NFL Draft Rounds 3-7; How Well Have the Dallas Cowboys Fared the Past 5 Years?

In 2009, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones traded out of the first and second rounds before settling on Western Illinoislinebacker Jason Williams with a third-round pick. All told, the Cowboys drafted 12 players in the 2009 draft. Only three of those 12 players remain on the roster and none of them are considered starters. How is it that after drafting 12 players, only three players actually remain on the team? And with the recent waiver claim of Rudy Carpenter, Stephen McGee could be on his way out as well.

This draft specifically is where Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys should have hit the mother lode and yet the side was struck out a few times with this draft class. Twelve pitches and 10 strikes, it’s no wonder that most of the teams money is spent on bringing in big money free agents that other teams have grown from late round picks such as this off season’s free agent acquisition, Brandon Carr who has a fifth round pick in 2008 NFL draft.

In 2008, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was very active with draft-day trades. In total, he traded picks eight times during the draft and settled on drafting six players. But yet Brandon Carr was not one of the six drafted players. Instead Carr was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs 140th overall, the former Grand Valley State Laker was passed up by the Dallas Cowboys in favor of Tashard Choice in the fourth round after earlier drafting Felix Jones in the first round. Tashard Choice now plays for the Buffalo Bills and Jerry Jones paid Carr $50M in free agency to add him to theDallas roster.

In 2008 the Cowboys had traded away their third round pick as part of the Roy E. Williams trade with the Detroit Lions. Surprise, WIlliams is also no longer on the team.

Fortunately three picks later in the 2008 draft the Dallas Cowboys chose Orlando Scandrick who is still on the team and has been an average overpaid nickel cornerback forDallasbut ask Jerry about Scandrick’s price tag and we are sure he’ll refer to paying retail for the nickel back at the time of Scandrick’s last contract extension. Of the three players chosen during the third round or later in the 2008 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Scandrick is the last man standing.

Of the four years up since 2007 the Dallas Cowboys have had 25 picks in the third round and later. If we continue to delve into the 2007 NFL draft we will find that general manager Jerry Jones made five trades during the 2007 draft and the Cowboys ended up selecting eight players. Of the eight players selected by the Cowboys in 2007, seven of those picks were in the third round or later and at the moment only two of those seven players remain on the roster. Those players happen to be Doug Free and Alan Ball.

Those seven players picked after the third round in 2007 brings our running tally up to 32 players chosen during the third round or later since 2007 by the Dallas Cowboys. If we count Montrae Holland as a draft pick consideringDallasgaveDenvera fifth round selection for the offensive lineman in 2010 and considering that Stephen McGee has yet to be cut. The total number of players out of 32 chosen in the third rounds or later since 2007 that remain on the team is twelve.

For those math majors out there, 37.5% of the draft selections made by the Dallas Cowboys, in the third rounds or later since 2007 remain on the roster. If we assume Stephen McGee will not make the start of the NFL season and we removeHolland’s name as well considering he wasn’t an original draft pick but we also remove his fifth round pick forfeiture in 2010 as a push, then that number falls to 32.2%. If NFL scouts mention notions such as good teams being built in rounds three through seven then the team and fans should consider themselves grateful that someone in the scouting department nailed undrafted free agents such as Tony Romo and Miles Austin or the team could be in even worse shape after rounds three through seven.

No matter how you look at it, the last 5 years of the NFL draft have not been kind to the Dallas Cowboys. Much of the aggravation lay at the feet of the man making the decisions. One thing is certain and that is the 2009 NFL draft was absolutely horrendous and its reared its ugly head over the past few seasons for America’s team and if Jerry and company put together another draft like that this year then the team will continue to struggle for the next few years as well.

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