Archer: AFC assistant: Cowboys would be wise to draft a QB early

boozeman

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AFC assistant: Cowboys would be wise to draft a QB early


Feb 29, 2016
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer


IRVING, Texas – The scouting combine ended Monday in Indianapolis, which means up next in the draft process will be pro days across the country and endless speculation as to what the Dallas Cowboys will do with the fourth overall pick.

Before we say goodbye to the combine, here are some picked-up pieces during a six-day stay in Indianapolis:

" A big topic has been and will be whether the Cowboys will take a quarterback with the fourth overall pick. One longtime AFC coach told me it would be the best thing to do and to take North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz if he is there and let him watch and learn from Tony Romo.

" AN NFC offensive coordinator said he would rank the quarterbacks the following way: Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch. He said Wentz needs some time but has all the tools to be great.

" If the Cowboys don’t take a quarterback in the first round then where do they go? My personal opinion is that if you don’t take a quarterback in the top three rounds then forget about taking one altogether. The chances of a late-round pick developing doesn’t happen with enough frequency. But the Cowboys spoke with Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott at the combine after meeting with him and the other South quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl for an hour. The Cowboys did not meet with the quarterbacks on their roster in the Senior Bowl, feeling they got to know them well enough during the week. Prescott could be an interesting option.

" I think the Cowboys will use Byron Jones at safety in 2016. I don’t know that for sure, though. The door is being kept open for him as a cornerback. Does that mean they make a play for a free agent?

" Last year the Cowboys had a running back need and did not select a runner in the draft. The need remains this year and the feeling is that the Cowboys will look for a runner in round 2. 3 or 4. One name to keep an eye on is Cal’s Daniel Lasco. He had the best broad jump and vertical jump. Injuries hurt his 2015 season but he had more than 1,000 yards in 2014 to go with 12 touchdowns.

" Linebackers coach Matt Eberflus has a big fan in an NFC defensive coordinator. The coordinator is intrigued as to Eberflus’ new defensive passing game coordinator title and believes Eberflus can be a defensive coordinator in the future.

" Jerry Jones spoke as if Lance Dunbar will be back with the Cowboys in 2016. So did Stephen Jones. Dunbar was off to a terrific start in 2015 before suffering a serious knee injury against the New Orleans Saints. His market could be limited and a one-year deal in order to show he can contribute again makes sense. It wasn’t just a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered. He also suffered a torn patellar tendon.

" A couple of agents for Cowboys players were a little frustrated at the team’s slow pace in talks during the week. The Cowboys are smart not to be too aggressive and they don’t want to establish a market for a player, but with so much money available in free agency everybody will get more than a team wants to pay.

" Several agents with free agent tight ends were asking if the Cowboys would be looking for some help behind Jason Witten. Gavin Escobar has a torn Achilles, and James Hanna is a free agent. The Cowboys want to keep Hanna, and finding a tight end these days in the draft is tricky.

" The Cowboys have found defensive ends such as George Selvie and Jeremy Mincey in free agency the last couple of years, and they found some success in Dallas. I wonder if Adrian Clayborn could be another. After injuries plagued him in 2013 and ’14 with Tampa Bay, he played in every game last year with the Atlanta Falcons and had three sacks. The Cowboys had some interest in him last year as a free agent.

" The fascination with the Cowboys' bus among media types and even other teams seems to know no bounds. The Cowboys do things in an over-the-top fashion everywhere. The bus is another example. They just need to get over it. It’s a bus. A really nice bus, but still a bus.
 

GShock

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If we talk ourselves into Prescott, we are bad at football.
 

Cowboysrock55

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If we talk ourselves into Prescott, we are bad at football.
Seems like a nice kid but his arm sucks. Looks like a lifer backup to me. Which is fine but that isn't what Dallas needs.
 

boozeman

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If we talk ourselves into Prescott, we are bad at football.
Especially for this offense.

He would need to go to a team that can design around his mobility.
 

Cotton

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Dak Prescott couldn't hit the broadside of a barn given his choice of how close to stand to it.
 

ravidubey

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No early QB unless he is definitely a franchise player.

If I have to develop a guy extensively then may as well go 2nd round or 1st round 2017.
 

Cowboysrock55

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No early QB unless he is definitely a franchise player.

If I have to develop a guy extensively then may as well go 2nd round or 1st round 2017.
You make it sound like you're comfortable with Romo playing at least a few more years. Fools gold.

You never know if a QB is definitely a franchise player. It just doesn't happen. Hell it doesn't happen with college players of any position. Even the ones you feel really good about can be total suck asses in the NFL. I'm sure most viewed Jadaveon Clowney as a sure bet. Or Trent Richardson as a safe pick.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Fools gold... by suggesting we draft a QB in the 2nd round or waiting until next year?

Sheesh.
No fools gold is assuming that Romo will play at least a few more years. I'd actually have no problem taking a QB in the second round of this draft if his name was Paxton Lynch but I seriously doubt he will be around still by then. Otherwise if you wait until next year to take a QB, you're waiting too long and potentially missing the window of getting a QB talent of this caliber.
 

L.T. Fan

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Fools gold... by suggesting we draft a QB in the 2nd round or waiting until next year?

Sheesh.
Dallas in all likelihood will not be in the position in the future they are in now to acquire a QB early in the draft.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I agree it's foolish to assume he's going to play beyond two years, but when did I suggest that?
If you're waiting until next year to consider a QB, I'd say you have faith in him playing for that long. If not, now is the time to get someone ready to start.

Why bash your head against a wall losing with a QB for a year or two while they develop?
 

Cotton

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If you're waiting until next year to consider a QB, I'd say you have faith in him playing for that long. If not, now is the time to get someone ready to start.

Why bash your head against a wall losing with a QB for a year or two while they develop?
We also very likely won't have the benefit of the 4th overall pick next year. Which means we either mortgage our draft for a QB or we put it off yet another year, or we take a second tier QB.
 

Cowboysrock55

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We also very likely won't have the benefit of the 4th overall pick next year. Which means we either mortgage our draft for a QB or we put it off yet another year, or we take a second tier QB.
And who knows what QBs will be available next year. I mean there is just no way to rate that draft class's QBs or how they will fall at this point. What we know is that we have a great chance at a great QB prospect in this draft.
 

ravidubey

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We also very likely won't have the benefit of the 4th overall pick next year. Which means we either mortgage our draft for a QB or we put it off yet another year, or we take a second tier QB.
The 4th overall pick is not very different historically from the 12th pick regarding QB's. 2004 aside, there is usually a gigantic dropoff after the 1st QB is taken.

I can only think of once when the second QB chosen in the top-10 was the better player (McNabb).
 

Cotton

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The 4th overall pick is not very different historically from the 12th pick regarding QB's. 2004 aside, there is usually a gigantic dropoff after the 1st QB is taken.

I can only think of once when the second QB chosen in the top-10 was the better player (McNabb).
Thing is, the dropoff isn't huge after the fisrt QB this year. That's what makes this year perfect. We have the #4 pick and the difference between Goff and Wentz isn't great. Perfect storm. And, perfect for us to fuck it up.
 

ravidubey

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Thing is, the dropoff isn't huge after the fisrt QB this year. That's what makes this year perfect. We have the #4 pick and the difference between Goff and Wentz isn't great. Perfect storm. And, perfect for us to fuck it up.
I gotta say I really like their Y/A stats. Even Lynch. But as fans we really don't know what the pro scouts see and evaluate in person.

I mean, how well do any of us really know Goff, Wentz, or Lynch? I don't think any of us followed them.

If Dallas's personnel guys rank them as franchise QBs, then it's stupid to pass on them.

If they say only one of the three is a sure thing and the others more of a gamble, then if that top guy is gone I don't want to risk losing a Buckner just because I had the 4th pick and everyone was screaming to replace Romo.
 

Cotton

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I gotta say I really like their Y/A stats. Even Lynch. But as fans we really don't know what the pro scouts see and evaluate in person.

I mean, how well do any of us really know Goff, Wentz, or Lynch? I don't think any of us followed them.

If Dallas's personnel guys rank them as franchise QBs, then it's stupid to pass on them.

If they say only one of the three is a sure thing and the others more of a gamble, then if that top guy is gone I don't want to risk losing a Buckner just because I had the 4th pick and everyone was screaming to replace Romo.
Even if they are a tad iffy on one of them, I think it's a colossal mistake to pass. I want Buckner, too, but I want the chance at a franchise QB 100 times more.
 

fortsbest

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At this point I seriously believe they are not taking a QB at 4. They are going ahead with the plan that Tony is here for the long haul. If they draft Zeke and get some defense, I think Tony could make two more years. After that I think we are in for another decade or two of futility at QB. I'm that pessimistic.
 

Simpleton

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I gotta say I really like their Y/A stats. Even Lynch. But as fans we really don't know what the pro scouts see and evaluate in person.

I mean, how well do any of us really know Goff, Wentz, or Lynch? I don't think any of us followed them.

If Dallas's personnel guys rank them as franchise QBs, then it's stupid to pass on them.

If they say only one of the three is a sure thing and the others more of a gamble, then if that top guy is gone I don't want to risk losing a Buckner just because I had the 4th pick and everyone was screaming to replace Romo.
I've been watching these QB's for months, I didn't just start paying attention to them a month ago or something. I know Wentz extremely well, about the same with Goff although I've watched Wentz a tad closer, I haven't watched Lynch as close although I've watched several of his games.

I know enough about Wentz and Goff to confidently say that passing them up in favor of a relatively underwhelming (for a top 5 pick) DL, RB, CB, etc. is a mistake. I have no clue how they will turn out if they end up in Cleveland or San Francisco or where the hell ever, but what I do know is that with a few years to learn under Romo, they will be good NFL QB's, assuming they aren't dickheads behind closed doors, which I don't think is the case.

I don't know that either of them will ever be Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady or Andrew Luck, but I'm almost 100% confident that either of them could be at least a Matt Ryan level QB for us for a decade with the potential for more. Is that enough to take a guy at 4?

For me it is, just because of how important the position is.
 
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