One of my favorite things about the NFL draft, other than it finally being over, is calling around the league to see what scouts and general managers think of everyone's classes. Following the Dallas Cowboys' discount draft of 2009, an AFC scouting director told me that Cowboys third-round pick Robert Brewster was a huge injury risk despite his apparent durability while at Ball State.
I sort of scoffed at this notion until Brewster almost immediately tore his pectoral muscle while working on the bench press. He never panned out for the Cowboys, which wasn't out of the norm for that forgettable class.
The good news today is that folks around the league seem to have a favorable opinion about what the Cowboys accomplished in the draft. If you make enough calls, you'll generally find some naysayers. But no one seems to doubt the wisdom of trading up to select the consensus best defensive player in the draft in LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.
In the past, the Cowboys have run out of steam in later rounds, but they remained focused in this draft and patiently waited for some pretty good players to fall to them. The selection of Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford in the third round didn't seem to excite fans, but it was a popular pick among personnel experts around the league. A league source told FoxSportsSouthwest.com that the Baltimore Ravens were ready to pounce on Crawford if he'd made it to No. 84 overall, three spots after the Cowboys took him. In case you weren't aware, the Ravens are widely believed to have one of the best scouting departments in the league, which is backed up by how many players they hit on in the middle and later rounds.
"Crawford is a good fit for them," said one longtime AFC scout. "He'll be a five-technique eventually with a great motor. He's a little raw as a pass-rusher, but he'll be a good run defender on first and second down from the start. He'll chase the ball and tries to finish everything."
The Cowboys took Wake Forest outside linebacker Kyle Wilber (6-foot-4, 250 lbs.) with their first of two picks in the fourth round. The obvious thought is that Wilber will immediately challenge Victor Butler for a spot in the rotation behind DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. At least two scouts I talked to believed Wilber was a perfect fit for the Cowboys' scheme. He uses his hands very well in the pass rush already and he surprised a few folks with his ability to drop back in coverage in one of the East-West game.
"From an athletic standpoint, he has all the right attributes," said another AFC scout. "He'll provide some depth at that position and likely be able to replace Spencer at some point."
As you'll recall, folks weren't quite as optimistic in 2009 when players such as Jason Williams showed up at Valley Ranch. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones acknowledged Friday that the organization is placing more emphasis than ever on selecting players who have excelled at big-time programs. They made an exception for safety Matt Johnson out of Eastern Washington later in the fourth round because it was hard to ignore 17 career interceptions on any level.
Perhaps the Cowboys' best selection in terms of value was Virginia Tech wide receiver Danny Coale in the fifth round. According to a source, the Ravens thought seriously about taking Coale in the fourth round (130). The Cowboys selected Coale 22 spots later. And in conversations with folks at Valley Ranch on Monday, they were still talking about their good fortune in landing the versatile player.
"He an instinctive player and a hands catcher," said one scout. "He doesn't seem to play to his 40 speed, but he has good body control and hands. He's also capable of being an excellent special teams guy."
The Cowboys almost got extremely lucky in the sixth round. Sources have told FoxSportsSouthwest.com they were set to take Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray with the 186th overall pick, but the Chiefs took him four spots earlier.
The Cowboys took Oklahoma tight end James Hanna (6-4, 252), who sort of flew under the radar because the Sooners didn't feature the tight end in their spread offense. Scouts didn't think his measurables translated to production at the college level, but he did display soft hands and has the size to become a decent blocker. If he can replace former second-round pick Martellus Bennett in the offense, the Cowboys should feel good about landing him in the sixth round.
Since hitting a home run on Jason Witten in the third round nine years ago, the Cowboys have struck out at the tight end position. Hanna certainly has the potential to be productive in the passing game. He may not talk as good a game as Bennett, but the Cowboys are hoping he's a much more productive player.
The best thing you can say about this draft is that the Cowboys appeared to stick to their board. You didn't see as many head scratchers as in the past. And with NFL rosters expanding to 90, the Cowboys were able to bring in more undrafted free agents than usual. For whatever reason, they've done a really nice job hitting on some of those players (see Tony Romo, Miles Austin).
Jones has been known to undermine his scouting department by falling in love with players at the last minute. But with this class, it appears that he deferred to those scouts on several picks.
This was never going to be a quick fix, but the Cowboys are certainly a lot better off than they were three months ago.
Now, they just need to petition the league to eliminate December games.
