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Moore: How Cowboys built one of league's best recent draft records and the one problem it presents
By DAVID MOORE Follow @ DavidMooreDMN dmoore@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer
Published: 25 April 2015 03:38 PM
Updated: 25 April 2015 08:13 PM
Only days away from his fifth draft as the Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett can take pride in the fact that three of the first-round picks on his watch have been to the Pro Bowl.
And then there’s Mo Claiborne.
Don’t worry. Now is not the time to rehash the travails of the cornerback. Far from it.
Claiborne is the aberration, not the standard. A franchise that has been criticized and often ridiculed for its draft philosophy — or lack of one — in recent years appears to have turned the corner.
The Cowboys have drafted 31 players during Garrett’s tenure as head coach. Four have appeared in the Pro Bowl. Six are secure in starting jobs, a number that should grow before the season kicks off in September.
Players drafted since 2011 have accounted for 330 starts and 604 games played. This group has established the foundation of a team that finally distanced itself from three consecutive seasons of .500 to win the NFC East and forge a 12-4 record.
Not all of the credit goes to Garrett. As the principals will tell you, this is a collective process.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones exerts a firm and disciplined hand. Will McClay, the team’s assistant director of player personnel, has a good eye for talent and the ear of management and the coaching staff. Lines of communication between the scouting department and the coaching staff have improved.
Owner Jerry Jones can insert himself into the process and override any decision, but displays more restraint than he has in the past because of the trust that has been developed with this group.
These Cowboys are on the same page in a way that hasn’t always been the case. And the results are evident.
The emphasis in the upcoming draft is to upgrade the defense. Club officials have stated publicly that’s the emphasis. But one other glaring need exists.
Running back. And this leads us to the second part of the equation.
The Cowboys’ draft success these last four years creates another issue. Other teams want to poach their players.
Running back DeMarco Murray, linebacker Bruce Carter and special teams ace Dwayne Harris were all part of Garrett’s first draft class. All departed in free agency this offseason when their rookie contracts expired.
Those three took 82 starts and 151 games played with them. Murray broke Emmitt Smith’s franchise rushing record for a season. Carter led the team in interceptions last season, and Harris is one of the best special teams players in the league.
This draft isn’t simply about adding players to the team’s nucleus. It’s about replacing key players lost from Garrett’s first draft. It’s about replenishing talent in a cost-effective manner.
Part of the Cowboys’ problems in the past was that Jones had to overpay for veteran players because the club had not done a good job in the draft. To manage the salary cap and compete in today’s NFL, consistently solid drafts are essential.
The public’s focus is always on the top part of the draft. The Cowboys need to add at least two starters from the first three rounds for what happens later this week to be considered a success.
Jones concedes that but has a slightly different focus.
“We should really evaluate those lower rounds,” the Cowboys owner said recently. “We should feel good and I expect us to feel good about the third, fourth and fifth round picks.
“I think it will be pretty obvious when we are up in that first or second round what our opportunities are. We will have that really thought out well.”
Given how the draft falls early, two of these three positions — cornerback, running back, defensive line — should be addressed in the first two rounds.
But that’s only the start. The Cowboys have drafted key contributors throughout the draft the last four seasons.
That must continue this week for the team to defend its division title.
By DAVID MOORE Follow @ DavidMooreDMN dmoore@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer
Published: 25 April 2015 03:38 PM
Updated: 25 April 2015 08:13 PM
Only days away from his fifth draft as the Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett can take pride in the fact that three of the first-round picks on his watch have been to the Pro Bowl.
And then there’s Mo Claiborne.
Don’t worry. Now is not the time to rehash the travails of the cornerback. Far from it.
Claiborne is the aberration, not the standard. A franchise that has been criticized and often ridiculed for its draft philosophy — or lack of one — in recent years appears to have turned the corner.
The Cowboys have drafted 31 players during Garrett’s tenure as head coach. Four have appeared in the Pro Bowl. Six are secure in starting jobs, a number that should grow before the season kicks off in September.
Players drafted since 2011 have accounted for 330 starts and 604 games played. This group has established the foundation of a team that finally distanced itself from three consecutive seasons of .500 to win the NFC East and forge a 12-4 record.
Not all of the credit goes to Garrett. As the principals will tell you, this is a collective process.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones exerts a firm and disciplined hand. Will McClay, the team’s assistant director of player personnel, has a good eye for talent and the ear of management and the coaching staff. Lines of communication between the scouting department and the coaching staff have improved.
Owner Jerry Jones can insert himself into the process and override any decision, but displays more restraint than he has in the past because of the trust that has been developed with this group.
These Cowboys are on the same page in a way that hasn’t always been the case. And the results are evident.
The emphasis in the upcoming draft is to upgrade the defense. Club officials have stated publicly that’s the emphasis. But one other glaring need exists.
Running back. And this leads us to the second part of the equation.
The Cowboys’ draft success these last four years creates another issue. Other teams want to poach their players.
Running back DeMarco Murray, linebacker Bruce Carter and special teams ace Dwayne Harris were all part of Garrett’s first draft class. All departed in free agency this offseason when their rookie contracts expired.
Those three took 82 starts and 151 games played with them. Murray broke Emmitt Smith’s franchise rushing record for a season. Carter led the team in interceptions last season, and Harris is one of the best special teams players in the league.
This draft isn’t simply about adding players to the team’s nucleus. It’s about replacing key players lost from Garrett’s first draft. It’s about replenishing talent in a cost-effective manner.
Part of the Cowboys’ problems in the past was that Jones had to overpay for veteran players because the club had not done a good job in the draft. To manage the salary cap and compete in today’s NFL, consistently solid drafts are essential.
The public’s focus is always on the top part of the draft. The Cowboys need to add at least two starters from the first three rounds for what happens later this week to be considered a success.
Jones concedes that but has a slightly different focus.
“We should really evaluate those lower rounds,” the Cowboys owner said recently. “We should feel good and I expect us to feel good about the third, fourth and fifth round picks.
“I think it will be pretty obvious when we are up in that first or second round what our opportunities are. We will have that really thought out well.”
Given how the draft falls early, two of these three positions — cornerback, running back, defensive line — should be addressed in the first two rounds.
But that’s only the start. The Cowboys have drafted key contributors throughout the draft the last four seasons.
That must continue this week for the team to defend its division title.