Matts4313 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 Starting QB, RB, MLB, 3T, CB. Potential DE and TE of the future. What an insane haul. I mean, really, think about it. QB is the most important position in the game. 3T has historically been the key to a Marinelli defense, followed by MLB. Add in the typically expensive/elusive starting caliber CB and DE. RB is actually the least valuable position of the group - and he might be the best young player in the NFL. This is like the 2005 draft all over again, except we are even younger with more stability at the coaching level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D82 Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 After the 2014/2015 drafts...I remember a lot of analysts and pundits saying we needed one more great draft to really catapult us to the top. I think the 2016 class will be that draft when all is said and done. Just crazy to think about what the front office managed to come away with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Gently Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 And a Barry Church clone for safety depth... not that it's significant next to all the other guys, but it's quite possible that every single pick gets a second contract in the NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matts4313 Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 For giggles: http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=578189&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2016/04/30/cowboys-2016-draft-grades-experts-marks-range-potential-d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas94Ware Posted September 11, 2017 Share Posted September 11, 2017 The biggest part of that draft class is how things fell. Part of this was more luck than anything. The front office wanted Paxton Lynch and missed out on a trade for him. They wanted Connor Cook and also just barely missed him. Still dont know for sure what the team would have done had Joey Bosa been on the board. Jaylon Smith never would have been available if not for a catastrophic knee injury - and I do not see this team taking a linebacker over Zeke or Bosa, not at pick 4. The world laughed when Collins was selected. Everyone thought Billings and other options were more viable. I think its easy to overlook how inexact the science of drafting can be. You can scout, study, mock and debate...but you never know which cards will be dealt and how the chips will fall. And if any of it works in your favor or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Gently Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 It *is* inexact, and Dallas would've taken a lot of guys before Frederick along with everyone else, Would've taken Shazier before Martin, Lynch and Cook before Prescott. but the fact remains that there is a pattern of good decision making here over several years. They stuck with their board and took Frederick when *everyone* else screamed "reach". They stuck with their board and took Martin over flashier, more seemingly impactful players. Most significantly, they saw what Seattle wanted for Lynch and said "that's too rich" and sat on their hands. Possibly the most monumental decision this franchise has made since taking a flyer on an undrafted guy that went to Sean Payton's college. There's a good number of late round Gems like Hitchens, Brown, now maybe Tapper and Wilson The deal is that there's no denying that there's been a cohesive vision for this team which became apparent in 2014 but for which the groundwork was laid at least a year earlier. And that is a significant change from previous years as well as a significant difference from the unsuccessful NFL teams.Dallas has an identity. That didn't happen by accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas94Ware Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 If you go back and look at the 4 years of draft historys leading up to each of the last 10 or so super bowl winners..you notice a trend. The majority of starters on those teams came from drafts within the last 4 years, with a few UDFAs and smart RFA signings mixed in. But it always begins - and ends - with these drafts. Dallas has completely overhauled themselves these last few years, with yes, late round finds and quiet udfa and rfa acquisitions filling in the gaps. The team has been drafting well in round one for a while now, though. I hate to say it, but a first round flop is due..but that is irrelevant to my point here. The team has been drafting well for a while now and yet still has little to show for it. In this age of free agency and salary caps, our 4 year window is going to be tight. We cannot go and re sign these mid tier guys like Hitchens, Wilson, Lawrence, because it will diminish the ability to retain the star players like Lee, Martin, Dez, Dak, Zeke etc. We paid to keep our mid tier players once before to retain our window, and it led to a mid tier team of three 8-8 seasons and buried under a tremendous cap problem. Point, again, that Im getting at is this - the team needs to make these draft hauls pay off, they need to soon. Else we will be right back in the mixer crossing our fingers for another nice draft haul to make us relevant again. Jones, Lawrence, Wilson, Hitchens, Collins, Martin, Heath are just some starters up in contract in the next few years. By next year it will be around time to consider how many fort knox size banks we need to open to pay Dak. Its now time. Last hears draft class cemented that. This needs to happen for this team now while the core is at a good stage of their contract and youth. We may not ever have a better, bigger, more obvious window than the next year or two. Because of that draft class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Gently Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 In hindsight, this piece looks spectaclular crown jewel of predicitons: Quote Prescott is such a huge project that I can’t see him ever being anything more than a backup who occasionally shows flashes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas94Ware Posted September 17, 2017 Share Posted September 17, 2017 Im proud to say I loved Prescott. Believe i argued with plan9 and others prior to the draft about that. He had that something to him. Sure, the mobility, the release speed, the quality track record of winning. But something else about him. He just came up with plays. Somehow, some way, always made something happen from nothing. After a pick, he came out just as confident. After a sack, he played with the same determination. He was just one of those football player types. I was sure if he was given time he could learn to make NFL reads and revise his mechanics to maximize his velocity. I just wouldnt have thought him to do that so quickly. And his savvy taking care of the ball? Amazing so early in his career. But I also liked Paxton Lynch out of the top crop of QBs, so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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