June 11, 2013; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant (88) makes a catch against cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during minicamp at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, Dallas has been bitten in the back end a number of times by taking risks. The Roy Williams trade comes to mind. The Joey Galloway trade never quite paid off. But sometimes, not taking the risk is the mistake. The biggest of them all, of course, is Dallas failing to pull the trigger on future Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL Draft.

After calling Moss the greatest individual prospect they had ever seen, Dallas promptly skipped over him in the draft, because of his perceived character issues, and selected linebacker Greg Ellis out of North Carolina. It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to regret that decision as Moss finished his inaugural season with a rookie-record 17 touchdowns, a Pro Bowl selection and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

It appeared the Cowboys had learned a lesson from the Moss incident when they elected to trade up in the 2010 NFL Draft to select similarly troubled wide receiver Dez Bryant out of Oklahoma State. Three years later, Bryant is perceived to be the greatest wide receiver prospect in the league and on the edge of super-stardom. Again, when the risks pay off…they pay off big!

But Dallas has had a more conservative approach the past few seasons. The influence of head coach Jason Garrett has seemed to have had a calming effect on owner and general manager Jerry Jones. But having Jones sit on his hands is not always a good thing. He has taken the Cowboys to glory by taking risks. Jones has also sunk our franchise into deep despair because of them too. But that’s the risks of risks. I’m not sure that Dallas is any better served by not taking action.

Would the Cowboys have won three Super bowls without the Herschel Walker trade? What about the Charles Haley trade of 1992? The Deion Sanders signing in 1995? All risks that paid off big. What about drafting injured collegiate players like linebackers Sean Lee and Brice Carter? Both have recovered from their injuries to become big stars of our defense.

I would have loved to have seen Dallas take a risk or two in this year’s NFL Draft as well. And no, taking tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round wasn’t a risk. That was more about being too in love with the idea of tight end sets and basic draft mismanagement.  No, a risk would have been selecting troubled cornerback/game-changer Tyrann Mathieu out of LSU. Or injured running back Marcus Lattimore from South Carolina. Neither player was even on the Cowboys’ Draft Board. Both were presumably left off it due to their “issues”. 

May 10, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (32) looks on during rookie minicamp at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Mathieu a.k.a. The Honey Badger faced many notable drug-related problems while at Louisiana. For the past year, he has been making the media rounds attempting to clear his name so he might be drafted into the NFL. Mathieu landed with the Arizona Cardinals in the third round, and it was probably the perfect place for him. But I would have loved to have seen Dallas take a risk on this young man. Mathieu is a dynamic play-maker who could have been a special teams beast. Although I think a third round selection was a little steep, not to have a player of his immense talents even on the draft board or scouted out was a mistake. If Mathieu had dropped further in the draft, Dallas should have at least considered him. Instead, they made the conservative move and took him off the board completely. They refused to take that risk, even in the seventh round.

In a similar but totally different situation (if that makes sense), Lattimore was the NFL’s top running back prospect until a gruesome knee injury ended his college career. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft, Lattimore will likely sit out the season to recover from the torn ACL, PCL, and MCL injuries that he suffered. But the upside for what Lattimore can become is huge. And current Denver Broncos’ running back Willis McGahee, who suffered a similar injury while in college ten years ago, has proven that a successful comeback is more than possible.

In the 2012 NFL Draft, the trouble prospect teams were clamoring over was cornerback Janoris Jenkins. A first round talent with off-the-field issues dropped into the second round where the St. Louis Rams selected him. Jenkins finished his rookie season by tying an NFL rookie record with three interceptions for touchdowns and was runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. More importantly, he outperformed Cowboys’ number one draft pick Morris Claiborne.

Here’s what I am saying in a nutshell: The Cowboys do not need to be afraid to take risks. You dance with the one who brought you, right? There is little doubt that the trophy case in Jerry Jones’ office at Valley Ranch would be slightly “less sparkly” if Dallas had been as conservative as they are right now. Yes, make smart decisions. But don’t eliminate options. Taking a  risk can pay off big. If the Cowboys ever forget that, they can just look over at Dez Bryant as he’s jumping into the stands to make a spectacular one-handed catch…and be reminded.

October 16, 2010; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida Gators cornerback Janoris Jenkins (1) runs with the ball during a punt return as Mississippi State Bulldogs long snapper Aaron Feld (46) defends during the first half of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Several performances at the Combine affected what will happen in the 13 selections before the Cowboys use their 1^st Round pick. A few players, like Dontari Poe, have jumped up into the Top 15 in most mock drafts. Others, like Courtney Upshaw, have fallen out of the Top 15.

I have argued previously that the Cowboys should not draft David DeCastro, and that they should take a DT if there is one capable of being a 3-4 NT still available. In the event that there is no suitable NT still on the board or Jerry Jones just continues to ignore my sagacious advice, it seems likely that the Cowboys braintrust will be looking for an impact player at CB. DE, or OLB. Of course, what they do in free agency will affect the relative importance of each need . If they sign Brandon Carr or an effective pass-rusher, that would eliminate the urgency of one of the huge needs.

Many prognosticators have the Cowboys taking a CB with the 14^th pick. Every mock draft has Morris Claiborne being picked in the Top 10. Most mocks project that both Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama and Janoris Jenkins of North Alabama will be available when the Cowboys get on the clock. The debate about which of the two CB’s the Cowboys should draft is starting to pick up.

The writers at The Landry Hat addressed, in a cursory fashion, a similar question before the Combine. You can read their answers here – six of them chose Kirkpatrick, one selected Jenkins, and one wanted to draft Alfonzo Dennard from Nebraska.

The Combine results for Dre Kirkpatrick and Janoris Jenkins:

Dre Kirkpatrick. Born: October 26, 1989. Height: 6-2. Weight: 186.
40 Time: 4.51 10
Vertical: 35 inches. Broadjump: 120 inches.
Arm: 30 5/8 inches. Hands:9.5 inches

Final Combine Grade from NFL.com: 92

Janoris Jenkins. Born: October 29, 1988. Height: 5-10. Weight: 193.
40 Time: 4.46 seconds. 3-Cone: 6.95. 20 yard shuffle:4.13. 60 Yd. Shuffle:11.23
Vertical: 33.5. Broad: 121 inches
Arm: 32 inches. Hand: 8 ¼ inches.

Final Combine Grade from NFL.com: 91.5

The one thing that stands out to me from the Combine, other than their respective heights, is that Dre has short arms for someone of his stature.

When you start to look at the big picture and think about which player is better suited to the Dallas Cowboys organization, then the follow random facts have to be considered.  I organized them into facts that favor each player:

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Oct 23, 2010; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Gerald Jones (4) is defended on a pass play by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick (21) during the second half at Neyland Stadium. The Crimson Tide beat the Volunteers 41-10. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

On February 8th, I wrote an article explaining why I thought the Cowboys should not draft DeCastro. Not surprisingly, many of the amended mock drafts now have the Cowboys drafting a defensive player instead of DeCastro.  It is well known that the Cowboys need to make significant improvements to their secondary, and that they will probably be looking for DB’s in free agency and the Draft.

Our Landry Hat Reader Question of the Week queried us about DB’s not named Morris Claiborne.

If you have questions for the Landry Hat Writers, please email us at cjlandryhat@hotmail.com

Andrew Campbell, New Orleans, : If LSU’s Morris Claiborne was the only CB who had been selected before you picked at 14 and you had to pick a DB, which one would you take, and why?

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