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Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
This is the NFL's version of looking for a needle in a haystack. Try to find the members of the Cowboys' draft class of 2009 on the field during today's game at Indianapolis.
It will be a challenge.
The Cowboys plan on having only two players from the dismal Class of '09 in uniform: kicker David Buehler and reserve linebacker Victor Butler. It has been this way all season.
As picks from the 2009 draft come of age with other clubs, the Cowboys have only an improving kicker, a backup linebacker and a hobbled tight end to show for their work. This is hardly the boost owner and general manager Jerry Jones expected this season from what he called a "red shirt" draft class.
"We've had some players we had to walk away from, and that's disappointing," said Stephen Jones, executive vice president and director of player personnel. "But we believed we were drafting players with talent, and we still believe the players who are here can help us."
The misses from 2009 will lead to a talent gap that will force the Cowboys to dive into the high-priced world of free agency to make up for the shortfall. The 2009 draft also increases the pressure on the Cowboys to do well in the next draft, when they could be among the top 10 for the first time since 2003.
Where are they now?
Whatever happened to the Class of '09?
Five picks have been released: linebackers Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge; defensive backs DeAngelo Smith, Michael Hamlin and Mike Mickens.
Four picks cannot get on the field. Linebacker Brandon Williams has been active for two games, two more than the total for offensive tackle Robert Brewster and wide receiver Manny Johnson. Quarterback Stephen McGee has been active for five games but has not left the sideline.
One pick is injured. Promising tight end John Phillips went out during training camp because of a damaged knee, the official injury of this class. Hodge and Brandon Williams also had knee surgeries.
"My mom told me that we should all buy a lottery ticket, because our [class'] luck has been bad," Butler said. "It'll change."
The Cowboys are dead last in the NFL when it comes to production from the 2009 draft. Count the ways in which they trail:
• The Cowboys are the only team that has not developed a full-time starter from the draft.
Members of their ill-fated class have combined to start only five games. Phillips had four starts as a rookie. Butler made one start as a rookie, in place of the injured DeMarcus Ware.
Jacksonville, which went 5-11 in 2008, has the most starters from the draft with five. A total of 16 other teams have multiple starters from the draft. That includes leading NFC contenders Green Bay and Philadelphia.
• Of the Cowboys' 12 selections in the 2009 draft, only five have appeared in a game with the club: Jason Williams, Hamlin, Buehler, Butler and Phillips. The Cowboys released Hamlin and Williams this season.
Teams such as Houston and New England found depth.
All eight of Houston's picks remain with the club and have played. Of New England's 12 selections, seven have started at least two games with the powerful Patriots.
• Of the top 125 selections overall, five have not appeared in a regular-season game. The Cowboys have two of those idle players: Brewster (No. 75) and McGee (No. 101).
Where did the Cowboys go wrong?
They put themselves in a hole at the outset by including the first-round pick in the package sent to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams. As Stephen Jones said, one of the lessons from this draft is that "when you trade your first-round pick, you're tying your hands behind your back."
The Cowboys also sent their second-round choice to Buffalo for two later-round picks. Stephen Jones said dealing a second-round pick for extra choices is a workable strategy.
(Detroit and Buffalo each got a starter with the choice. Detroit took tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Buffalo added offensive guard Andy Levitre.)
From there, the Cowboys turned into gamblers trying to break a losing streak and get back to even. Looking for a big hit, they made risky picks, such as Jason Williams and Brewster.
Williams, their first choice with the 69th overall selection, never grasped the defense. He had two glaring assignment errors in the loss to Minnesota this season.
Brewster, their second choice with the 75th overall selection, appears to lack the quickness required of an NFL tackle. Sam Young, of the 2010 draft, and Jermey Parnell have passed him in the internal rankings.
The lesson from this draft?
"You always have to be smart in the draft," Stephen Jones said. "But we still think we can get four or five players from this group. If we do that, it'll be a good draft."
Other teams find help
The Cowboys could finish this season with a losing record for the first time since 2004. Jacksonville, their small-market brother, shows nothing gets a team going in the right direction better than good drafting.
At 6-5, Jacksonville remains in contention in the AFC South and is headed to its second consecutive season of improvement. The Jaguars had their fall to 5-11 in 2008.
They did it with the draft. General manager Gene Smith ran the draft for the first time in 2009 and produced a superb class. Each of the Jaguars' first five picks has more than 20 starts. All eight choices have played.
The draft pool of 2009 was different, Smith said, because there was no consensus. With opinions all over the map, Smith relied upon a conservative strategy.
The Jaguars refused to gamble on the ability or the makeup of a player. A player who had a high ceiling but had not shown it on the field did not fit the club's needs. Smith wanted football players, not projects.
"Best available player," Smith said. "Your positional needs always change, so it's best to acquire value with every selection you make."
The Jaguars started with a pair of offensive tackles who immediately became starters: Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. They stabilized the offense.
Smith followed with a defensive tackle (Terrance Knighton) and a cornerback (Derek Cox). The Jaguars added their first skill-position player in the fourth round: wide receiver Mike Thomas of DeSoto and Arizona.
The Jaguars followed a similar path in this year's draft. Their first four picks were defensive linemen.
"The draft is the best way to build a team, '' Smith said. "Especially if you have a strong scouting staff of evaluators and a coaching staff with the patience and willingness to develop and play young players."
The Cowboys could end up with two starters from the Class of 2010: wide receiver Dez Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee. They will need more than that to make up for the lost Class of '09.
Best and worst
A look at the clubs with the most and the fewest games started by players from the 2009 draft:
THE MOST
Jacksonville 119
Detroit 109
Buffalo 83
St. Louis 64
Miami 62
THE FEWEST
Cowboys 5
New Orleans 16
Arizona 19
New York Giants 21
Atlanta 23
San Francisco 23
Do over
Hindsight is always perfect. With that in mind, Gerry Fraley looks at what the Cowboys could have done with each pick in the 2009 draft. The alternatives are players chosen within 10 spots after the Cowboys' pick:
Cowboys pick - Jason Williams LB 69th overall
Alternate pick - Matt Shaugnessy DE Oakland 71st overall - 9 career sacks
Cowboys pick - Robert Brewster OT 75th overall
Alternate pick - Louis Vasquez OG San Diego 79th overall - Starter on powerful offense
Cowboys pick - Stephen McGee QB 101st overall
Alternate pick - Mike Thomas WR Jacksonville 107th overall - 100 catches for DeSoto product
Cowboys pick - Victor Butler LB 110th overall
Alternate pick - Sammie Hill DT Detroit 115th overall - Mammoth run-stopper
Cowboys pick -Brandon Williams LB 120th overall
Alternate pick - Austin Collie WR Indianapolis 127th overall - 13 career TD receptions
Cowboys pick - DeAngelo Smith CB 143th overall
Alternate pick - Jasper Brinkley LB Minnesota 150th overall - Special-teams demon
Cowboys pick - Michael Hamlin S 166th overall
Alternate pick - Javon Ringer RB Tennessee 173th overall - 4.9 career per-carry average
Cowboys pick - David Buehler K 172th overall
Alternate pick - Zach Miller TE Jacksonville 180th overall - Caught 17 of 21 throws this season
Cowboys pick - Stephen Hodge LB 197th overall
Alternate pick - Jason McCourty CB Tennessee 203rd overall - 2 interceptions this season
Cowboys pick - John Phillips TE 208th overall
Alternate pick - Captain Munnerlyn CB Carolina 216th overall - 5 takeaways in 15 career games
Cowboys pick - Mike Mickens CB 227th overall
Alternate pick - Moise Fokou LB Philadelphia 230th overall - Improving in second season
Cowboys pick - Manny Johnson WR 229th overall
Alternate pick - Sammie Stroughter WR Tampa Bay 233rd overall - 1 TD as returner; 1 TD as receiver
gfraley@dallasnews.com
This is the NFL's version of looking for a needle in a haystack. Try to find the members of the Cowboys' draft class of 2009 on the field during today's game at Indianapolis.
It will be a challenge.
The Cowboys plan on having only two players from the dismal Class of '09 in uniform: kicker David Buehler and reserve linebacker Victor Butler. It has been this way all season.
As picks from the 2009 draft come of age with other clubs, the Cowboys have only an improving kicker, a backup linebacker and a hobbled tight end to show for their work. This is hardly the boost owner and general manager Jerry Jones expected this season from what he called a "red shirt" draft class.
"We've had some players we had to walk away from, and that's disappointing," said Stephen Jones, executive vice president and director of player personnel. "But we believed we were drafting players with talent, and we still believe the players who are here can help us."
The misses from 2009 will lead to a talent gap that will force the Cowboys to dive into the high-priced world of free agency to make up for the shortfall. The 2009 draft also increases the pressure on the Cowboys to do well in the next draft, when they could be among the top 10 for the first time since 2003.
Where are they now?
Whatever happened to the Class of '09?
Five picks have been released: linebackers Jason Williams and Stephen Hodge; defensive backs DeAngelo Smith, Michael Hamlin and Mike Mickens.
Four picks cannot get on the field. Linebacker Brandon Williams has been active for two games, two more than the total for offensive tackle Robert Brewster and wide receiver Manny Johnson. Quarterback Stephen McGee has been active for five games but has not left the sideline.
One pick is injured. Promising tight end John Phillips went out during training camp because of a damaged knee, the official injury of this class. Hodge and Brandon Williams also had knee surgeries.
"My mom told me that we should all buy a lottery ticket, because our [class'] luck has been bad," Butler said. "It'll change."
The Cowboys are dead last in the NFL when it comes to production from the 2009 draft. Count the ways in which they trail:
• The Cowboys are the only team that has not developed a full-time starter from the draft.
Members of their ill-fated class have combined to start only five games. Phillips had four starts as a rookie. Butler made one start as a rookie, in place of the injured DeMarcus Ware.
Jacksonville, which went 5-11 in 2008, has the most starters from the draft with five. A total of 16 other teams have multiple starters from the draft. That includes leading NFC contenders Green Bay and Philadelphia.
• Of the Cowboys' 12 selections in the 2009 draft, only five have appeared in a game with the club: Jason Williams, Hamlin, Buehler, Butler and Phillips. The Cowboys released Hamlin and Williams this season.
Teams such as Houston and New England found depth.
All eight of Houston's picks remain with the club and have played. Of New England's 12 selections, seven have started at least two games with the powerful Patriots.
• Of the top 125 selections overall, five have not appeared in a regular-season game. The Cowboys have two of those idle players: Brewster (No. 75) and McGee (No. 101).
Where did the Cowboys go wrong?
They put themselves in a hole at the outset by including the first-round pick in the package sent to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams. As Stephen Jones said, one of the lessons from this draft is that "when you trade your first-round pick, you're tying your hands behind your back."
The Cowboys also sent their second-round choice to Buffalo for two later-round picks. Stephen Jones said dealing a second-round pick for extra choices is a workable strategy.
(Detroit and Buffalo each got a starter with the choice. Detroit took tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Buffalo added offensive guard Andy Levitre.)
From there, the Cowboys turned into gamblers trying to break a losing streak and get back to even. Looking for a big hit, they made risky picks, such as Jason Williams and Brewster.
Williams, their first choice with the 69th overall selection, never grasped the defense. He had two glaring assignment errors in the loss to Minnesota this season.
Brewster, their second choice with the 75th overall selection, appears to lack the quickness required of an NFL tackle. Sam Young, of the 2010 draft, and Jermey Parnell have passed him in the internal rankings.
The lesson from this draft?
"You always have to be smart in the draft," Stephen Jones said. "But we still think we can get four or five players from this group. If we do that, it'll be a good draft."
Other teams find help
The Cowboys could finish this season with a losing record for the first time since 2004. Jacksonville, their small-market brother, shows nothing gets a team going in the right direction better than good drafting.
At 6-5, Jacksonville remains in contention in the AFC South and is headed to its second consecutive season of improvement. The Jaguars had their fall to 5-11 in 2008.
They did it with the draft. General manager Gene Smith ran the draft for the first time in 2009 and produced a superb class. Each of the Jaguars' first five picks has more than 20 starts. All eight choices have played.
The draft pool of 2009 was different, Smith said, because there was no consensus. With opinions all over the map, Smith relied upon a conservative strategy.
The Jaguars refused to gamble on the ability or the makeup of a player. A player who had a high ceiling but had not shown it on the field did not fit the club's needs. Smith wanted football players, not projects.
"Best available player," Smith said. "Your positional needs always change, so it's best to acquire value with every selection you make."
The Jaguars started with a pair of offensive tackles who immediately became starters: Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. They stabilized the offense.
Smith followed with a defensive tackle (Terrance Knighton) and a cornerback (Derek Cox). The Jaguars added their first skill-position player in the fourth round: wide receiver Mike Thomas of DeSoto and Arizona.
The Jaguars followed a similar path in this year's draft. Their first four picks were defensive linemen.
"The draft is the best way to build a team, '' Smith said. "Especially if you have a strong scouting staff of evaluators and a coaching staff with the patience and willingness to develop and play young players."
The Cowboys could end up with two starters from the Class of 2010: wide receiver Dez Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee. They will need more than that to make up for the lost Class of '09.
Best and worst
A look at the clubs with the most and the fewest games started by players from the 2009 draft:
THE MOST
Jacksonville 119
Detroit 109
Buffalo 83
St. Louis 64
Miami 62
THE FEWEST
Cowboys 5
New Orleans 16
Arizona 19
New York Giants 21
Atlanta 23
San Francisco 23
Do over
Hindsight is always perfect. With that in mind, Gerry Fraley looks at what the Cowboys could have done with each pick in the 2009 draft. The alternatives are players chosen within 10 spots after the Cowboys' pick:
Cowboys pick - Jason Williams LB 69th overall
Alternate pick - Matt Shaugnessy DE Oakland 71st overall - 9 career sacks
Cowboys pick - Robert Brewster OT 75th overall
Alternate pick - Louis Vasquez OG San Diego 79th overall - Starter on powerful offense
Cowboys pick - Stephen McGee QB 101st overall
Alternate pick - Mike Thomas WR Jacksonville 107th overall - 100 catches for DeSoto product
Cowboys pick - Victor Butler LB 110th overall
Alternate pick - Sammie Hill DT Detroit 115th overall - Mammoth run-stopper
Cowboys pick -Brandon Williams LB 120th overall
Alternate pick - Austin Collie WR Indianapolis 127th overall - 13 career TD receptions
Cowboys pick - DeAngelo Smith CB 143th overall
Alternate pick - Jasper Brinkley LB Minnesota 150th overall - Special-teams demon
Cowboys pick - Michael Hamlin S 166th overall
Alternate pick - Javon Ringer RB Tennessee 173th overall - 4.9 career per-carry average
Cowboys pick - David Buehler K 172th overall
Alternate pick - Zach Miller TE Jacksonville 180th overall - Caught 17 of 21 throws this season
Cowboys pick - Stephen Hodge LB 197th overall
Alternate pick - Jason McCourty CB Tennessee 203rd overall - 2 interceptions this season
Cowboys pick - John Phillips TE 208th overall
Alternate pick - Captain Munnerlyn CB Carolina 216th overall - 5 takeaways in 15 career games
Cowboys pick - Mike Mickens CB 227th overall
Alternate pick - Moise Fokou LB Philadelphia 230th overall - Improving in second season
Cowboys pick - Manny Johnson WR 229th overall
Alternate pick - Sammie Stroughter WR Tampa Bay 233rd overall - 1 TD as returner; 1 TD as receiver
