Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

East West Shrine Game

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl practice comment

East West Shrine Game

Combine Note

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl practice comment

Senior Bowl practice comment

C+

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The Cowboys were tough to grade on many counts.  They didn't have a selection until the third round, they made some questionable selections in my mind with some of their earlier picks, but finished very strongly.

As far as releasing T.O. is concerned, the Cowboys did the right thing.  Look for Romo to grow up and take on a leadership role now that he doesn't have someone chirping in his ear and in the locker room.  This year T.O. will stand for Team Offense, not Terrell Owens.  By the way, I classify Owens as a great playmaker, not a great receiver.  While he makes big plays he also drops too many passes, and cuts routes short causing turnovers.  On first or second down I would look for Owens.  However, on third down, or key plays in the game, I would look for someone I know would be in the right place and would catch the ball.  If that sounds like Witten, you're right.  So T.O. complaining that Romo looked for Witten in these spots was complaining about Romo doing the absolute right thing.  And how will Owens be on his new team in Buffalo?  I'm waiting for a reporter to ask Owens this question, "Since early in your career you have been clearly the number one receiver on your team.  How does it feel being clearly the number two option in Buffalo behind Lee Evans?"  How Owens answered that question (important to use "feel" over how will you handle) would provide excellent insight into when and how (not if) the situation will blow up.

DRAFT PICKS

Williams was a very very interesting pick by the Cowboys.  The kid is a tremendous athlete.  He is also strong and a good football player.  I saw him coming into the league as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense.  He played outside in college, and while he can rush the passer, he is not the big, former defensive end type that the Cowboys typically employ outside in their 3-4 defense.  However, the kid has enough bulk and strength to play inside and long term that could be his position.  With Ware, Spencer, James and Williams, opposing offensives will never know where the pass rush is coming from.  Initially, Williams will be a terror on special teams. 

The Cowboys had Brewster rated more highly than I did. While he has the size Dallas likes up front, I'm not sure he will ever elevate his game enough to be a starter a team puts in the lineup and feels it doesn't need an upgrade.  At guard, Urbik was available and he is the type of player you plug into your starting lineup and like what you have for the long haul.  In addition, wide receivers Derrick Williams and Mike Wallace were available here and would have provided the Cowboys with weapons they could use immediately, and down the line could have been quality starting wide receivers.  For me, the intriguing selection would have been Roy Miller, a strong, athletic defensive tackle in college who could have transitioned into a top defensive end for the Boys in their 3-4 defense.

McGee was the second fastest quarterback in the draft behind Pat White.  Dallas needed a long term answer at backup quarterback behind Romo, and McGee will fill that role nicely.

Butler is the more traditional player Dallas likes in its outside linebackers.  While a productive sacker in college, I question whether he has the athletic ability to play outside linebacker in the NFL.   Personally, after selecting Miller  at pick #75, I would have come back with guard Seth Olsen or tackle/guard Jamon Meredith here.

Ten spots after selecting Butler, the Cowboys drafted a similar player in Brandon Williams.  Actually, I have Williams rated more highly than Butler because he has better size and can also play defensive end in a 4-3.  In my draft scenario for Dallas I would have been fine with them taking a shot with either Butler or Williams here.

Smith's best chance at corner was with a team that played the "Tampa Bay" style of defense.  I do not believe he has the athletic ability to be a starting corner for Dallas.  If the Boys wanted a corner here, Macho Harris was available and he is a kid I like.  Also, wide receiver Jarrett Dillard would have been a great selection here.  While a smallish receiver, this kid can sky and has tremendous hands.  As a free safety prospect, Smith does make some sense here.

Now starts the portion of the Cowboys' draft where, for the most part, I like what they did.  Hamlin is a solid player who was excellent in round five.  He will eventually push Sensabaugh, a player who I like a lot.  Hamlin is more football player than athlete.  Sensabaugh is more athlete than football player.  Both can get it done on the field.

When the Cowboys first selected Buehler I did a head-scratch.  Folk is one of the best kickers in the league (and is on my fantasy football team as well).  However, the more I thought about this selection the more I liked it.  Buehler is the rare kicker who is strong, fast and a good athlete.  He has a big time leg and gets great distance on his kickoffs.  As someone who lifted the bar 25 times (more than any player drafted by Dallas except Jason Williams who had 26) and ran his forty in 4.56, he will be a plus covering the kicks he doesn't kick out of the end zone.  I also wouldn't be surprised to see him on the punt coverage team should he be needed there in a pinch.

Hodge is another good athlete who will be a plus on special teams.  Personally, I liked Jamarca Sanford better at this spot both as a safety prospect and special teams player, but I cannot fault Dallas for selecting Hodge here.

Phillips will be the perfect number three tight end for Dallas.  He can block, he has surprising quickness, and good hands.  He won't play much, but will be a plus when he is on the field and will be a contributor if he sees the field because of injury.

Mickens was not a good pick.  He was a great pick.  A knee injury effected his post-season.  His workout numbers are not a true reflection of his athletic ability.  I had a third round grade on Mickens who is an underrated cover corner with a nose for the ball.  He is a better corner than Smith, drafted in round five, and I expect him to develop into a quality starting cornerback in time.

Johnson was another excellent pick.  The kid was a late add to the Senior Bowl and caught everything thrown at him during practice, including some nice grabs.  Johnson hurt his hamstring at the Combine and didn't workout before the draft.  This hurt his stock because teams needed to see his quickness and cutting ability numbers to know if he could get open regularly in the NFL.  From what I saw (I also would have like to see his numbers), I think he has the skill set to be a very good slot receiver for Dallas.  I look for him to be a surprise in camp and make the decision on the final receivers for roster spots a difficult one for the Cowboys' coaching staff.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Travis Bright was a nice signing by Dallas as a college street free agent.  As far as potential and talent, I like him more than Brewster.  He is stronger, quicker and more athletic.

Carpenter could develop into a serviceable #3 quarterback.  For now he is a camp arm, but it wouldn't surprose me to see him end up on Dallas' development squad.

Isdaner is a player I had rated very similarly to Brewster.  Withy Brewster's guaranteed money and Bright also on hand, Isdaner is probably playing for a development squad spot.

Ogletree is another interesting prospect.  Thought to be a, smart, possession receiver, he ran a 4.37 forty, a 4.08 short shuttle, and a 6.67 three cone.  With all the bodies at receiver, look for Dallas to "hide" this kids' skills and hope he lasts all year on their development squad.  If they are uncertain that they can, they might have to find a way to keep him on their roster.  I like Manuel Johnson and Ogletree is a similarly rated prospect by me.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Cowboys draft was so-so for the third year in a row.  Their war room misses Bill Parcells.  Jones was every draft guru's projection for Dallas in round one and they got him.  However, that doesn't make it the correct move.  Also, after trading Fasano, they had to grab a tight end early.  So instead of having Fasano as a backup tight end and a receiver like Manningham, Hawkins, or Caldwell, the Boys have Bennett.  Choice and Scandrick were good picks both in terms of talent and value.  Robertson, Davis and Bradford could be free agent finds. 

DRAFT PICKS

Felix Jones was a game breaker in college.  However, his workout numbers do not make me feel confident that he will be as dangerous in the NFL.  My pick would have been Chris Johnson.  I'll go far as to say Dallas passing on Johnson will be looked at down the line as the single biggest lost opportunity in the entire 2008 draft.  Johnson with his 4.24 speed, was the ideal fit for the Cowboys.  In addition to being an explosive outside runner, he has the skills to spilt out wide and catch the ball downfield.  He will be better in the New-Orleans-Reggie Bush-role than Reggie Bush.  The Cowboys signing of Barber to a big contract (and drafting of Choice) only reinforces my opinion.

Jenkins was an excellent selection.  He is strong and fast and has has good man cover skills.  He will be better on the outside than covering slot receivers because he is more fast than quick.

After trading Fasano, I have no argument with the selection of Bennett, who would be a better fill in for Witten's role should Witten go down with injury.  I would just rather have had Fasano and one of the receivers than Bennett.

If Barber gets hurt, look for Choice to carry the load, not Jones.  In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Choice ends up splitting carries with Barber down the line over Jones.  Choice runs hard and is sneaky fast (note he is sneaky fast with similar forty speed to Jones who is suppose to have game-breaking speed).  

Scandrick was another good pick.  With his combination of speed and quickness he could be a long term answer for the Cowboys as a nickel back.

Walden is practice squad material.  He played defensive end in college but will be tried at outside linebacker in the Boys' 3-4 defense.  This is another spot where there was an ideal player on the board who I would have drafted if I were Cowboy management.  Josh Barrett is a big strong safety with excellent speed.  He could have offered the-box presence of Roy Williams and had upside in coverage because of his tremendous speed (4.33 in the forty).  He would have been worth a shot in round six.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Amendola is a polished receiver with good hands and below-average speed and athleticism.  He is the type who can hang onto a last receiver spot if he shows he can play on special teams because coaches have confidence he will run good patterns and hold onhto the ball if needed in a pinch.

Bradford is bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic than Amendola.  He is also a heady receiver.  At worst, he should spend a year on the Cowboys' practice squad.   He will need to show he is durable since he spent time on the shelf at Stanford.

Crosslin is a good goal line and short yardage runner.  He is not a top blocker, but has body and strength to develop.

Lattimore is Ray Lewis' kid brother.  He was productive in college and could be a consideration for the Cowboys' practice squad.

West has good hands and can make crisp, sharp cuts.  However, he will have his hands full with Bradford and Amendola also fighting for roster and practice squad spots.

Davis picked a good spot.  He could be a sleeper in Cowboy camp.  He has a nice mix of size, speed, quickness, strength and athleticism.  He could replace Davis as the Boys' backup safety/special teams stud.   He could also be more down the line.

Dixon has the size to be a base end in a 3-4 defense.  He will need time to develop and could be a priority for Dallas to place on their practice squad.

Robertson would have gone in round three or four if he was able to workout.  However, he was injured while working out for the Combine and teams needed to see Robertson because he was being projected to move from defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker.  It wouldn't surprise me if he moves past sixth round pick Walden when healthy.