide guide says this,
“[Stanback] has as much physical talent as anyone in the NFL and could be a dynamic game-changer capable of contributing immediately, similar to the way Michael Robinson (49ers) and Brad Smith (Jets) — both fourth-round picks in 2006 — did as rookies.
They rated him as a 3rd to 4th round player.
Think James Marten was overdrafted at the 67th spot because Gosselin rated him 85th? Consider that Doug Free was rated 77th and was drafted in the 122nd spot. Just tell yourself that Dallas took Free in the early 3rd and Marten in the late 4th. I guarantee you’ll sleep better.
While you’re lamenting the 3rd round receiver Dallas lost trading up for Anthony Spencer, try thinking of the players Dallas can now realistically dream of getting with the Browns’ pick next April –
Darren McFadden, Jake Long, Glenn Dorsey, Brian Brohm, Mario Manningham…
Don’t you feel better already?
Comments
132 Responses to “Draft ‘07 — The Amazing Disappearing 2nd Round”
1st
A lurker comes out of the shadows to play a stupid game…
It wasn’t nearly as much fun as it looks from afar…
I think I’ll go back to lurking.
A crazy draft, Raf. I think you’re right that it’s inevitable for their to be disagreement and debate about the picks, seeing as even the experts couldn’t agree. Looking forward to your thoughts on each of the picks.
Ahh rafael, talking sense on this one of the most emotional days in football will get you no where.
you should know by now, the blogs will want blood!
Just like after a loss, someone must hang, and there is no one to get overly excited about here, thus the calls for JJ’s head.
Whether or not the cowboys followed their exact plan (it sounds very much like me that WP was high on spencer all along) or not, whether they stocked up on Olineman that can push for starting jobs in 08, and whether they found another crayton in round 4 is irrelevant.
“Im not dazzled!”
“Im not satisfied!”
“We should have taken this guy!”
A little patience and reason is simply asking too much on a weekend like this man.
Raf,
Thanks for the perspective. While it is obviously too early to really assess this draft and I agree with bostonfan that i am looking forward to more informed perspectives on each pick, it is a little disappointing that the Boys didn’t address “need” in later rounds when it seemed like taking “best available” was an arbitrary exercise in either case…particularly looking at NT and safety.
As to the 2008 Draft, I say that the Cowboys take a Jr OT either Gaither, or Oher.
They might be able to snag that Razorback RB AND and pro bowl LT next year..
Raf, I sure do apppreciate the post breaking this down rationaly. You did a terrific job but I am sure some will still not get it. It makes perfect sense to me But to many here thay just dont’t get it. If they are not complaining and having fun second guessing everything the organization does they are not happy. They are owed thier opinion but man does it wear on you. I tell you its been tough reading the past couple of days. Especially with all the constant crying/whining going on around here.
I think we already have a good team…I want to find out how good they really are…
I think we were pretty good last year with this young team, it will be even better this year with 1 more year of growth and experience.
I feel alot better.
Thanks
I like the Spencer pick and especially if he is a qb sacking machine.
In the last few years we lost Nguyen, Coakley, Shanle, Fujita, and most recently Fowler. Ellis injury last year decimated our Defense.
FS is a concern…….but is CB/RB/WR as much a pressing need with 2 first rounders next year? TNEW in a contract year…….Henry might be the answer at FS……Watkins? Hamlin for sure now.
The CBs we got look like Reeves, Thornton, and Jones redux from a Parcells draft a few years back. They do have speed………but then so did Pete Hunter.
It looks like we cannot afford injury from Ferguson. We live in hope Henry fights off the slowing injuries he has had, and Glenn hits Ponce De Leon’s fountain of Youth and. Reeves or Jones suddenly become legit nickel CBs……Roy loses weight and learns to cover and Hamlin is no longer seeing double vision.
Other than that…..I know nothing of Stanback but he looks intriguing. Is he our Matt Jones? Will he play WR?
A couple of lineman looks promising…..and I do like that we at least took some DBs in there somewhere. We need pass rush, and Wade wants to see it too. He got it out what looks like about an equally talented lot of defenders in Sand Diego. Perhaps they got a little more depth for a 3-4 than us, but for the most part similar.
Turn em loose Wade……and tell Jerry not to get so cute next year. I love the first round trades……but then he just went swap picks kuku for coco puffs.
Starting to look at the draft grades.
USA Today gives Dallas 3 out of 4 stars. (the only teams that got 4 stars had one of the top 5 picks).
Most satisfying is that the Giants, Skins and Eagles all received one star. I think we can all agree at least that our rivals had three of the worst drafts in the league!
No, still don’t feel much better.
Was this draft devoid of talent? No.
Was an ‘08 first rounder worth a second and fifth? Yeah, if Cleveland stinks as much as everyone says they should. Top 5 pick? Worth every penny.
The tackles were great picks. Trust the scouts that they were the best of the lot.
But no CBs (do NOT think that the 7th round fliers count), WRs (of any note), Centers, NTs, or Safeties.
What was the biggest need (according to EVERY SINGLE expert)?
- FS
- WR
- OL
- Some mention NT & CB
Nice luxury Spencer. Good, solid, pick…for someone who needs him. IMO, we don’t. Let our last two draft picks (#1 & #2) develop.
Thanks Raf.
Looking forward to the top 10 pick from the Browns and the 32nd 1st round picks next year.
I think one of the biggest implications of the Spencer signing is that he’s so obviously a “Wade” pick. We even traded back up into the 1st round to get the guy he wanted. Shows me that he had a lot more influence in the war room than some people want to believe. We’re much better off today as a team than we were Friday.
Thanks Raf,
I actually really like this draft; I think they did a great job. Anyway no-one will really know for about 2-3 years. For now I think it’s excellent. Top 10 pick in 08 here we come!
Is it just me, or does anyone else thing Cleveland is going to be pretty good next year?? I mean, I’m real happy we’ve got their 1st next year, but I wonder if they’re really going to be as bad as we think?? I guess I’m just a lot higher on Brady Quinn than others, but I think he starts from day 1. Franchise LT and OG Eric Steinbach protecting him and Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow to throw too. Jamal Lewis and Reuben Droughns to hand off too. If the rest of the O-line and the defense fleshes itself out, they could be 8-8 next season. I think they’ll definitely be better than Da Raiders.
Fighter15,
I think the two safeties they might have taken came off before their pick. It seems obvious that their assessment was a pass-rusher more so than a FS.
I guess they’re intriqued by austin and hurd and feel they can sign a younger WR in FA next year too.
they addressed Oline did they not? No center, but maybe they’re high on proctor as a center.
They’ve got no QB, no RB, new line, no scheme, OLD D and average talent top to bottom.
Add to that, they play in the AFC.
Only Oakland is worse.
Yeah, you might be on an island thinking they’re gonna be good.
It’s a nice paranoia, though, especially after Buffalo had their only good season in a decade when we got their choice. Still got Ware.
Jarhead,
Yeah, I think the whole DB thing just got lost in GM Jerry’s trade fog.
He’s already on record saying WR is best got in FA after they’re proven. And history makes a pretty good argument for him.
But which one of the following is true?:
a. Bobby Carpenter, 18th pick ‘06 is a bust
b. Kevin Burnett, 2nd round ‘05 is a bust
c. Ayodele is an overpriced FA pickup and a bust
d. Resigning Brady James (4th round) was a huge (cap wise) bust
That doesn’t even include Ellis, Junior Glymph, and some other decent talent that could develop. It was just a HUGE area of strength on this team.
That said, Spencer is a player. He’s just going to make (a.) or (b.) a self-fullfilling prophecy.
Easy Fighter!!
Take a look at who got drafted, there wasn’t a whole lot of NT depth out there.
TO those who loved the 374lb Walter Thomas, guess what? He is still undrafted?
We picked up a wedge buster and a 4.3/40 CB project in the later rounds, along with our 1st rounder, the Bookend for Ware till 2011.
Besides, we all know that you can’t grade a draft till a couple of years after anyway…
Marten can play center according to Raf.
The whinning bugs me.
We draft a very good DE prospect with pass rush potential and two o linemen and suddenly Jerry is throwing away the teams future. Philly does the same thing last year and they are brilliant.
We picked up a full back and kicker prospect in the 6th round. That seems like a reasonable round for us to take a flyer at upgrading two positions where we clearly need help. Those two guys have a much better chance of making the final roster then a CB, WR or NT that we might draft in the 6th.
The one pick that stand out to me as a bit odd was the QB at the top of the 4th. That said, I am ok with one 4th round pick being spent on a prospect that I did not think that highly of. Oh well, just maybe in my 10 minutes a day of being an NFL scout I missed something.
Fighter, don’t agree. They’ve got the QB. A guy who can step right in. Great talent at O-line now. Two capable 1000 yard RB’s. With their receiving options, I think they can score some points. Their D is going to be the question.
kameleon,
I also think that we are not giving Cleveland enough credit. They are capable of ending up a .500 team. So, I’m not celebrating a top 10 pick yet. But hey, they could always run into another LeCharles Bentley situation.
Also, no mention of our 6th round kicker. Can we not muster up any positive spin for the pick?
Trey, if we had made the same picks at the same spots that New England did, except for Merriweather, the same fans would whine. They pick some guys no one ever heard of and their genius’s. We could pick the same guys and were idiots. Just like they can bring a guy in with character issues and their such a “classy” organization that it’s not even questioned. But let us bring in a Randy Moss and see what happens.
Fighter,
Isn’t it a generally policy that in a 3-4 defense that you need to keep the linebackers coming?
We won’t really know the real value of this weekends draft until 3 years from now.
Right now I can say with confidence that 03 draft was A
T. Newman=1st round value
J. Witten=1st round value
B. James=2nd round value
T. Romo= 2nd round value
We also have Ken Hamlin from that
draft class which should carry
a 2nd/3rd round value
mowgli, I agree. I see the Browns as an improving team.
As for the kicker, it took me awhile, but I’m on board!! I think he beats out Grammatica unless he gets hurt. Knock on wood. Do you think that would keep fans from being pissed about picking him?? Fat chance!!LOL
Fighter,
I think it’s choice D. LOL.
Spencer will hopefully play SOLB. Carpenter might alternate between OLB and ILB getting James off the field on third downs (at least). Akin Ayodele was good last year, definitely better than James, he’s not moving.
Not every move works, mistakes are made in everything that ever gets done. Maybe James contract was a mistake, maybe Burnett is not a player or at least hasn’t been so far. But if that’s true we’ve gotta get another one. Can’t just stop looking to upgrade a position because you’ve tried and failed, you’ve gotta succeed before you move on.
Our only proven pressure player is Demarcus Ware. He’s the only guy on this team to have over ten sacks in a season. We need more pressure players and Spencer looks like being close to the best 3-4 prospect in the draft.
Thank God that’s over. Now we can get on with putting a team on the field and stop the idiotic analysis of this pick and that pick. We all know a draft can’t really be graded for about three years. We got a few players in a weak draft and two first rounders for next year. I hope the Browns suck so bad Lake Erie winds up a dry hole.
I am happy that we didn’t draft a TE.
Granted, no team is perfect in this league, but I don’t see too many teams with a better rsoter than the Cowboys.
Marten is 6′7″ something. If you like this draft class, then you must love Nate Jones, Stanley, Procter, and Hurd. If a CB, NT, WR, C or OG misses any time that is what the Cowboys will be rolling out there.
Great, I’m good with all of these guys playing alot.
Mark my words. The Dallas Cowboys have the best roster in the NFL!!
Can’t hold it against the whiners. It is your patriotic right. As a fan, you’re desperate for your team to win now. It’s the management’s job to plan for the future, else they wouldn’t be worth their paychecks. The only way to quell the hating is to win, and I see a lot of winning for the Cowboys this year.
Can’t wait to play New England…that will give us a gauge to how good this team is…
I wasn’t too fired up about Wade Phillips at first, but I’m beginning to think he may make a big difference to our fortunes this year…
mcallen,
Erm, the Pats and the Chargers might have something to say about that. However, best roster does not equal best team does not equal Superbowl winners.
Draft Grades for:
03 Class= A
04 Class= C
05 Class= B+
06 Class= ?
07 Class= ?
mowgli,
I’d take my chances with the “best” roster…
KAMELEON………
I’M WITH YOU MAN, OUR TRADE WITH THE BROWNS IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE BROWNS ‘08 RECORD. YEAH THEY HAVE BEEN AWFUL BUT THAT WAS WITH OUT A QB, O LINE. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEIR QB PLAY HURT THEM AND I THINK THAT THEIR DEFENSE WAS DECENT NOTHING GREAT OF COURSE. THEIR RECORD FROM LAST YEAR WAS 4-12, ANY OPINIONS AS TO WHAT THEIR RECORD MIGHT BE NEXT YEAR? I’LL SAY 8-8.
I keep hearing from fans that Jerry screwed up by giving Parcells guy Bradie James a big contract, but we all know what would have happened if he hadn’t done it. The same fans would be screaming for his head because we didn’t lock up James and let him hit the market. We took a chance on a guy who had one good season in his contract year. I don’t really like the player, but you can’t blame Jerry for keeping our own FA’s. Hopefully, James will be better with a guy like Wade calling the plays.
Mowgli,
Point well taken but the Chargers and Pats do not have Wide Receiver depth that Cowboys do.
ALEJANDRO, I’ll go with that. I say 8-8. I hope 1-15…
kameleon,
Let’s take your hypothetical. Let’s say Cleveland goes 8-8 and gets the 16th pick.
And let’s say Dallas is a little better and gets the 26th pick, which the Eagles got for winning the division this year.
That’s still 1700 points, which can get you into the top five.
kameleon,
Dude, how many first day picks are you gonna make on one position? It’s GM Jerry’s run on D-backs all over again. This time, though, he’s at least batting .250.
Look, I’m really not normally a negative guy. I’m very much one of the resident optimists.
Even in my post, I give credit for the future pick, Spencer as a player, and OL pickups. I just thought (and am joined by every single pre-draft analysis) that our needs were FS, WR, NT, and OL.
Hey, one out of four ain’t bad. Ain’t good…but not terrible.
Something doesn’t add up at LB; 4 first rounders, a second rounder, a free agent and a guy you just extended. Somebody explain it.
No one is calling New England geniuses for drafting Merriweather.
It’s things like signing Adalius Thomas and getting Randy Moss for a 4th rounder that make them geniuses.
Raf,
That’s good right??LOL. I’m not saying it’s not still a great move, I’m just wondering if we’re underestimating Cleveland. I LOVE having two 1st round picks in next years draft. We can do whatever we want to. Darren McFadden here we come!!!
Guys, Cleveland is going to suck…hard.
They better than Pitt, Cinn, or Balt? Not even close.
Anyone in the East?
I’ll give you Houston, maybe Tenn in the South.
Oakland in the West.
Who are they going to beat?
Fighter15,
As many as I have to to get the job done. I need at least 4 of them just to START in the 3-4 D. I need at least that many just to back them up.
All those pre draft experts also said that because of Jerry’s FA signings we were positioned to take the best players available. Then when we do just that, fans say we screwed up!! So what do you have the problem with, they players themselves?? Or just the positions they play??
Let me say right now, there’s no way Cleveland goes 8-8. Their schedule is tough, playing division rivals like Cincy, Baltimore and Pittsburgh twice, New England, Seattle, the Jets and some teams that look much better this year, like the Rams, the 49ers, Houston, Miami and Arizona.
Even Oakland looks like it has improved. Cleveland had lot’s of holes, and with so many new pieces to put into place, it seems like we may get a very good draft pick next year from them.
mcallen,
I think you’re thinking about last year’s Pats. Didn’t they add Moss, Stallworth, Welker, Kelley to whomever they’d like to keep from last year?
And guys, my crystal ball (read: bottle of Pacifico with label semi-peeled off) says Cleveland will go 6-10.
OVER ALL I AM HAPPY THAT WE HAVE A HELP ON OUR O LINE. OUR NEED HAS BEEN FS,OL,WR IN MY OPINION, BUT YOU JUST CANT HAVE IT YOUR WAY EVERY YEAR. MY ONLY CONCERN IS NEXT YEAR, WHAT IF HAMLIN HAS A GOOD YEAR AND LEAVES, NEWMAN, J JONES ARE ON THEIR LAST YEAR. I’M SURE THAT WE WON’T RESIGN F ADAMS NEXT YEAR,SO WE MAY BE LOOKING AT RB,CB,FS HELP…. OH AS WELL AS NT, PLUS THE 3RD YEAR GUYS THAT NEED TO STEP UP NOW OTHERWISE WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT REPLACING THEM.
SORRY…..But I think this years Draft for Dallas was really CRAPPY….I know we got a 1st next year, but all we got was one good DE/OLB but weve drafted a bunch of those in a row. And what about all you guys wanting Safty/CB help…2 7th round corners, probably wont even make the team…CRAPPY CRAPPY CRAPPY
Oh and the oline guys they drafted probably practice squad material.
Aaargh, teh CAPS hurts teh eyes. Good points still, so let’s see: they must have hope for Watkins and Hamlin as a stopgap; OLine has been looked at; and WR was not such a pressing concern this year but will be next year for sure. And who knows, Julius Jones might rediscover his rookie form, and Courtney Brown might pan out. I do agree that NT should have been considered this year.
Did I mention Crappy.
BPA was Brady Quinn. But BPA is never done in a vacuum.
Forget next year. What’s our weakness for the next 5 years?
- WR x 2, You know, the middle aged thing we got going can’t last.
- OT x 2, Adams in ‘08, Colombo, too.
- OG, Kosier in a few…plus we just need an upgrade.
- CB x 2, Glenn and Henry is iffy
- FS, Hamlin & Watkins are real ??
- NT, Fergy needs help now. Who’s gonna be there in 2-3 years?
I put LB on par with backup Center, developmental QB, and kicker…OH! We got that!
Our weakness for the next five years is Jerry Jones.
How is it that nobody seems to remember that we’re not done getting rookies? Jerry Jones is very good at selling the Cowboys Franchise to URFAs, and we sign some very good ones each year. We will definitely sign guys to come in and compete at NT, DB, TE, and O-line (reserve C/G). Wait at least a week before you say we haven’t addressed some important positions.
I wish we didn’t have to spend another first on a LB. I was hoping WP would look at our D and say he had all the firepower he needed for the front 7. That said, if we think we needed another OLB I’m glad we drafted one that looks pretty good.
Given this, however, it’s extremely difficult for me to think Carpenter was a good pick last year.
Yeah UnconventionalWisdom:
Im with ya. I was at work listening to the draft on the radio when I heard they traded up for another DE\hybrid LB. I thouht I heard it wrong.
nwhargis,
Names please. Who should Dallas have drafted?
Cleveland could turn out like the Saints for all I know (I doubt it), but I’m still glad we have two picks next year.
Most of us knew before the draft that half these guys probably wouldn’t make the team. That’s a good problem to have. Four to five years ago, we counted on every pick contributing. I like our situation now much better. Crappy teams need all their draft picks.
Tony Romo confidence builder…….
Jerry Jones passing on a potential franchise QB….Brady Quinn..trading the pick…..and not adding a real qb at all. Zabransky and Leak could be interesting UFAs to bring in and take a closer look see…….did Palmer’s brother get drafted?
We are riding number 9 to the promised land. Tony it is your show my man, cuz Brad Johnson ain’t even going to take a snap if you can stay on healthy.
Now, I will say this, you don’t draft kickers….you get em as UFAs and you talk to their agents before the draft and pay em like they were drafted in the 4th round….until they miss then you cut em and send em back to b league soccer!!!
*2 first round picks
BEFORE THE DRAFT EVERYONE WAS LIKE.. OH YEAH MERIWEATHER IS A PLAYMAKER, I HEAR BRANCH IS FALLEN, BLAYLOCK IS A STARTING MATERIAL, WE NEED BACK UP CENTER, EVERYONE NOT BEING SURE ABOUT HENRY STAYING HEALTHY, OUR CB GLENN IS GETTING OLD, YET WE COULD OF PICK, PICK36-BLAYLOCK(OL), PICK53- E WRIGHT(CB) OR R KALIL(C),PICK67-TANK TYLER (DT). THIS COULD OF COVER OL,CB,DT. 3 DIFF POSITIONS
Charb,
All is not right at LB. We hit big time on Ware, but the other three are average pass rushers at best.
To be effective an NFL defense needs two good pass rushers. We needed Spenser.
Burnett is not a bust, but so far he is a limited player. He is a very good cover linebacker.
The problem is in Parcells version of the 3-4 he could not effectively fill any of the roles. The inside line backers need to be able to take on and win against the other teams guards. The outside line backers need to be able to get to the QB by going around a quality OT or a TE and a RB.
Last year the inside linebackers did a good job closing the inside running lanes, but they lacked in their deep middle pass coverage responsibilities.
We have had some misses, or at least less then home run in the key position in the defense we run so we have to keep swinging until we have a dominating linebacker crew.
Well I would have liked a WR or Safty.Dwayne Bowe, or Meriweather. They went 23 and 24 or with the trade I would have liked Meachem he went 27.
Anything but another LB
Can I have that ? Raf?
Meriweather
Quinn
Stanley
Grubbs/Sears/Blalock
More to the point, I would have been much more satisfied had we stayed at 36 and still had the third and fifth.
Not to mention the WRs
RAFAEL, IF WE DIDNT MAKE THE TRADE WHAT PLAYERS WOULD YOU HAVE DRAFTED?
if Spencer pans out, then he could in turn fix our backfield problems. A better pass rush will make our corners and safeties look better.
Undrafted Free Agents Cowboys have signed o far;
Jackie Battle Runningback 6’2’ 238 4.40 forty.
Rodney Hannah 6’7’ 245 Tight End.
RAFA, WITH THE TRADE WHAT PLAYERS WOULD YOU HAVE DRAFT?
The draft for me was ok. B- or C+ (subject to change with time of course), and really there wasn’t the usual talent level available especially on the second day as Raf pointed out…except for maybe Michael Bush taken by the raiders at the top of the fourth- he could be a real star in this league. I still think Stanbach was taken too early, but like the Free pick in particular as well as the FB we got…if he can stay out of trouble then he should be a real wrecking ball at FB.
There’s alot of guys making unqualified and unquantified statements in here…
It’s pretty amusing listening to the bashing of the draft already. The drafting of OL should have been expected. It takes an OL a year or two to get adjusted to the NFL, especially one not taken early in the 1st round. If Flozell does leave after this season, or Colombo doesn’t improve/gets injured, atleast we have some options now. We probably won’t have to draft an OL early next year and expect him to start. My only dissapointment is not taking a WR early. Any one of our top 3 receivers may not be back after this season, and that could force us to take a WR early and expect him to contribute. Most rookie WR don’t contribute right away. But when you look at the options at WR in the 2nd rd when we are selecting.. there were none worth selecting. Steve Smith would have been nice, but he was taken two spots earlier. No options at WR worth the 2nd rd pick. Picking up Stanback in the 4th throws another option at WR and I’ve read positive things about him. Its way too early to know about the quality of players we got out of the draft.. but I like the way we went about handling the draft this year.
Fighter,
BPA at 22 was Brady Quinn, no doubt. BPA according to our board at #26 was Spencer. We went for him and got a 1st round pick out of the deal. Who cares how many 1st rounders are at any one position?? I’d have 1st rounders at every position on the team if I could. Who would you have picked?? And tell me which one of the guys you would pick would have as much of an impact on our team as Spencer. Almost any of the positions you listed would end up backups for sure. WR would at best be the #3 guy. NT might, I stress might because Branch has the feel of a bust, might have been a good backup in a rotation. We got a damn good player and all you can say is we’ve got too many at the position.
We also picked up a RB, QB (supposedly Jaws’ sleeper pick) and a OG
Branch was my pick. I was yelling at the TV.
Meachem would have been OK as would a couple of the other WRs.
My hope (going in before Branch dropped) was Staley, Blalock or Grubbs.
A key in business and in life is to admit and correct your mistakes.
It does not matter that Dallas has three high priced defensive backs, if the secondary is not playing up to the value spent then they need to fix the issue.
Same thing for our front seven. Sure we have spent a lot of high draft picks and we have a lot of talent. What we do not have is a dominating front seven. We are not going to win many playoff games without one. We needed another pass rusher as much as we needed another high priced defensive back.
nwhargis,
You would have been happy with a WR in the 1st round?? So he could maybe, maybe beat Crayton out for just the #3 job, or sit on the bench as the #4 or #5 WR and learn for a year or so?? Instead of a pass rusher who should be contributing from day 1?? Okay…
We might have hit on another pleasant surprise undrafted free agent with Battle. He looks a super athlete.
I think Cleveland is on the right road and it’s almost impossible to predict what will happen in the NFL. But if they are starting a rookie QB next year, they are not going to win 8 games imo. It will be fun to root against them every single week.
Oh, and Meriweather.
But like I said to Rafael, it wasn’t Spencer that I disliked, it was the trade. We might very well have gotten him at 36 and I would be dancing a jig.
where is everyone seeing the signings of the rookie free agents?
Fighter,
I don’t think anyone else is saying that the guys you would want to pick are bad picks. In fact, I think the guys that are disagreeing with you would probably be a hell of a lot happier with those picks than you are with Spencer. It’s just that I and others have seen a need for a pass rusher and the fact that we took a really good one instead of some other guy isn’t something I’m going to be too upset about. Spencer is going to be real good, IMHO.
Really don’t think Spencer would have been available at #36. Just my opinion, but he’d be wearing a Patriot jersey right now if we’d passed on him and he’d be sacking Romo next year when we play them.
1. Spencer A+
1. 2008 1st A+
1. Trade with Eagles= priceless
The Eagles will pay for this move. Why in the heck would you give Spencer back to Dallas when you could have probably picked that QB later? Now they have to block Spencer and Ware. They don’t feel to concerned, we’ll just see about that.
On top of that, they gave Meachem to the Saints when they could have given him to McNabb. Hmmm. What do you think McNabb thinks about this? He’s sensative you know; its “his team”. The Eagles “really don’t need T.O.” They have “been there before”. Mark this down. McNabb isn’t happy about this move. It should affect his play. There trade down put us in the hunt for the division and made the Saints the super bowl favorites.
If the Eagles pick at 26, they win the division. The Cowboys loose Spencer to New England, and they are stuck with an offensive guard who can’t take the pressure off Ware.
Regarding Cleveland…
It will take them at least next year and possibly the year after to get their team working as a team. Remember, it takes teamwork to win ball games. By adding a few quality players, they’ve accelerated their development time for the team. They still have to get used to each other in order to function as a cohesive unit. Ergo, anticipate a less than .500 season next year.
Regarding Nick Folk (K)…
This kid has a cannon for a foot. I saw him in a game kicking FGs from 50 - 55 yds out. He needs better coaching for accuracy, though. May be the “sleeper” in this draft that can contribute early and well. Even at his senior year of 75%, the 6th round pick would seem to be a good choice.
Overall, this draft was probably one of the most difficult for teams to work. Especially, since the fans got so emotional about their picks. I don’t think that any of the fans agreed with their teams picks, except for those in the first few positions of the 1st round. The ‘Boys picked up a high quality DE/LB with their first pick in Spencer PLUS an extra 1st round pick next year. Now, how good is that? In the late rounds, it appeared that nearly every team was just going through the motions of drafting quickly to get it all over with since the quality was diminishing rapidly. In other words, they were drafting camp fodder.
JMO…
Fighter,
Who are the QB and OG we signed?
Fighter,
So this is all about losing Justin Blalock and a 5th round pick?
I’ll take Spencer, thanks.
scout,
Did you see Cris Mortensen at the close of the draft today? They’re going around naming winners and losers and he picks the Eagles as his loser, saying,
“how can you give a division rival a chance to get Anthony Spencer? If he pairs with Demarcus Ware and they start harassing Donovan McNabb the Eagles fans will not be happy.”
Brought a big smile to my face.
The RB from U. of Houston, Jackie Battle is an interesting pickup. He’s a one-back type of guy. Could be a bigger Preston Pearson/Kevin Faulk type of guy.
kamaleon_o:
Not to be picky but Reuben Droughns will play with the NY Giants in 2007.
The Browns depth chart includes Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison, the first guy with 1822 carries in his back and after his peak and the other a 2nd year player that didn’t showed much in his rookie season.
Now, on some other thoughts…
On Anthony Spencer:
Every guy with some knowledge of our team wanted another OLB to improve the pass rush, and Rafael even played with the idea of drafting Spencer in one of his mocks, why do you guys think that happened?
Simple, Ware can rush the passer, we all know that. Ellis does too, and according to early indications he’s going to be able to do so this season, he’s already running and hard and it’s almost May. And then what? A big fat zero.
In 2005 Parcells indeed liked Carpenter, but the first guy on their list went to Cleveland at pick 13, Wimbley. And don’t start mentioning the name Manny Lawson, after last season even when we know that Carpenter wasn’t a good pass rusher, he was and is a much better OLB than Lawson.
And Kevin Burnett is indeed close to being a bust, he’s good in coverage, hot and cold against the run and a bad pass rusher, the only way in which he’s going to play some this year is if SOB makes him his Donnie Edwards.
So, the team had 2 players capable of rushing in a system that relies on the rush from the OLBs…
Playing them in 100% of the snaps isn’t wise because not even one 3-4 team does that, well, last season our team would have done so but Ellis’ injury prevented that from happening
On no WRs (and WR/QB/PR/KR isn’t an option), FSs or NTs:
Do you think that, as an example, Meachem would have been able to start with Owens and Glenn on the starting lineup? Only if one of them goes down, right? And for that he would have to beat Crayton, who for your liking or not, knows how to get himself open and has a pair of real good hands.
What about FS? He would have to beat Ken Hamlin and Pat Watkins, not Mission Impossible, but a guy not named Meriweather or Nelson would have had troubles.
And what about NT? Jason Ferguson is entrenched, his play last season says so because to me he was the most consistent player, so, he would have to go down for a guy to play.
So, yeah, Dallas needs more depth!
That’s new in this League!
What do you think that would happen to the current Champion if:
Peyton Manning goes down? The Colts would need to play Sorgi.
What about Jeff Saturday the leader of their OLine? Dylan Gandy would get the nod, he’s a Guard entering his 3rd year in the League and only had one year of Center experience in College.
What about Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Joseph Addai, Tarik Glenn and Marlin Jackson?
They would be screwed!
And that’s the current Champion.
Do I need to go any further and talk about how the Bears would be screwed if a number of scenarios would occur?
kamaleon_o:
Not to be picky but Reuben Droughns will play with the NY Giants in 2007.
The Browns depth chart includes Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison, the first guy with 1822 carries in his back and after his peak and the other a 2nd year player that didn’t showed much in his rookie season.
Now, on some other thoughts…
On Anthony Spencer:
Every guy with some knowledge of our team wanted another OLB to improve the pass rush, and Rafael even played with the idea of drafting Spencer in one of his mocks, why do you guys think that happened?
Simple, Ware can rush the passer, we all know that. Ellis does too, and according to early indications he’s going to be able to do so this season, he’s already running and hard and it’s almost May. And then what? A big fat zero.
In 2005 Parcells indeed liked Carpenter, but the first guy on their list went to Cleveland at pick 13, Wimbley. And don’t start mentioning the name Manny Lawson, after last season even when we know that Carpenter wasn’t a good pass rusher, he was and is a much better OLB than Lawson.
And Kevin Burnett is indeed close to being a bust, he’s good in coverage, hot and cold against the run and a bad pass rusher, the only way in which he’s going to play some this year is if SOB makes him his Donnie Edwards.
So, the team had 2 players capable of rushing in a system that relies on the rush from the OLBs…
Playing them in 100% of the snaps isn’t wise because not even one 3-4 team does that, well, last season our team would have done so but Ellis’ injury prevented that from happening
On no WRs (and WR/QB/PR/KR isn’t an option), FSs or NTs:
Do you think that, as an example, Meachem would have been able to start with Owens and Glenn on the starting lineup? Only if one of them goes down, right? And for that he would have to beat Crayton, who for your liking or not, knows how to get himself open and has a pair of real good hands.
What about FS? He would have to beat Ken Hamlin and Pat Watkins, not Mission Impossible, but a guy not named Meriweather or Nelson would have had troubles.
And what about NT? Jason Ferguson is entrenched, his play last season says so because to me he was the most consistent player, so, he would have to go down for a guy to play.
So, yeah, Dallas needs more depth!
That’s new in this League!
What do you think that would happen to the current Champion if:
Peyton Manning goes down? The Colts would need to play Sorgi.
What about Jeff Saturday the leader of their OLine? Dylan Gandy would get the nod, he’s a Guard entering his 3rd year in the League and only had one year of Center experience in College.
What about Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Joseph Addai, Tarik Glenn and Marlin Jackson?
They would be screwed!
And that’s the current Champion.
Do I need to go any further and talk about how the Bears would be screwed if a number of scenarios would occur?
Now, on some other thoughts…
On Anthony Spencer:
Every guy with some knowledge of our team wanted another OLB to improve the pass rush, and Rafael even played with the idea of drafting Spencer in one of his mocks, why do you guys think that happened?
Simple, Ware can rush the passer, we all know that. Ellis does too, and according to early indications he’s going to be able to do so this season, he’s already running and hard and it’s almost May. And then what? A big fat zero.
In 2005 Parcells indeed liked Carpenter, but the first guy on their list went to Cleveland at pick 13, Wimbley. And don’t start mentioning the name Manny Lawson, after last season even when we know that Carpenter wasn’t a good pass rusher, he was and is a much better OLB than Lawson.
And Kevin Burnett is indeed close to being a bust, he’s good in coverage, hot and cold against the run and a bad pass rusher, the only way in which he’s going to play some this year is if SOB makes him his Donnie Edwards.
So, the team had 2 players capable of rushing in a system that relies on the rush from the OLBs…
Playing them in 100% of the snaps isn’t wise because not even one 3-4 team does that, well, last season our team would have done so but Ellis’ injury prevented that from happening
On no WRs (and WR/QB/PR/KR isn’t an option), FSs or NTs:
Do you think that, as an example, Meachem would have been able to start with Owens and Glenn on the starting lineup? Only if one of them goes down, right? And for that he would have to beat Crayton, who for your liking or not, knows how to get himself open and has a pair of real good hands.
What about FS? He would have to beat Ken Hamlin and Pat Watkins, not Mission Impossible, but a guy not named Meriweather or Nelson would have had troubles.
And what about NT? Jason Ferguson is entrenched, his play last season says so because to me he was the most consistent player, so, he would have to go down for a guy to play.
So, yeah, Dallas needs more depth!
That’s new in this League!
What do you think that would happen to the current Champion if:
Peyton Manning goes down? The Colts would need to play Sorgi.
What about Jeff Saturday the leader of their OLine? Dylan Gandy would get the nod, he’s a Guard entering his 3rd year in the League and only had one year of Center experience in College.
What about Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Joseph Addai, Tarik Glenn and Marlin Jackson?
They would be screwed!
And that’s the current Champion.
Do I need to go any further and talk about how the Bears would be screwed if a number of scenarios were to happen?
Raf,
I saw that too. I had just got done arguing with a guy on another blog who said “How can you trade with a division rival like Philly?? All those picks we gave them will probably be Pro Bowlers!!”. Funny, we get Spencer and they get Kolb. HaHa. Looks like someone got too cute in this draft and it wasn’t Jerry. Just goes to show you the institutional arrogance that can set into a team that’s been so successful in the past.
Night everyone!!!
Chandus, you’re soooo picky!!! But also so right. I forgot he was with the Jints. Thanks.
Raf:
Now I know that I can’t write long posts, I had to cut and paste this essay…
Rafael,
Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Sweet music to my ears, indeed.
Great job covering the draft!
Rafael,
More like Blalock, 3rd and 5th. Don’t get me wrong, I like Spencer. Just thought we had more needs. Especially with Branch still on the board.
And I’m semi-OK with Jerry’s philosophy with getting WRs via FA.
The OL pickups more than satisfy missing on Staley, Blalock, Sears, Kalil, Ugoh, etc. etc…OK not satisfy, but at least they were addressed. Free was the best (only?) second day pick.
But WTF happened on Day 2? Really, did they have a hangover?
Some details on a couple of nondrafted guys we’ve picked up:
Robert Turner, OG, New Mexico
Matt Moore, QB, Oregon State
Alonzo Coleman, RB, Hampton
Well, it seems Turner is mean strong guard and PFW says QB Moore “It remainds me of a poor’s man Tony Romo”.
Coleman seems like an option in case TT doesnt return because of the injury (straight line speed and good turning the corner)
Now that the draft is over, I’m as bored as most of you and have decided to put together a list of some of my favorite available undrafted players.
I think that we’re pretty much set at Outside Linebacker (and ILB if Carpenter plays more inside) and we clearly don’t need any Offensive Tackles. I do think that we, at the very least, need some competition at the bottom of the roster at pretty much every other position.
We’re not going to get a better cornerback than Brown as a UFA, so there may be no use to picking one up.
Here’s the list:
QB
Matt Gutierrez
Josh Swogger
Center
Kyle Cook
Dan Mozes
Guard
Stephen Parker
Gabe Hall (I think he’s better as a pulling guard than a tackle)
Nose Tackle
Walter Thomas
Quintin Echols
Jeremy Clark
Running Back
Cory Anderson-Fullback (I know we drafted deon, but I doubt he’ll be as good a blocker)
Jesse Allen-Fullback (another guy who I feel will be a better lead blocker)
Gary Russell
Alonzo Coleman (incredible speed)
Alvin Banks
Wide Receiver
Matt Trannon (the guy I think is closest to being this year’s Colston)
Deyon Williams (Big, fast, an injury hurt his stock, but h
Inside Linebacker
I think that we’re pretty much set at Outside Linebacker (and ILB if Carpenter plays more inside) and we clearly don’t need any Offensive Tackles. I do think that we can “churn the bottom” of the roster at pretty much every other position.
Unfortunately, there aren’t really many DEs who fit our scheme. I really don’t even see a DT who could make the switch.
Raf really did put the draft into a positive perspective for us…
and I do “feel better already”.
Good job, Mr. Vela.
I sent that off before it was done
other Wide Receivers
Andre Caldwell
Maurice Price
Ryan Moore
Brandon Myles
Syvelle Newton
Inside Linebackers
Jon Abbate (small, but he’s damn good)
Matt Muncy (SPEED and he’s pretty big)
Safety
Brandon Sharp
Melvin Bullitt
David Lofton
Brandon Mitchell
I like this draft.
First things first, getting another 1st-rounder next year, one that is almost certainly a top 10 pick and perhaps even top 5, gives this draft an A+. Even if the Browns defy logic and history and sqeak to 8-8, our two #1s give us enough ammo to break into the top 5 and go after McFadden, who I suspect Jerruh has the hots for.
As for Spencer, this was a need, and anyone who doesn’t think so didn’t watch us play last year. Once Ellis went down, our defense did too, because we became one-sided in our pass rush. Block Ware, and you could stop us. Spencer gives us another threat off the edge, which we needed whether or not Ellis comes back (and really, at 32 coming off an Achilles injury, how effective can he be?).
No, this doesn’t make Carp a wasted pick. It just means that Wade’s 3-4 is a different beast from Big Bill’s 3-4, and Wade wants as many pressure players in the front 7 as possible. Carp will probably play some sort of hybrid LB position, ILB on some downs, OLB on others.
And no way is Spencer still there at #36. By all accounts, Spencer was high on the Pats’ draft board, so he may not have lasted past #27. Does anyone else think it was just a coincidence that as soon as we drafted Spencer that NE traded out of the first round? Of course not - we took the guy they wanted, and seeing that there was no value there, they traded back. Gee. Who else did that yesterday?
I liked Marten and Free - you can never have too many OTs in the NFL. Each of them should be able to backup one of the OG positions, which gives us depth and versatility where we clearly needed it. OL has gone from a big ?? to a potential strength in one offseason, with Davis and the two rookie OTs.
Stanback is a project, sure, but he is a beast of an athlete (I watch a lot of Pac-10 ball, and he may have been the best athlete in the conference), and if he could transition to WR he could be special. He should already be special as a return specialist - he’s electrifying in the open field.
As for the 6th and 7th rounders - who cares? Most are camp fodder or 3rd stringers at best, so it’s not worth talking about.
there really aren’t any good blocking TEs, so I’ll just list a few cornerbacks who could compete for spots on the practice squad:
Travarous Bain
Kenny Scott
Geoffry Pope
Here’s an NT we’ve signed as an UDFA. Ola Dagunduro from Nebraska. 6′1 313lbs. Here’s a scouting report
http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/dt/oladagunduro.html
We’ve also signed a center–Steve Rissler from Florida.
I dont think Jerry did all bad. I have said that the first move was genius and I like the Spencer pick but I still think he lost all his forethought after that and does not inherently understand talent evaluation.
I think its kinda an art…some have it and some do not. You can get better and Jerry has but still makes too many mistakes for me.
I dont know who scout is…..I have a feeling he probably was one, and I appreciate that he sees the 2nd round and Eric Wright the same way I do.
Some are already saying that Dallas can get a great OT next year. We just drafted 2. Why draft 2 tackles this year skipping on other talent like Eric Wright and Trent Edwards just to grab a top tackle next year. We may have to. Its just not the best way to build a team.
If you are looking at the OT talent next year then grab the CB or the QB with a lot of potential. Even if Romo is a star, it doesnt hurt to have a young extremely talented QB. Many had Eric Wright as the best cover corer or even with Revis.
If Wright screws up, so what you tried….
I like the Free pick and Courtney Brown in the 7th so its not all bad. In fact, its pretty good.
I just think it could have been so much better.
Someone else said it but add Wright remove Marten and you have a great draft.
I just heard Kiper say Wright had top15 value and could be better than Revis…..he was there and we gave up on that for OT which we may replace next year.