The Dallas Cowboys Most Controversial Draft Pick

In an odd way, the Dallas Cowboys 2015 NFL Draft could almost remind someone of a cheesy 80’s teen movie centered around a house party.

Round One acted as the build up to the party. Teams in front of the Cowboys kept making selections that did nothing but help. Cowboys fans got more and more excited.

This served as the plan to have the party and the process of inviting all the cool kids.

As the first round got into the late 20’s, the realization came to fruition. The Cowboys were going to have their choice of many different options, all of which could be an immediate upgrade.

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Do the Cowboys want to shore up the middle of the defensive line? If so, they could have picked Texas tackle Malcom Brown. Do the Cowboys want to get their elite pass rusher? Outside linebacker Randy Gregory is available.

Do they want to get a playmaker at the safety position? Arizona State’s Damarious Randall and Alabama’s Landon Collins were both there. Do they get their corner to fill a massive void in pass coverage? Welcome Byron Jones from Connecticut.

This served as the montage of watching the parents leave for vacation and finding out that someone knows someone who is getting the alcohol. The party is on!

Round Two gets going and the run on wide receivers and linebackers starts. (This party is awesome!) Pick after pick is called out and the host of the party starts to realize that there is a chance the hot chick that he really likes will possibly show up.

And then… with the 60th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft… the Dallas Cowboys select… Randy Gregory, outside linebacker from Nebraska!!!

The hot girl just showed up.

After the first two rounds, I have no doubt that a lot of Cowboys fans were partying. To get an athletic, tall cornerback with safety skills and the best edge rusher in the draft had every one feeling good…

Then, just like in those cheesy movies, the phone rang.

The parents called. They cut their vacation short. They are on their way home.

Don’t let the media fool you. Randy Gregory is not the most controversial pick that the Dallas Cowboys made during this draft.

That distinction is held for the third round pick, offensive tackle Chaz Green.

It’s not so much Green’s fault that he represents the buzz kill of the parents coming home. I’m sure he’s a good kid and he might even be a decent player.

The problem is more about addressing the offensive line when there were other needs and better players available. Heck, there were better offensive linemen available but I digress.

Let’s start with the decision to draft another offensive lineman. It is hard to fault the Cowboys when picking players for this position. Getting Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin in three of the last four drafts is nothing short of excellent.

The problem here is that third round picks should be expected to contribute right away, not in case someone gets hurt. Where is Chaz Green going to play and contribute next year? Don’t believe this whole “Doug Free is getting older and coming off an injury rhetoric.”

Free is only 31, which is in your prime for an offensive lineman and before last year, he played four straight seasons without missing a game. Smith, Frederick and Martin are locked in as starters and the fifth spot is occupied by guard Ronald Leary.

At best, Green is going to make the game day 46-man roster as a swing tackle or backup guard. The most he’s going to play is on goal line situations here and there and on special teams. Not exactly a big contribution.

Take a look at the Cowboys last three third round selections. Wide receiver Terrance Williams, defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford and former running back DeMarco Murray. Those are players who are or were integral to the success of the team.

As for Green as a player on his own, the scouting reports are not exactly friendly. While he providers versatility in the number of positions along the line he can play and is a decent pass blocker, he’s weak at run blocking. Part of the problem there is that he has short arms and just average strength for a guy who is 6’4″ and 320 lbs.

He also missed the entire 2013 season as well as two games in 2012 and four games in 2011 due to injury. Hard to contribute when you’re hurt.

Lastly, it’s hard to define a need for a swing tackle when you look at the roster and find three guys (Darrion Weems, Donald Hawkins, Tony Hills) that are also young, with three years or less NFL experience. Add Mackenzy Bernadeau to the puzzle and you have your swing guard/center.

Electing to go with Green meant that the Cowboys missed out on adding another pass rusher such as Arkansas’ Trey Flowers, another defensive back like USC’s Josh Shaw or Ohio State’s Doran Grant or getting running back help as both Jeremy Langford from Michigan State and Buck Allen from USC were available.

Langford and Allen would have both been amazing behind this line as I wrote about prior to the draft. Instead, the party that was the 2015 draft came to a screeching halt just as it was getting good. If Jones and Gregory both become studs, it likely won’t matter.

Hopefully, there is another way that the Cowboys can get the hot girl.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: How Byron Jones and Randy Gregory Make Immediate Impacts

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