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Claiborne: Wonderlic deez nutsI can read all the scouting reports online and probably take a good guess as to the general impact that player might have on the field. That would be foolish. None of us know a damn thing.
The Dallas Cowboys management are not very good at picking good college football players. They are very good at making a splash.
They did so last Thursday by trading their No. 14 pick and their second-round pick (No. 45) to the St. Louis Rams for their No. 6 pick. They took LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, the best defender in the draft, the best cornerback and maybe the biggest knucklehead in the bunch, scoring a 4 on the Wonderlic test, which might mean nothing or everything.
This is a move of a team that feels it might be a player away from greatness. The Dallas Cowboys are not one player away. Claiborne is a fine player. He is not putting the Cowboys over the edge.
Meanwhile, the Rams went out and added more and more draft picks to their growing bounty with the direct ability to fill multiple holes and get better: Not just for 2012, but 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The Cowboys have many holes. They filled some. Not enough. I guess this is the big question: Would you trade Claiborne for Stanford guard David DeCastro and Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes?
With one (Claiborne), you fill a spot, not necessarily a hole. Cornerbacks are important. However, you just signed Brandon Carr to a large contract. With DeCastro and Reyes, you fill two holes. With the former, you solidify the left side of your offensive line for the next decade ... in 2012 and in 2017. Reyes probably allows you to cut a veteran like Kenyon Coleman and open up some more salary cap room.
It seems like the same fallacy that Cowboys management falls into time and again. It's not worked in 18 years.
The picks and what they say about the Dallas Cowboys.
6. Morris Claiborne
Cornerback - LSU
A playmaking, cocky corner from the best conference in college football for, arguably, the best defense in college football. Never faced a big-time passing attack, but the skill is undeniable.
What This Says About The Cowboys
They have little regard for Mike Jenkins, who is a free agent after next season. It's also a team that has supreme confidence in the front four's ability to get pressure on the quarterback. Essentially, big things are expected from Anthony Spencer, Bruce Carter and Vic Butler.
81. Tyrone Crawford
Defensive Tackle - Boise State
The Cowboys have not strayed from taking guys from Boise State in the past. Might be just dumb luck or whatever. He was a junior college transfer and basically busted his ass to become an All-Conference player for the Broncos.
What This Says About The Cowboys
Watch for the theme: High-energy guys, whose motors never stop and still have something to prove. At the heart of this is wanting guys who will always look to get better and have a chip on their shoulder like Tom Brady. Or these are marginal guys with heart. Take your pick.
113. Kyle Wilber
Linebacker - Wake Forest
One position I didn't think the Cowboys would address via draft was inside linebacker. Wilber's scouting reports include words like "hard working" and "smart."
What This Says About The Cowboys
I don't know what it says. Most have Wilber as an outside linebacker, where allegedly DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Bruce Carter and Vic Butler already play. The jig seems to be up for Butler and I don't know how long Spencer is long for the Cowboys world.
135. Matt Johnson
Safety - Eastern Washington
A slow safety with coverage issues from a directional school in the Northwest.
What This Says About The Cowboys
They really wanted to address special teams.
152. Danny Coale
Wide Receiver - Virginia Tech
Smallish slot receiver with the fight to muscle for balls, runs great routes ...
What This Says About The Cowboys
... and he's white. As if you couldn't figure that out. The Cowboys attempt to address a need here taking a prototypical, cheap, fifth-round slot receiver. Aside from maybe getting a guy in the third or fourth round, they waited. Again, a high-motor guy with something to prove. Trying desperately to find that Wes Welker/Danny Amendola-type.
186. James Hanna
Tight End - Oklahoma
Did you know he had the fastest 40 time at the NFL Combine for a tight end?
What This Says About The Cowboys
The Cowboys love themselves a sexy tight end. Even if he is the seventh tight end taken. Which sort of makes you think why the fastest tight end in the draft is sticking around until the sixth round. If you don't think his Flower Mound and OU ties had nothing to do with his being taken, you are crazy. I've heard one report that he's more of a H-back type than a tight end. He's also known for problems catching the ball: Often making the tough passes look easy and the easy passes look tough. Sounds a lot like Martellus Bennett ... without the superb blocking. Of course, in the sixth round, Marty B looks a lot better.
222. Caleb McSurdy
Linebacker - Montana
Yes. The Cowboys took a slow inside linebacker. Named "Caleb."
What This Says About The Cowboys
That throwing draft picks away is no big deal.
In Conclusion
That rounds out a pretty lackluster draft for the Cowboys even with the top-10 pick. I think they failed to fill any of the three gaping holes in the roster (defensive line, offensive line, safety) and I think for an 8-8 team getting one guy that will definitely start (Claiborne) is pretty ridiculous. Five of the seven picks addressed the defense. None of them addressed the offensive line, which I guess Jerry Jones thinks is OK. Good luck with all that.
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