I’ve already written a blog grading the Dallas Cowboys draft. My draft grade for the team was a “B”. I’ve continued to read of other analysis draft grades and I’m a little confused. Some people feel that the Cowboys shouldn’t have reached for guard/tackle Zach Martin in the first round. They also feel that the Cowboys shouldn’t have traded away the 3rd pick in order to move up to select defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. I would like to say to them “why not”? Teams are supposed to stick with the board. When the players on the board are gone then you take best available. Zack Martin was high on the Cowboys draft boards and he filled a need, so was Lawrence.
Just Last season the draft experts were saying that the Cowboys shouldn’t have taken center Travis Fredrick in the first round, because he had a third round draft grade. It needs to be understood that each team, going into the draft creates a draft board. On the board is the ranking for all the players that the team will consider drafting. Each player may be ranked differently according to the need of the team. Fredrick may have been a third round prospect to a team with a good offensive line. To the Cowboys he had a first round grade. They also traded back to take Fredrick with the 31stpick, almost making him a second round pick.
To everyone that said Fredrick shouldn’t have been a first round pick, you’re crazy. Fredrick right now is one of the best young centers in the game. The Cowboys offensive line drastically improved in the 2013 season. 2013 was also the first time since Julius Jones that a Cowboys running back went over 1000 yards. For a guy that many thought was a bad pick at 31 for the Cowboys, he had an amazing season. The same might be said about Zack Martin.
I would like you to think big picture for a second. The Dallas Cowboys had a terrible defense in 2013. They ranked dead last and gave up a franchise record 415 yards per game. The point of emphasis should be on the defense. I completely agree with that point. Consider this, the Cowboys had one of the better offenses in the league ranking 5th with 27.6 points per game, up from 23.5 in the 2012 season. Thanks in part to the improved play of the offensive line. The Cowboy saw the opportunity to further improve the offensive line, thus making the offense even more productive. A more productive offense will do two things.
The first thing is sustaining drives and controlling the time of possession. Yes the defense was terrible, but on to many occasions the Cowboys offense was stagnant. A lot of that was due to some shaky play calling. With a better offensive line and some added weapons this team will be more efficient in controlling the clock. That will give teams less time to destroy that bad defense.
The second thing that results in better offensive production is capitalizing on the turnovers. Last season there was too many times the offense was handed the ball on a turnover and did nothing with it. When you have a bad defense and they actually force a turnover the offense has to be able to get points. Even if it’s just a field goal. This offense has to be able to cover for the bad defensive play. That is the only way this team will be able to compete.
Also consider that the Cowboys were picking at 16. The defensive players that were on the available weren’t ranked higher than Martin was on the board. I know, you’re saying it’s because Jerry Jones continues to mess up the draft picks for the Cowboys. I would disagree with that notion completely. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys draft staff has been doing an amazing job of finding young talented guys in the draft. Don’t believe me allow me to explain.
Tryon Smith was the Cowboys 2011 first round pick. Smith started his career with the Cowboys on the right side of the line. He was then moved to the left side and struggled a little bit at first. Ever since then he has been one of the better left tackles in the game. Smith is only 22 years old and has been in the league three seasons, 2014 will be his fourth. In that 2011 draft the Cowboys also picked Bruce Carter, Demarco Murray, and Dewayne Harris. All of which either start of make a contribution to the team in a major way. Prior to the 2011 draft the Cowboys took Dez Bryant and Sean lee with their first and second round picks. Both of them are two great players for the Cowboys.
In the 2012 draft the Cowboys moved up to draft corner back Morris Claiborne. Claiborne was primarily a press cover corner in college. His first season he showed some flashes of being a very good corner back. He’s had an up and down career ever since but I still hold out hope for Claiborne. The Cowboy also took Tyrone Crawford, Kyle Wilbur, and James Hanna in the same draft. Both Crawford and Wilbur will be battling for a starting spot this offseason. Hanna hasn’t really made a huge contribution but I think if used correctly, he could be one hell of a weapon for the Cowboys.
Travis Fredrick was the 2013 first round pick. We have already discussed Fredrick. The Cowboys also took Terrace Williams, Gavin Escobar, JJ Wilcox, and Devonta Holloman. Williams is the projected starting wide receiver opposite Dez Bryant. Wilcox is the projected starting safety opposite Barry Church. Escobar is in a rotation of tight ends and I expect him along with Hanna to make strides this season. Holloman was a seventh round pick and he played in some big games last season. He could also be competition with Wilbur and Durant for the strong side linebacker position.
That brings us to the 2014 draft class. This class hasn’t taken the field so we can only grade them based on projections and “what ifs”. I like what the Cowboys did in the draft. Lawrence was ranked on their board has the third best edge rusher, and they got him in the second round. They also filled the roster with depth. Something that has been lacking for a long time. This team needed a youth movement and the past two draft classes should provide it. People can continue to bash Jerry for what he does in the draft. The last five draft classes have been very good and I think the team will be better in the long run because of it.
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