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Scouts will have Jones' ear as draft board is built
Cowboys owner, like many in NFL, trusts staff's expertise.
By Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
Updated 11:51 a.m., Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A lot has changed for the Dallas Cowboys since they selected Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant 24th overall last April in the 2010 NFL Draft.
After a disappointing 6-10 season, the Cowboys have a new coach (Jason Garrett), a new defensive coordinator (Rob Ryan) and several other new assistants. Owner Jerry Jones has vowed to be all ears when Garrett speaks, something that probably didn't always happen when Wade Phillips had the floor.
But one thing that's remained the same at Valley Ranch is the sway the club's scouts have on Jones in the buildup to the draft.
“They have spent all this time evaluating these players,” Jones said at the NFL Scouting Combine last month in Indianapolis. “(Their opinions) are the ones that mean the most to me, not the homogenized (ones) that have come together as everyone has gotten together here or when the coaches get involved.”
Times for the 40, Wonderlic test results and other information gathered at the combine and college pro days are important pieces of the puzzle as clubs build their draft boards. But several general managers say their ranking of the prospects is based primarily on input from scouts.
“We listen to our scouts,” the New York Giants' Jerry Reese said. “They spend almost 200 days on the road. That's first and foremost.”
While some media draft gurus emphasize bench-press reps and other so-called measurables, GMs prefer to rely on information gathered by scouts at games.
“What players do here at the combine ... can confirm some things we think about them, but what they do on the field is what's most important,” Reese said.
The Cowboys and the Giants welcome their coaches' input, but it's the scouts who have the GMs' undivided attention.
“In our building, we like everybody to be involved in the process,” Reese said. “But we're not going to send scouts on the road for 200 days and then ignore them at draft time.
“They know the guys intimately. They've been to the games. They've talked to everybody about the players. They've interviewed the players.
“The coaches come in on the tail end and try to get a piece of who these guys are, try to figure them out quickly. But the scouts really know who they are.”
Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers, agreed.
“We have a good feel just from our college evaluation throughout the fall,” Colbert said. “The workout and the interview process will supplement that. But, really, you have a good idea from the scouts.”
In the days leading up to the draft, Jones will no doubt hear plenty from Garrett and Ryan. But it's the voices of scouting director Tom Ciskowski and his cohorts that will rise above the din of the draft chatter.
Dallas holds the No. 9 pick next month, its highest since 2003.
“(Coaches) are going to be looking at it with a cursory view relative to the work the scouts have put into it,” Jones said. “That causes you to do things we ought to be doing: honoring that draft board and putting that rascal up there just like our scouts think it ought to go.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...r-as-draft-board-is-1240880.php#ixzz1HLpMfimJ
Cowboys owner, like many in NFL, trusts staff's expertise.
By Tom Orsborn
torsborn@express-news.net
Updated 11:51 a.m., Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A lot has changed for the Dallas Cowboys since they selected Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant 24th overall last April in the 2010 NFL Draft.
After a disappointing 6-10 season, the Cowboys have a new coach (Jason Garrett), a new defensive coordinator (Rob Ryan) and several other new assistants. Owner Jerry Jones has vowed to be all ears when Garrett speaks, something that probably didn't always happen when Wade Phillips had the floor.
But one thing that's remained the same at Valley Ranch is the sway the club's scouts have on Jones in the buildup to the draft.
“They have spent all this time evaluating these players,” Jones said at the NFL Scouting Combine last month in Indianapolis. “(Their opinions) are the ones that mean the most to me, not the homogenized (ones) that have come together as everyone has gotten together here or when the coaches get involved.”
Times for the 40, Wonderlic test results and other information gathered at the combine and college pro days are important pieces of the puzzle as clubs build their draft boards. But several general managers say their ranking of the prospects is based primarily on input from scouts.
“We listen to our scouts,” the New York Giants' Jerry Reese said. “They spend almost 200 days on the road. That's first and foremost.”
While some media draft gurus emphasize bench-press reps and other so-called measurables, GMs prefer to rely on information gathered by scouts at games.
“What players do here at the combine ... can confirm some things we think about them, but what they do on the field is what's most important,” Reese said.
The Cowboys and the Giants welcome their coaches' input, but it's the scouts who have the GMs' undivided attention.
“In our building, we like everybody to be involved in the process,” Reese said. “But we're not going to send scouts on the road for 200 days and then ignore them at draft time.
“They know the guys intimately. They've been to the games. They've talked to everybody about the players. They've interviewed the players.
“The coaches come in on the tail end and try to get a piece of who these guys are, try to figure them out quickly. But the scouts really know who they are.”
Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Pittsburgh Steelers, agreed.
“We have a good feel just from our college evaluation throughout the fall,” Colbert said. “The workout and the interview process will supplement that. But, really, you have a good idea from the scouts.”
In the days leading up to the draft, Jones will no doubt hear plenty from Garrett and Ryan. But it's the voices of scouting director Tom Ciskowski and his cohorts that will rise above the din of the draft chatter.
Dallas holds the No. 9 pick next month, its highest since 2003.
“(Coaches) are going to be looking at it with a cursory view relative to the work the scouts have put into it,” Jones said. “That causes you to do things we ought to be doing: honoring that draft board and putting that rascal up there just like our scouts think it ought to go.”
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/...r-as-draft-board-is-1240880.php#ixzz1HLpMfimJ
