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Never Land
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Jones has never selected an offensive lineman higher than No. 37 overall (Andre Gurode, 2002).
IRVING, Texas - If you've visited DallasCowboys.com much in the last few weeks, or seen basically any mock draft across the Internet, you're probably buying into the idea that the Cowboys are poised to draft an offensive lineman in the first round.
Tyron Smith, Anthony Castonzo, Gabe Carimi. Which one of those jerseys are you ready to buy?
I just don't see the pink Castonzo being a big seller.
It's not that the Cowboys couldn't use a big burly tackle. They certainly could. Their line is aging to the point that it's going to be all downhill from here, unless they get proactive on trying to reverse that trend. The offense couldn't consistently run block in short-yardage situations last year, and finished the season with its third quarterback starting.
But the next offensive lineman the Cowboys draft in Round 1 will be the first since the team selected Howard Richards at No. 28 overall out of Missouri in 1981, only a matter of days after the space shuttle program launched its first flight. Last week, three decades later, NASA announced that it would retire each of the orbiters after the final voyage this summer. The entire shuttle program has come and gone. We're on the fifth presidential administration, including three two-termers. It's been 30 years.
A National Football Lifetime. Longer than I've been around.
Considering the fact Jerry Jones hasn't used his No. 1 pick on an offensive lineman in any of his 22 drafts, it could easily be argued that this may be a hard and fast organizational philosophy, not merely happenstance. Maybe they've never needed O-line help so badly in his entire tenure as owner/GM - that's debatable. But why should anyone believe things will change this year?
In the past, Jones has explained his decision not to draft linemen early as his way of looking for an instant impact. If the Cowboys picked one this time, that guy would start right away, we can presume, because Jones has already said a guy taken at No. 9 will play a lot. The Joe Thomases and Maurkice Pounceys of the world have proven that rookie starters can be plenty effective up front.
Bucking history seems possible, but there are so many mitigating factors. The simple fact that everyone - myself included - has projected the Cowboys to take a lineman is reason enough to be skeptical. Every year there are surprises in the draft.
So, here are the scenarios wherein the Cowboys don't pick a lineman, and we can weigh some of their other options.
We know from last season, when photos of the Cowboys' draft board were leaked, that the team really does pick based on its ranking of the players rather than their position of need. Look back into the archives on this very website, and most of us figured the team needed to grab a tackle and a safety, in some order, with their top two picks last year. Yet they went for a wide receiver and an inside linebacker based on the value Dez Bryant and Sean Lee represented.
So let's say the Cowboys have Tyron Smith of USC right at the top of the board, but he's picked by San Francisco at No. 7. They could stand pat with the ninth pick and take the next lineman on their board, someone like Castonzo or Nate Solder. But what if someone like Nick Fairley or Von Miller has dropped? What if the guy everyone really seems to want, Patrick Peterson, has somehow slipped through the first eight picks? Suddenly the Cowboys have a shot at great value, which we know they covet on draft day.
And it's not like defensive line, pass rush and coverage are needed any less than blocking. Defense, obviously, was this team's biggest problem last year, and if the Cowboys could get what they perceive to be a game-changing player at any of those positions, the ease with which a right tackle could be integrated into the lineup doesn't seem so appetizing
Plus, the O-line options don't disappear after the first 32 picks. Remember, the Cowboys have shown a willingness to start high rookie second-rounders up front in the past, with Flozell Adams and Andre Gurode. Al Johnson, the center they tabbed at No. 38 overall in 2003, would have started right away if not for a season-ending knee injury during training camp. Plus, the strength of the linemen in the first round this year suggests there may still be some good players available on the Friday night of draft weekend.
And if the Cowboys already have their left tackle in Doug Free, why use a top 10 pick on a right tackle, a position that often receives the blocking help of a tight end. Centers and guards similarly receive assistance from their fellow interior linemen.
For whatever it's worth, Fairley, Miller and Peterson all have sizzle that a guy like Carimi lacks. Not saying this is how the Cowboys should operate in the war room, but their history suggests it might be.
Remember, this is a team that awarded a training camp roster spot to the winner of a reality show. Marketing and salesmanship are a big deal around here.
So maybe the Cowboys are trying to fool us by bringing in all these first-round linemen for a visit to Valley Ranch. Maybe they would never take a first-round offensive lineman.
We can't put it past them.
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Jones has never selected an offensive lineman higher than No. 37 overall (Andre Gurode, 2002).
IRVING, Texas - If you've visited DallasCowboys.com much in the last few weeks, or seen basically any mock draft across the Internet, you're probably buying into the idea that the Cowboys are poised to draft an offensive lineman in the first round.
Tyron Smith, Anthony Castonzo, Gabe Carimi. Which one of those jerseys are you ready to buy?
I just don't see the pink Castonzo being a big seller.
It's not that the Cowboys couldn't use a big burly tackle. They certainly could. Their line is aging to the point that it's going to be all downhill from here, unless they get proactive on trying to reverse that trend. The offense couldn't consistently run block in short-yardage situations last year, and finished the season with its third quarterback starting.
But the next offensive lineman the Cowboys draft in Round 1 will be the first since the team selected Howard Richards at No. 28 overall out of Missouri in 1981, only a matter of days after the space shuttle program launched its first flight. Last week, three decades later, NASA announced that it would retire each of the orbiters after the final voyage this summer. The entire shuttle program has come and gone. We're on the fifth presidential administration, including three two-termers. It's been 30 years.
A National Football Lifetime. Longer than I've been around.
Considering the fact Jerry Jones hasn't used his No. 1 pick on an offensive lineman in any of his 22 drafts, it could easily be argued that this may be a hard and fast organizational philosophy, not merely happenstance. Maybe they've never needed O-line help so badly in his entire tenure as owner/GM - that's debatable. But why should anyone believe things will change this year?
In the past, Jones has explained his decision not to draft linemen early as his way of looking for an instant impact. If the Cowboys picked one this time, that guy would start right away, we can presume, because Jones has already said a guy taken at No. 9 will play a lot. The Joe Thomases and Maurkice Pounceys of the world have proven that rookie starters can be plenty effective up front.
Bucking history seems possible, but there are so many mitigating factors. The simple fact that everyone - myself included - has projected the Cowboys to take a lineman is reason enough to be skeptical. Every year there are surprises in the draft.
So, here are the scenarios wherein the Cowboys don't pick a lineman, and we can weigh some of their other options.
We know from last season, when photos of the Cowboys' draft board were leaked, that the team really does pick based on its ranking of the players rather than their position of need. Look back into the archives on this very website, and most of us figured the team needed to grab a tackle and a safety, in some order, with their top two picks last year. Yet they went for a wide receiver and an inside linebacker based on the value Dez Bryant and Sean Lee represented.
So let's say the Cowboys have Tyron Smith of USC right at the top of the board, but he's picked by San Francisco at No. 7. They could stand pat with the ninth pick and take the next lineman on their board, someone like Castonzo or Nate Solder. But what if someone like Nick Fairley or Von Miller has dropped? What if the guy everyone really seems to want, Patrick Peterson, has somehow slipped through the first eight picks? Suddenly the Cowboys have a shot at great value, which we know they covet on draft day.
And it's not like defensive line, pass rush and coverage are needed any less than blocking. Defense, obviously, was this team's biggest problem last year, and if the Cowboys could get what they perceive to be a game-changing player at any of those positions, the ease with which a right tackle could be integrated into the lineup doesn't seem so appetizing
Plus, the O-line options don't disappear after the first 32 picks. Remember, the Cowboys have shown a willingness to start high rookie second-rounders up front in the past, with Flozell Adams and Andre Gurode. Al Johnson, the center they tabbed at No. 38 overall in 2003, would have started right away if not for a season-ending knee injury during training camp. Plus, the strength of the linemen in the first round this year suggests there may still be some good players available on the Friday night of draft weekend.
And if the Cowboys already have their left tackle in Doug Free, why use a top 10 pick on a right tackle, a position that often receives the blocking help of a tight end. Centers and guards similarly receive assistance from their fellow interior linemen.
For whatever it's worth, Fairley, Miller and Peterson all have sizzle that a guy like Carimi lacks. Not saying this is how the Cowboys should operate in the war room, but their history suggests it might be.
Remember, this is a team that awarded a training camp roster spot to the winner of a reality show. Marketing and salesmanship are a big deal around here.
So maybe the Cowboys are trying to fool us by bringing in all these first-round linemen for a visit to Valley Ranch. Maybe they would never take a first-round offensive lineman.
We can't put it past them.