Dallas Cowboys Draft Grades, off-Season Review and 53 Man Roster Projection
The Dallas Cowboys needed to improve their defense heading into the season to compete against the offensively potent Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. The Cowboys had holes in the secondary and depth issues along the defensive line. At least at cornerback the Cowboys made two huge moves. What did I think about the draft, what does their 53 man roster look like now? Read on to find out.
Draft Grades:
The Dallas Cowboys made it a point of emphasis to fix their secondary, and especially the cornerback position. Despite the addition of Brandon Carr in free agency the Cowboys traded a second round pick to swap first round picks with the St. Louis Rams to move up and get Morris Claiborne.
Claiborne is a fantastic coverage cornerback with good range and and terrific ball skills. Claiborne doesn’t have the physical ability his former teammate Patrick Peterson has, but he’s probably a more polished cornerback at this point. This was a good pick for the Cowboys, but was it a pick that was worth the cost? That remains to be seen. If the Cowboys could have stayed put and got Claiborne it’d be an A+, but giving up a second round pick is tough. B
3rd round-Tyrone Crawford DE/OLB Boise State
In the middle of the third round Crawford provided fine, but not great value. The question I have about this pick is what position the Cowboys plan on playing him. Mayock said about the Crawford pick that he was the protpytical 34 DE. I believe he’s best suited as a 43 DE, but time will tell. If the Cowboys plan on playing Crawford as an outside linebacker I think that would be a mistake. I like the player, but I question the system fit. B-
4th round-Kyle Wilber, OLB, Wake Forest
The Cowboys got a pass rusher in the next round and maybe the best one remaining. The pass rusher class in general in the 2012 NFL Draft was subpar so this to me is mor eof a need pick. I don’t expect Wilber to compete for a starting job anytime soon and will likely enter the season as a rotational pass rusher and special teams player, until he improves his run stopping ability. Solid, but not a special pick. B-
4th round Matt Johnson S Eastern Washington
I didn’t rank Johnson because I didn’t see him play enough, but I’ve heard some good things. Do I think he would have been drafted before the Cowboys picked in the fifth round? No, I don’t. This is a good post written up about Johnson by bloggingtheboys.com Matt Johnson is athletic, but likely will come in and play special teams. Still think it was a bit of a reach. C
5th round Danny Coale, WR, Virginia Tech
Again not a great pick by the standards of draftniks, but a pick I like a lot. Coale was a very productive wide receiver at Virginia Tech who has good size (6’0 200 pounds) and showed really plus measurables during the pre-draft process. Coale 4.5 forty yard dash, with a fast 6.69 3 cone drill. The Cowboys have two WR who can command double attention on the outside on every play with Miles Ausitn and Dez Bryant so Coale fills what they need a guy who can be a mismatch in the slot as a possession WR, but also makes a few big plays down the field once in awhile–even though I didn’t have Coale as a fifth rounder I think he’ll do well with the Cowboys.B+
6th round-James Hanna TE Oklahoma
I went back and watched Hanna play after his terrific combine and I liked what I saw. Now, because of his size Hanna is going to have to be a move TE, or HBack type player. But he has good speed and good solid hands. Hanna could turn into a nice complement to Jason Witten. I”m not sure he’ll ever be an every down tight end. Like the Giants, and a few other teams the Cowboys prefer Tight Ends who do a great job blocking and that’s not Hanna. He could struggle to get on the field with the Cowboys and produce much like Travis Beckum has with the Giants. Still in the 6th round take guys with an elite skill–Hanna’s is speed for a TE. B
7th Round Caleb McSturdy, LB, Montana
I watched McSturdy a few times because I was watching Montana to get a look at Trumaine Johnnson. Looked like a Special teamer to me and I wouldn’t have drafted him–he’s undersized and has below average speed. He’s instinctive, but a high character guy who will come in and love to play special teams.
53 man roster projection on next page