Eatman: Time Finally Right To Draft TE
Posted by nickeatman at 1/18/2012 2:12 PM CST on dallascowboys.com
While I don’t think the Cowboys will draft a tight end in the second round, or even in the first three or four to be honest, it does actually make more sense. Especially more sense than it did to draft Anthony Fasano in the second round in 2006 or Martellus Bennett in the 2008 second round.
Looking back, which is obviously easy to do, taking a tight end in the second round was never going to pan out like a typical second-round pick should. In 2006, Jason Witten was 24 years old when they drafted Fasano.
Witten wasn’t going anywhere then, and he was just a 26-year-old playmaker in 2008 when Bennett came along. And over the years, we’ve also learned that getting Witten out of the game for any type of injury is a challenge in itself.
I know lots of people like to throw the “bust” label to Bennett, but I really don’t think he ever had a chance. Most fans don’t look at him as a quality blocker, they just see the fact he caught 17 passes for 144 yards and no touchdowns again. That makes three full seasons without a touchdown for Bennett. Obviously, you want more from a second-round pick.
But let’s not forget, Witten doesn’t get the red-zone looks either. He led the team in catches with 79 and have just five touchdowns all year. Two of them were outside the red zone – 59 and 33-yard scores and the other three were from 1-yard out. If it’s third-and-goal from the 7, Witten is blocking half the time. And it’s the same for Bennett. And it was the same for Fasano.
They’re the second tight end!
And before you throw Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in my face, remember what the Patriots do. That’s their offense. They don’t really put high stock in the receiving corps. They don’t draft a lot of top-notch receivers. They fill them through trades like Moss and Welker or late-round picks. They do put a high priority on the tight ends and always have.
That’s not the Cowboys offense and it hasn’t been that way for a while. In the Cowboys’ offense, even back to Jay Novacek in the 1990’s, the tight ends have been the beneficiaries of the way defenses played because of the other skill players.
I say all of that to mention that this year would probably be a good year to get a No. 2 tight end, maybe even higher in the draft. Witten will turn 30 in May and with Bennett expected to move on in free agency, it leaves just John Phillips.
Now, I do think Phillips can handle the job as the backup, but I’m not sure he’s ever going to be a starting tight end.
If there ever was a year to get a quality tight end in the early stages of the draft, this would be a good year for the Cowboys. Although I still don’t see them doing that.
Posted by nickeatman at 1/18/2012 2:12 PM CST on dallascowboys.com
While I don’t think the Cowboys will draft a tight end in the second round, or even in the first three or four to be honest, it does actually make more sense. Especially more sense than it did to draft Anthony Fasano in the second round in 2006 or Martellus Bennett in the 2008 second round.
Looking back, which is obviously easy to do, taking a tight end in the second round was never going to pan out like a typical second-round pick should. In 2006, Jason Witten was 24 years old when they drafted Fasano.
Witten wasn’t going anywhere then, and he was just a 26-year-old playmaker in 2008 when Bennett came along. And over the years, we’ve also learned that getting Witten out of the game for any type of injury is a challenge in itself.
I know lots of people like to throw the “bust” label to Bennett, but I really don’t think he ever had a chance. Most fans don’t look at him as a quality blocker, they just see the fact he caught 17 passes for 144 yards and no touchdowns again. That makes three full seasons without a touchdown for Bennett. Obviously, you want more from a second-round pick.
But let’s not forget, Witten doesn’t get the red-zone looks either. He led the team in catches with 79 and have just five touchdowns all year. Two of them were outside the red zone – 59 and 33-yard scores and the other three were from 1-yard out. If it’s third-and-goal from the 7, Witten is blocking half the time. And it’s the same for Bennett. And it was the same for Fasano.
They’re the second tight end!
And before you throw Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in my face, remember what the Patriots do. That’s their offense. They don’t really put high stock in the receiving corps. They don’t draft a lot of top-notch receivers. They fill them through trades like Moss and Welker or late-round picks. They do put a high priority on the tight ends and always have.
That’s not the Cowboys offense and it hasn’t been that way for a while. In the Cowboys’ offense, even back to Jay Novacek in the 1990’s, the tight ends have been the beneficiaries of the way defenses played because of the other skill players.
I say all of that to mention that this year would probably be a good year to get a No. 2 tight end, maybe even higher in the draft. Witten will turn 30 in May and with Bennett expected to move on in free agency, it leaves just John Phillips.
Now, I do think Phillips can handle the job as the backup, but I’m not sure he’s ever going to be a starting tight end.
If there ever was a year to get a quality tight end in the early stages of the draft, this would be a good year for the Cowboys. Although I still don’t see them doing that.
