I know you’re not a fan of trading down. Do you ever make exceptions, and could you understand it if the Cowboys did it this year?
I made some call over the weekends and there are 6 blue chippers and 22 first rounder caliber guys in this draft. So I don’t mind don’t mind trading down a couple of spots from 14 to 18, but I don’t drop back all the way back to 25. The problem is there isn’t a difference between the 25th, 35th and 45th pick in this draft. There’s not going to be a whole lot of trading up or down after 20. I think need will come into play. You know, I thought this would be a better pass rush group, but they all have a ding.
Well, let’s go over some of the DL and you tell me their ding…. Poe?
Underachiever. 2nd Team Conference USA
Coples ?
Motor doesn’t always run. Julius Peppers ability, but doesn’t always show on the field.
Brockers?
5.0+ 40 yard dash, and strictly a run player. He might be a dominating run player, but you won’t get pass rush from him. I’m also worried about LSU defensive linemen. Dorsey and Jackson have been underachievers.
Cox?
The first DL to go. He’ll be gone by 10 or 11. He won’t be there for the Cowboys.
Will Decastro be gone when the Cowboys pick?
He’ll probably be there. I think he’ll be a consideration. From 10 to 20 there will be teams looking to draft for need, and if there isn’t a player on the board who fills their need Kuechly, Barron, and DeCastro will be the fall back players. They’re walk on starters who could be in the Pro Bowl in 3 years, but they just play non premium positions.
Will it be hard to trade down at 14 since there are a lot of players bunched together there?
Yeah, I don’t think there will be a whole lot of activity for that reason. Coples might be there at 18, so why trade up to 8 for him? The movement will be for Tannehill because he’s going in the Top 10. A team might try to jump ahead of Miami. I don’t see anyone trading up for Barron or DeCastro, maybe for Kuechly because he’s the safest player in the draft. In most drafts I’ve done I see 8 or 9 blue chippers, but I don’t have that in this draft.
Do you believe in Tannehill?
I believe in the need for the position. Look at Locker and Ponder last year. He would be a great guy to draft behind Favre and groom him for a couple of years. He’s not ready to play right away. He’s like Gabbert, who wasn’t ready to play last year. If you draft him and develop him for a couple of years, he could be fine. But if you draft him Top 10 and want him to play him right away, I don’t think you’re going to like what you see.
Is there anything you can look at and suggest the Cowboys should reconsider in the way they approach the draft?
I think the problem they have is when Jerry reaches. I thnk Ciskowski and his staff put up a board that is competitive with any other board in the NFL. When they get in trouble is when Jerry reaches for Quincy Carter. Felix Jones was ranked below other RBs on their board, but Jerry wanted him.
They drafted Jones to be a compliment player. Why are they drafting compliment players in the 1st round?
I think they were banking on Julius Jones being “the guy”. 1996 and 2009 I remember when Jerry said he went to the draft looking to draft backups and special teams guys. You don’t draft special teams guys. They might end up as backups and special teams guys because they’re not ready to start right away, but you don’t specifically look for them. I’ve seen the Cowboys do that twice. That’s why I’m not a fan of this particular team trading down. Jimmy might have had a feel for where to get certain players, but nowadays it seems the Cowboys trade down just for the sake of trading down without any idea what they want to do with these lower picks once they get them.
Where on the calendar do you start drafting Romo’s successor?
Two years ago. The Cowboys should draft QBs every year. Ron Wolff drafted Hasselback, Brunnell and Aaron Brooks when he had Favre. Even if they don’t become your QB you trade them off.
Shouldn’t they especially do it this year since they’ve apparently given up on Stephen McGee and have room for a development backup QB?
They show no confidence in Stephen McGee. To go with Jon Kitna to win a few more games when they’re not competitive in the season.
Someone gives you an NFL team, what front office would you hire to run it?
Baltimore, without question. Ozzie Newsome, no matter where they draft, he finds a guy. They draft in the 20’s every year, and they find good players every year at their picks. Torrey Smith in the 2nd round last year. They have scouts who have been in their system since the Cleveland days, and they know their system. Ozzie has a good feel for players, and a lot of ex players don’t.
Which team screws up the draft every year?
Bengals, they have no regard for character. Every year they draft 2 or 3 bad lockerroom guys, and now they got a lockerroom full of them. That said, they had a great draft last year and got a good QB with a 2nd round pick.
I made some call over the weekends and there are 6 blue chippers and 22 first rounder caliber guys in this draft. So I don’t mind don’t mind trading down a couple of spots from 14 to 18, but I don’t drop back all the way back to 25. The problem is there isn’t a difference between the 25th, 35th and 45th pick in this draft. There’s not going to be a whole lot of trading up or down after 20. I think need will come into play. You know, I thought this would be a better pass rush group, but they all have a ding.
Well, let’s go over some of the DL and you tell me their ding…. Poe?
Underachiever. 2nd Team Conference USA
Coples ?
Motor doesn’t always run. Julius Peppers ability, but doesn’t always show on the field.
Brockers?
5.0+ 40 yard dash, and strictly a run player. He might be a dominating run player, but you won’t get pass rush from him. I’m also worried about LSU defensive linemen. Dorsey and Jackson have been underachievers.
Cox?
The first DL to go. He’ll be gone by 10 or 11. He won’t be there for the Cowboys.
Will Decastro be gone when the Cowboys pick?
He’ll probably be there. I think he’ll be a consideration. From 10 to 20 there will be teams looking to draft for need, and if there isn’t a player on the board who fills their need Kuechly, Barron, and DeCastro will be the fall back players. They’re walk on starters who could be in the Pro Bowl in 3 years, but they just play non premium positions.
Will it be hard to trade down at 14 since there are a lot of players bunched together there?
Yeah, I don’t think there will be a whole lot of activity for that reason. Coples might be there at 18, so why trade up to 8 for him? The movement will be for Tannehill because he’s going in the Top 10. A team might try to jump ahead of Miami. I don’t see anyone trading up for Barron or DeCastro, maybe for Kuechly because he’s the safest player in the draft. In most drafts I’ve done I see 8 or 9 blue chippers, but I don’t have that in this draft.
Do you believe in Tannehill?
I believe in the need for the position. Look at Locker and Ponder last year. He would be a great guy to draft behind Favre and groom him for a couple of years. He’s not ready to play right away. He’s like Gabbert, who wasn’t ready to play last year. If you draft him and develop him for a couple of years, he could be fine. But if you draft him Top 10 and want him to play him right away, I don’t think you’re going to like what you see.
Is there anything you can look at and suggest the Cowboys should reconsider in the way they approach the draft?
I think the problem they have is when Jerry reaches. I thnk Ciskowski and his staff put up a board that is competitive with any other board in the NFL. When they get in trouble is when Jerry reaches for Quincy Carter. Felix Jones was ranked below other RBs on their board, but Jerry wanted him.
They drafted Jones to be a compliment player. Why are they drafting compliment players in the 1st round?
I think they were banking on Julius Jones being “the guy”. 1996 and 2009 I remember when Jerry said he went to the draft looking to draft backups and special teams guys. You don’t draft special teams guys. They might end up as backups and special teams guys because they’re not ready to start right away, but you don’t specifically look for them. I’ve seen the Cowboys do that twice. That’s why I’m not a fan of this particular team trading down. Jimmy might have had a feel for where to get certain players, but nowadays it seems the Cowboys trade down just for the sake of trading down without any idea what they want to do with these lower picks once they get them.
Where on the calendar do you start drafting Romo’s successor?
Two years ago. The Cowboys should draft QBs every year. Ron Wolff drafted Hasselback, Brunnell and Aaron Brooks when he had Favre. Even if they don’t become your QB you trade them off.
Shouldn’t they especially do it this year since they’ve apparently given up on Stephen McGee and have room for a development backup QB?
They show no confidence in Stephen McGee. To go with Jon Kitna to win a few more games when they’re not competitive in the season.
Someone gives you an NFL team, what front office would you hire to run it?
Baltimore, without question. Ozzie Newsome, no matter where they draft, he finds a guy. They draft in the 20’s every year, and they find good players every year at their picks. Torrey Smith in the 2nd round last year. They have scouts who have been in their system since the Cleveland days, and they know their system. Ozzie has a good feel for players, and a lot of ex players don’t.
Which team screws up the draft every year?
Bengals, they have no regard for character. Every year they draft 2 or 3 bad lockerroom guys, and now they got a lockerroom full of them. That said, they had a great draft last year and got a good QB with a 2nd round pick.
