Want to judge the draft? Assign it a preliminary grade?
I would recommend two things:
– First, consider the entire offseason as an exercise. Look at free agency gains and losses and the draft.
– Next, simply look at each pick as an asset. Then, consider whether that asset raises or lowers the overall value of the roster.
Let’s put the ‘07 and the ‘08 starters and role players together and see if the overall value of Dallas’ team has gone up or down. Positions of change will be in bold:
Offense — ‘07 — ‘08
QB — Romo, Romo
RB — Barber, Barber
RB — J. Jones, Felix Jones
TE — Witten, Witten
U-back– Fasano, Bennett
LT — Adams, Adams
LG — Kosier, Kosier
C — Gurode, Gurode
RG — Davis, Davis
RT — Colombo, Colombo
WR — Owens, Owens
WR — Crayton, Crayton
WR — Hurd, Hurd
Until Terry Glenn shows he can play for an extended period of time I’m not including him in this rotation.
Defense
LE — Spears, Spears
NT — Ratliff, Ratliff
RE — Canty, Canty
LOLB — Ellis, Ellis
SILB — James, James
WILB — Ayodele, Thomas
ROLB — Ware, Ware
LCB — Newman, Newman
SS — Williams, Williams
FS — Hamlin, Hamlin
RCB — Henry, Henry
Nickel — Reeves, A. Jones*
Dime — N. Jones, Jenkins
There may be some changes at LE, with Spears being on the bubble and facing a challenge from Hatcher. And Pacman Jones has yet to be reinstated, so Jenkins may be the choice at nickel back at this minute. Still, he should be no worse than Jacques Reeves.
Let’s draw some conclusions from this comparison:
1. The Cowboys’ roster is remarkably stable. The only change in the starting 22 comes at inside linebacker, where Zach Thomas replaces Akin Ayodele.
2. Let’s further dispel the idea that Dallas drafted “backups” with its top picks. Was Julius Jones a backup last year? No, he was the bigger half of a running back platoon. Similarly, Felix Jones has to be considered a platoon back also this year. Does anybody think Marion Barber will suddenly get 90% of the carries, as Emmitt Smith did in the days when guys like Derrick Lassic and Sherman Williams were backing him up? Felix wasn’t drafted to get five touches a game.
At nickel or dime back, Mike Jenkins will be a key member of a situational unit. Not an every down starter, but in this day of specialization, he’ll have a major role.
The same is true for Martellus Bennett. He’s gonna get a lot of reps at the U-back spot, which the Cowboys use a lot more than a traditional fullback. Tony Curtis may get a lot more reps early in the season but Bennett will play as much as his blocking permits him to.
3. Look at the five spots where the Cowboys have a new face. Did the Cowboys decline, stay the same or improve at those positions? Will Felix Jones be worse than Julius Jones? Will Martellus Bennett be worse than Anthony Fasano? Will Zach Thomas be worse than Akin Ayodele? Will Pacman Jones be worse than Jacques Reeves? Will Mike Jenkins be worse than Nate Jones?
I think the answer is no to every one of those five questions save Bennett. He might be better or the same as Fasano but also has the chance to be sub-’07 Fasano, if his blocking isn’t up to NFL standard.
4. Finally, was there a 2nd round receiver who could put Patrick Crayton to shame as a rookie? We may find this fall that one will. But look at the guys Dallas considered — the Devin Thomases, the James Hardys and the Limas Sweeds. The pressure is on them to prove that Dallas erred in passing on them. Given that every other team did in the first round, the Cowboys will have lots of company if one of these guys excels.
Mr. Tuna,Draft somebody already!Please?!
Your team is on the clock. There’s no John Elway-like talent atop this year’s board. Yeah, we’ll hear the Dallas-is-going-to-trade-up rumors a few more times, but let’s get real. You can’t get the team at pick five to jump up because the bonuses are too big and there’s no Reggie-White like talent there either. You can’t hold an auction. And be honest. If the next Elway or Lawrence Taylor was sitting there you would have signed him already.
So make your decision and pick. There’s no need to wait…
– “An Open Letter to Bill Parcells,” The ‘Boys Blog, March 21st
[Martellus] Bennett is another matter. Most mocks put him in the 3rd but the War Room team rates him as the best tight end in this year’s crop, comparing his game to Witten’s. Every service I’ve read rates him as the best blocking tight end of the top tier and he appears to have the most balanced game of any first day tight end candidate.
In other words, don’t rip your hair out if you hear Bennett called with the 61st pick. The Cowboys may be looking for “wow†offensive skill position guys but they’re also looking for another hard hat to replace the Moose. Still.
– “Looking for Mr. Moosebar,” The ‘Boys Blog, April 7th
That last name got my attention. Imagine what a young Tiki Barber would add to the Cowboys’ offense.
The Cowboys are so close they can’t afford to miss with their first round picks, and right now I think Felix Jones is the surest thing at running back where the Cowboys draft.
The mockers can be right for the wrong reasons and I’m beginning to think they’re right.
– Today, I’d take Jones at 28 and hope that Mike Jenkins is available at 22. He’s the CB I want from the top tier…
– Dr. Strangehog, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Felix Jones,” The ‘Boys Blog, April 8th
Like to Have (3)
2. OLB — Dallas has Demarcus Ware, Greg Ellis and Anthony Spencer, but Ellis is long in the tooth. If the Cowboys can find a player like Brent Hawkins, a 5th round tweener who has turned into an effective situational rusher for Jacksonville, they’ll add him. You can never have enough pass rushers.
– “How Many Jobs Are Up For Grabs?” The ‘Boys Blog, April 13th
I take shots at picking Dallas’ round 3 and 4 players:
4th — Will Franklin, WR, Missouri — Some good WRs are available — Early Doucet, Earl Bennett, Andre Caldwell, Mario Manningham — but how many of these guys will last till the end of the round?
New 4th round pick — Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech — Even with Felix Jones the Cowboys have only two RBs they can count on. Choice is a Marion Barber type, a banger who does every thing well but lacks great speed.
– “Taking Shots” The ‘Boys Blog, April 26th
Some fancy pants Metroplex blog claimed it would give “unprecedented Cowboys-related draft coverage” but no site got you closer to what the Cowboys actually did than this one. Because no other blog has the community this one does. I set the topics but you put every idea to the test. You folks bring in data, observations, clips and well-honed opinions. No fluff. No filler. Just hard core analysis. You make us show our work. Your high standards make our conventional wisdom stronger.
So give yourselves a big pat on the back. We beat the big boys — again.