CowboysBlog.Net

The Cowboys have drafted Martellus Bennett, TE, Texas A&M with the #61 pick

The Cowboys are drafting late in the second round. If available, here are some players to watch at #61:

TE Martellus Bennett, Texas A&M

LB Beau Bell, UNLV

FB Owen Schmitt, West Virginia

WR Will Franklin, Missouri

S DaJuan Morgan, NC State

DT Pat Sims, Auburn

The Cowboys have drafted Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida with the #25 pick.

The Cowboys have drafted Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas with the #22 pick.

Football’s offseason Super Bowl is here..the NFL Draft! We’ve seen all the mocks, at the end of the day, most these things are wrong, and trades usually shake up the draft boards. Who will be this year’s Rodgers or Quinn, will the Cowboys sell the house to get a Veteran receiver or trade for McFadden. The answers to these questions are almost here.

We’ll be blogging live. Be sure to stop at our fan packed message boards for the latest Draft Talk.

Ok, now that we just traded Akin Ayodele and Anthony Fasano for Miami’s 4th rounder, how does this change our draft strategy? Let’s begin to speculate….

First off this is a good move to me. Ayodele did not produce the numbers that Phillips had hoped, you can pencil in Bobby Carpenter in at MLB, alongside Zach Thomas. Spencer and Ellis will continue to rotate at OLB.

The late 4th rounder we lost to the Titans has been replenished with the Dolphins 1st pick of the 4th rounder, basically a late 3rd rounder.

Current picks:

#22
#28
#61
#92
#100 (from Dolphins)

Packaging Picks for Roy Williams 

That’s pretty stout. Now for the interesting part. Is Jerry maneuvering for some blockbuster trade? Could the Cowboys be packaging some sort of trade in the same vein as the Vikings (1st rounder and two 3rd rounders). The Cowboys have added some significant ammo by adding the Dolphins 4th rounder. Its possible the Cowboys could package the #22, #92, #100 pick to someone for a receiver, Roy Williams makes the most sense all around.
Keeping the Picks

If the Cowboys keep the Miami pick in the 4th rounder, then they can still use it to move up in another round if they need to. This whole move can payoff if the right player becomes available and we utilize the 4th rounder correctly.

Draft Impact on losing Ayodele and Fasano

Obviously we’re now short another solid LB, so you could see the Cowboys drafting a LB in a mid round or earlier if their player falls to them, whomever that may be.

Losing Fasano, gets interesting because, he was a solid #2 TE, the emergence of  Tony Curtis may have made Fasano expendable, but I’m not completely sold on that theory. I think the Cowboys could end up targeting another TE. Dustin Keller from Purdue would be a great addition, he runs routes like a WR, has speed, and had a great combine. He’s going to be explosive in the passing game. If we’re going to add a receiver, adding Keller would make sense, he’ll move the chains; coupled with Witten and Owens, this would be a nightmare scenario for DBs/LBs. Another name to watch is Martellus Bennett from Texas A&M. The Cowboys brought in Bennett during “Texas Day” and he could be on their radar somewhere in this draft. If the Cowboys think Rodney Hannah can step up from the practice squad then we may not draft a TE at all, we’ll see.

Darren McFadden

And of course, this trade, and packaging theory could also mean the Cowboys will sell the house to get McFadden. The scenario would have Al Davis selecting McFadden, and the Cowboys would send both first rounders, #92, and #100, or something alike. For me, this would be stupid and would reverse all the offseason manuvering. We’re NOT one player away from the SuperBowl, we’re several key players away. I’ll throw up if this happens.

Breaking News: Adam Schefter is reporting the Cowboys have acquired the Dolphins 4th rounder this year for Akin Ayodele and Anthony Fasano.

Very-very nice move by Jerry. Not only did we trade average players to the Dolphins, but we have a 4th round pick back in our pockets, a high 4th rounder at that. Good job Jerry! I like this move.

The reports are coming in….the trade is done. The Titans wanted a 3rd, the Cowboys offered a 5th, they decided on a 4th rounder this year, and maybe more next year depending on Pacman’s playing time

More here 

Conventional wisdom would say the Cowboys should stay put at #22 and #28, or at least trade down one of those picks and get more value in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. However, during the Cowboys pre-draft press conference, Jerry Jones made it crystal clear who is the man making the selections at the end of the day. Jerry basically said he’ll get his input from the scouts and coaches, but he’ll be the man making the calls.

Clearly the Cowboys are a few players away from having a championship roster, mainly with the shortcomings in the secondary, so staying put and adding quality with the first picks makes the most sense to me, and probably most of you. BUT, Jerry is making the calls, and he’s a gambler, and if Jerry thinks we’re one player away from making the Super Bowl, we’ll see a crazy blockbuster trade that will send #22 and #28 to the Lions for WR Roy Williams. It’s a high price to pay, but like I’ve said in several articles before, Jerry basically set a precedent by giving (2) 1st rounders for a receiver (Joey Galloway). Would Jerry do this again? You bet, and if you think he wouldn’t do it you’re dissolutioned. If Jerry does plan on trading two first rounders for Roy Williams, I would hope it would be for the first this year, and the other for 2009, I could live with that one. If you’re the Lions you make the trade, and don’t look back. The Lions would have (2) first round picks this year, maybe (3) if the Cowboys trade both first rounders they own this year, and if anyone needs their team to win this year, its Matt Millen and Rod Marenelli. If they don’t make the playoffs they are both gone.

Selling the house is very risky, because we have obvious needs in the secondary, and we need the best defensive backs out there. Yes, pairing Roy Williams with Terrell Owens would be unstoppable, but you can score all day, but if your defense leaves teams in the game through 4 quarters, then it doesn’t even matter. December defense has been really shaky, we need more help.
If anyone has Jerry’s ear its going to be Jason Garrett in my opinion. He’s probably one of the smartest coaches in the entire league, and if Jerry wants to draft for Garrett, then he’ll stay put and draft smart. There is no rush in getting Roy Williams, he’ll be a free agent next season and the Cowboys can get him then. We will see.

For me, Stay put and draft, don’t sell the house.

We’re on the home stretch for the NFL Draft, and as every year, the high drama always seems to revolve the Cowboys with trade rumors all offseason. Come draft day we’ll see if any of these rumors come to fruition. I’m going to take a look at some topics to watch come draft day.

Garrett Effect

At the end of the season, it looked like Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett was on his way to taking the head coaching job in Baltimore. Garrett opted to remain with the Cowboys, and in doing so, he received a hefty raise, and the Assistant Head Coach title. What made Garrett return to Dallas? His love for the organization, the chance to be the Cowboys Head Coach in 2009? Who really knows, but I do know this…having Garrett back is going to make this offense that much more better. To me, its going to be interesting to see which way this draft goes. All the mockers are targeting a cornerback with the first pick, but what if the Cowboys were to take an Offensive Lineman at #22, and then a WR or RB with the #28 pick or visa/versa? If we see this scenario, it could be seen a as a draft geared for Garrett. You know Garrett wants nothing but big offensive lineman, and tall receivers.

If you look at last year’s draft picks, you could even say the Garrett influence started last year. Yes, we drafted Spencer in the 1st round, but the bulk of the draft was offensive intensive with James Marten (6-7, 303) in the 3rd, Isaiah Stanback (6-2, 208) and Doug Free (6-6, 306) in the 4th, Nick Folk and Deon Anderson in the 6th round, and last picks in the 7th on Courtney Brown and Alan Ball. Marten, Stanback, and Free have the big physical attributes Garrett wants at those positions.
With all this being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cowboys took another offensive lineman somewhere early, whether it be a tackle, guard, or even a center. Another tall receiver could be picked up too, really depends on how Stanback is progressing. Lastly, I think Garrett would still like to get his “Moose” in the backfield, and to me that’s Owen Schmitt from West Virginia, or maybe Jerry’s fellow alum in Peyton Hillis. We’ll see.

Insurance Picks

With potential contract issues with Marion Barber and Ken Hamlin, the Cowboys have the luxury of insuring both positions in the first round, whether that be with Kenny Phillips at #22, and Felix Jones at #28 or visa/versa. Phillips is going to be a solid player, and if the supposed leak mock board leak was true or not, they did have Phillips high on that board. So drafting both in the first would be smart moves, and would contributing forces on day one. Now, assuming we eventually sign Barber and Hamlin to long term deals, the offense and defense will be that much better.

Draft Day Trading

For some reason, I see the Cowboys trading that #28 pick to someone wanting back into the 1st round to pick up a quarterback or some other position. I think Atlanta will be one of those teams looking to leapfrog back into the 1st, They will take an offensive player in the first, but if they take defense, they will trade back into the 1st, they have the firepower to jumpback into the 1st, and the Cowboys would be the prefect trading partner. What about taking Chad Johnson with the #22 or #28 pick. Chad Johnson has turned up the heat on wanting out of Cincinnati, he wants to be a Cowboy, thus the increased banter is in full effect and his strategy could pay off come draft day, they may fully oblige a trade to Dallas.