Machota: 10 players the Dallas Cowboys might regret passing on in the 2016 NFL Draft

boozeman

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10 players the Dallas Cowboys might regret passing on in the 2016 NFL Draft



By Jon Machota , Staff Writer Contact Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota


We know so much about the NFL Draft that we went back and found all of the mistakes the Cowboys made with their nine picks this year.

OK, that's not exactly what was done here. What is being presented is simply some food for thought.

We looked through all seven rounds and found 10 players the Cowboys didn't draft who they could regret passing on down the road.

1.) Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State. Many thought Ramsey was going to be the Cowboys' pick when they were on the clock at No. 4. But they picked Ezekiel Elliott and Ramsey went fifth to Jacksonville. There will be a lot of second-guessing if Ramsey becomes a star and Elliott does not.

2.) Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis. Jerry Jones made it very clear that the Cowboys were interested in trading up into the end of the first round to draft Lynch. Denver had the same idea and made a better offer. Lynch went 26th overall when Seattle traded the pick to the Broncos. Did the Cowboys miss out on a future franchise QB?


3.) Myles Jack, LB, UCLA. The Cowboys used the 34th overall pick on an elite linebacker with questions about his surgically-repaired knee. Jack, another elite LB coming off a knee surgery, went two picks later to Jacksonville. Jaylon Smith and Jack will be linked to each other for a long time.

4.) Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky. Spence would have been another possible option at 34 if the Cowboys had not picked Smith. Dallas needed a defensive end more than any other position and Spence was the best remaining one on the board. He has character concerns off the field, so it's understandable why the Cowboys past. But there could be some regrets if he stays out of trouble and has a long and productive career.

5.) Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State. The Cowboys didn't go after Cook quite as hard as Lynch, but they wanted the MSU standout. Oakland traded up one spot ahead of the Cowboys and drafted Cook in the fourth. Instead of trying to present a better offer than Oakland's, the Cowboys selected Oklahoma DE Charles Tapper.

6.) Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor. Dallas doesn't put a very high value on one-technique defensive tackles, but Billings could've been had in the fourth round. That's pretty good value for a player who some thought would go at the end of Round 1.

7.) Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State. Jones worked out for the Cowboys coaches when they came up to Ohio State before the draft. They were obviously looking for a QB in this class. Jones was drafted four picks after the Cowboys took QB Dak Prescott in the fourth.


8.) Ronald Blair, DE, Appalachian State. Dallas drafted Tapper in the third so they were apparently set at the position. However, you can never have enough quality pass rushers and Blair was still there late in the fourth round.

9.) Jalen Mills, S, LSU. The Cowboys didn't have a seventh round pick but they could've drafted Mills with one of their four sixth round selections. Mills was projected by some to be a third or fourth round pick. Great value for late in the sixth.

10.) Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple. Here's another seventh round pick who could've been an option late in the sixth. Matakevich was coached by the Cowboys at the Senior Bowl. Although he's undersized and not the most athletic MLB, Matakevich was ridiculously productive in college and could end up being a special teams leader who adds quality depth.
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Cardale Jones? Really?
 

Landry

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10 players the Dallas Cowboys might regret passing on in the 2016 NFL Draft



By Jon Machota , Staff Writer Contact Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota


We know so much about the NFL Draft that we went back and found all of the mistakes the Cowboys made with their nine picks this year.

OK, that's not exactly what was done here. What is being presented is simply some food for thought.

We looked through all seven rounds and found 10 players the Cowboys didn't draft who they could regret passing on down the road.

1.) Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State. Many thought Ramsey was going to be the Cowboys' pick when they were on the clock at No. 4. But they picked Ezekiel Elliott and Ramsey went fifth to Jacksonville. There will be a lot of second-guessing if Ramsey becomes a star and Elliott does not.

2.) Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis. Jerry Jones made it very clear that the Cowboys were interested in trading up into the end of the first round to draft Lynch. Denver had the same idea and made a better offer. Lynch went 26th overall when Seattle traded the pick to the Broncos. Did the Cowboys miss out on a future franchise QB?


3.) Myles Jack, LB, UCLA. The Cowboys used the 34th overall pick on an elite linebacker with questions about his surgically-repaired knee. Jack, another elite LB coming off a knee surgery, went two picks later to Jacksonville. Jaylon Smith and Jack will be linked to each other for a long time.

4.) Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky. Spence would have been another possible option at 34 if the Cowboys had not picked Smith. Dallas needed a defensive end more than any other position and Spence was the best remaining one on the board. He has character concerns off the field, so it's understandable why the Cowboys past. But there could be some regrets if he stays out of trouble and has a long and productive career.

5.) Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State. The Cowboys didn't go after Cook quite as hard as Lynch, but they wanted the MSU standout. Oakland traded up one spot ahead of the Cowboys and drafted Cook in the fourth. Instead of trying to present a better offer than Oakland's, the Cowboys selected Oklahoma DE Charles Tapper.

6.) Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor. Dallas doesn't put a very high value on one-technique defensive tackles, but Billings could've been had in the fourth round. That's pretty good value for a player who some thought would go at the end of Round 1.

7.) Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio State. Jones worked out for the Cowboys coaches when they came up to Ohio State before the draft. They were obviously looking for a QB in this class. Jones was drafted four picks after the Cowboys took QB Dak Prescott in the fourth.


8.) Ronald Blair, DE, Appalachian State. Dallas drafted Tapper in the third so they were apparently set at the position. However, you can never have enough quality pass rushers and Blair was still there late in the fourth round.

9.) Jalen Mills, S, LSU. The Cowboys didn't have a seventh round pick but they could've drafted Mills with one of their four sixth round selections. Mills was projected by some to be a third or fourth round pick. Great value for late in the sixth.

10.) Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple. Here's another seventh round pick who could've been an option late in the sixth. Matakevich was coached by the Cowboys at the Senior Bowl. Although he's undersized and not the most athletic MLB, Matakevich was ridiculously productive in college and could end up being a special teams leader who adds quality depth.
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Cardale Jones? Really?
There's a reason a lot of these guys were there after the third round.
 

Simpleton

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I agree on Jack, Billings, Blair and Spence, those all would have been excellent picks at various times.

As for Lynch, very interesting case. Sometimes you can't get a read on whether or not a guy would've worked out if you had taken him because of the circumstances that the player finds himself in depending on the team that drafts him. That isn't the case with Lynch, he went to a very stable franchise with a QB/system that fits his talents, an elite WR and a defense that can carry the team more or less. If he busts, we know he would've busted here since I doubt he would've been in a much better situation aside from maybe having an extra year or two to sit on the bench, if he hits then you know we will regret it.

And as for Ramsey, give me a fucking break at this point. Every god damn Joe Fan who knows dick about football that wants to bash our draft brings up this guy like he's the fucking love child of a Rod Woodson/Charles Woodson/Ed Reed 3-way.

In their first 3 years of college Ed Reed had 12 INT's, Charles Woodson had 16, 9 for Rod Woodson, 14 for Eric Berry, 9 for Deion Sanders, 8 for Darrelle Revis, 7 for Patrick Peterson, 10 for Earl Thomas in 2 years, 6 for Richard Sherman in 2 years, 8 for Ty Law in 2 years, 8 for Champ Bailey, Ronde Barber had 15, Darren Sharper had over 20 in 4 years, hell, Troy Polamalu had 6 and Brian Dawkins had 11 and they were box safeties in the NFL.

That is a list of literally all of the elite/HOF type of DB's over the last 20 years in the NFL, not a god damn one of them with less than 4 or 5 INT's in college, most of them with 10+, and yet I'm supposed to sit here and listen to all these fucks talk about Jalen "3 INT stonehand" Ramsey like passing on him is some mortal mistake because he's a lock HOF'er?

He very well may be, who knows, and if we had a defense/DC like Arizona who uses Mathieu I would have been much more on board with taking him, but I'm so sick and tired of people talking about this dude like passing on him is the mistake of the decade.
 
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Deuce

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The only one on that list I give any sorts of shits about missing out on is Billings. I like Jack, but prefer both the skills and prognosis of Smith much better.

The rest of them? WGAS.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I agree on Jack, Billings, Blair and Spence, those all would have been excellent picks at various times.
Lynch is simple, he succeeds and it's a massive regret. He fails, and we lucked out. Doesn't really even matter what Jaylon and Collins do at that point.

Ronald Blair? Is anyone really supposed to regret a DE who can't break 5.1 seconds in the forty. I doubt there is any regret with someone like that. I don't think we will ever regret Spence either. He just wasn't a risk this franchise could take after having drug suspensions with our two starting ends. From a PR perspective our team just couldn't touch him. Jack all depends on Jaylon. If Jaylon comes back, you'll never regret it. If he doesn't ever come back, then of course there would be regret.

And Billings? Well that one is still a head scratcher to me. Would have been a perfect draft pick for our team and a guy who could have played really well next to Collins.
 

DLK150

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"Passing on" or "missing out on?" It's not as though we were in a position to draft all these guys and if we were, so what? The draft always has been and always will be a crap shoot, particularly after the second round. It's rare that one draft can transform any team and unless any of the players listed turns into a ten year starter, I'd say there should be no regrets.
 

data

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I get the point of this article. Nice to list what players were available at the time of our pick.

This article would've listed Ezekiel Elliott had we drafted Ramsey, Dak Prescott had we drafted Connor Cook, etc...
 

townsend

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I get the point of this article. Nice to list what players were available at the time of our pick.

This article would've listed Ezekiel Elliott had we drafted Ramsey, Dak Prescott had we drafted Connor Cook, etc...
Our mistake was only taking one player per draft pick.
 

VA Cowboy

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I'd take Zeke over Ramsey again. And if we are going to use our 2nd on an injured LB I'd prefer Jaylon over Myles. I'd rather have Cook over Dak, but Dak was a late 4th and Cook would've cost us our early 3rd if he was available. Comes down to Cook or Collins. Tough call, but hopefully Collins pans out for us.

The only guys I'd really take on that list over who we did take would've been Mills and Matakevich. I'd have taken one of them instead of Rico and probably the other instead of Frazier. But then we're just talking about 6th and 7th rounders so it's probably not a big deal.
 

data

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A lot of people are freaking out over Zeke just cuz he's a RB.

If he's a 1,500 yards from scrimmage player for several years, you can take your 'devalue' and shove it up your ass.
 

hstour

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Lynch is simple, he succeeds and it's a massive regret. He fails, and we lucked out. Doesn't really even matter what Jaylon and Collins do at that point.

Ronald Blair? Is anyone really supposed to regret a DE who can't break 5.1 seconds in the forty. I doubt there is any regret with someone like that. I don't think we will ever regret Spence either. He just wasn't a risk this franchise could take after having drug suspensions with our two starting ends. From a PR perspective our team just couldn't touch him. Jack all depends on Jaylon. If Jaylon comes back, you'll never regret it. If he doesn't ever come back, then of course there would be regret.

And Billings? Well that one is still a head scratcher to me. Would have been a perfect draft pick for our team and a guy who could have played really well next to Collins.
Will be interesting to see how Tapper (4.59 40) does compared to Blair.
 

ravidubey

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Lynch is simple, he succeeds and it's a massive regret.
If he plays at a higher level than the pedigree of the 26th pick in the draft, then yeah we'd regret not being able to trade for him.

But Smith and Collins are probably going to be two good players. If Smith hits all the way, I don't think we have any regrets.
 

Cowboysrock55

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If he plays at a higher level than the pedigree of the 26th pick in the draft, then yeah we'd regret not being able to trade for him.
Which means if he is a successful starting QB he has exceeded the pedigree of the 26th pick and the Cowboys will without question have regrets. Even if Jaylon Smith becomes a multiple time probowler, it won't make up that difference.
 

Smitty

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Which means if he is a successful starting QB he has exceeded the pedigree of the 26th pick and the Cowboys will without question have regrets. Even if Jaylon Smith becomes a multiple time probowler, it won't make up that difference.
Depends if we hit a homerun on a QB somewhere else before Romo retires.
 

townsend

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That's true and I guess at least possible. Just not sure it's likely.
That seems like a 1 in a 100 chance now. Since we have Zeke and a possibly slightly more healthy Romo, I doubt we manage to suck enough to get to the top of the 1st again. I figure we end up somewhere between 6-10 and 10-6 for the rest of Romo's career. So we're gonna have to get hella lucky in the draft.
 

Cowboysrock55

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That seems like a 1 in a 100 chance now. Since we have Zeke and a possibly slightly more healthy Romo, I doubt we manage to suck enough to get to the top of the 1st again. I figure we end up somewhere between 6-10 and 10-6 for the rest of Romo's career. So we're gonna have to get hella lucky in the draft.
I guess the argument is, maybe another Paxton Lynch ttpe will be available in the 20s. Or Aaron Rodgers type. But that's a crap shoot.
 

townsend

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I guess the argument is, maybe another Paxton Lynch ttpe will be available in the 20s. Or Aaron Rodgers type. But that's a crap shoot.
Another Aaron Rodgers won't fall for a long time. In the olden days of 2005 you could still have a franchise QB that was a late pick or undrafted. Garcia, Bulger, Delhomme, Hasselbeck and Warner were still relevant players. Now you aren't a competitor unless you draft a top prospect. I think we'll see QBs get picked off way too early by the usual suspects, who'll ruin him, or else some team that's worth a shit will mortgage their entire draft to get up into the top of the draft.
 

L.T. Fan

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Another Aaron Rodgers won't fall for a long time. In the olden days of 2005 you could still have a franchise QB that was a late pick or undrafted. Garcia, Bulger, Delhomme, Hasselbeck and Warner were still relevant players. Now you aren't a competitor unless you draft a top prospect. I think we'll see QBs get picked off way too early by the usual suspects, who'll ruin him, or else some team that's worth a shit will mortgage their entire draft to get up into the top of the draft.
I think those type players are still out there. The club's have become so dependent on the player rating systems that the scouts aren't as utilized as they once were. It's believe the Kipers of this world and take the easy way out. That and the salary cap is more into play so the low cost gamble isn't used as much. The high draft player will be utilized almost exclusively.
 

townsend

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I think those type players are still out there. The club's have become so dependent on the player rating systems that the scouts aren't as utilized as they once were. It's believe the Kipers of this world and take the easy way out. That and the salary cap is more into play so the low cost gamble isn't used as much. The high draft player will be utilized almost exclusively.
I was really hoping Chase Daniel would get a shot at a starting job this season. I think he might be that kind of guy. Unfortunately he's 3rd on his depth chart by default now.
 
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