Why the Cowboys should pass on drafting a quarterback

Even though the Dallas Cowboys have a top five selection, choosing a quarterback is not the right thing to do.

The Dallas Cowboys just finished their worst season in 25 years in large part because the most important player on the team who happens to play the most important position in football was able to finish just two games.

Due to this fact, Dallas has dubiously “earned” the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Given that…

Quarterback Tony Romo will be 36 years old when the 2016 season starts
He has had two back surgeries in the last three years
He has broken the same clavicle three times in the past six years
He has missed 24 games since 2010

… it makes sense that you would want for the Cowboys to use this opportunity to bring in his eventual replacement.

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Unfortunately, as much sense as it might initially make to do so, it’s not the right thing to do at this time.

One reason I believe that the Cowboys should not panic when attempting to find the heir apparent to Romo is, ironically, health.

The clavicle breaks have come from Romo getting sacked and either having an abnormally large man falling on him or being in an awkward position when the hit occurred.

Obviously this is somewhat out of his control, but if Romo can learn to take more “self-sacks,” that is, to give himself up when a sack is imminent rather than try to make a spectacular play, he can likely avoid the knockout blows that have limited his ability to stay on the field.

As for the back surgeries, Romo did not appear to be hindered by his back when he was able to play this past season. If anything, all the extra time off did nothing but give his back more time to heal and rest which couldn’t hurt.

Another reason for electing not to draft a quarterback this year is the current construction of the roster.

Offensively, you have one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. You have an unquestioned top ten wide receiver. You also have one of the best offensive lines in all of football.

Defensively, you have some talented youth on the defensive line. When healthy, you also have one of the best linebackers in the league.

Lastly, you have one of the best kickers in the game, if and when things bog down and you need points.

This team is just one season away from a horrible call robbing them of the chance to play in an NFC Championship game. Young guys like Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Byron Jones and La’el Collins are only going to get better. Couple that with veterans like Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee and that young, talented offensive line and you could be right back in 2016.

The main reason for choosing to pass on a quarterback however is the crapshoot that is drafting a quarterback with that high of a pick. Here is a list of every quarterback chosen over the last ten years in the top ten of their respective drafts along with their career stats.

2006
Vince Young – 755/1,304 (57.9%) for 8,964 yards, 46 TD’s, 51 INT’s, 0 playoff wins
Matt Leinart – 366/641 (57.1%) for 4,065 yards, 15 TD’s, 21 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2007
JaMarcus Russell – 354/680 (52.1%) for 4,083 yards, 18 TD’s, 23 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2008
Matt Ryan – 2,915/4,530 (64.3%) for 32,757 yards, 202 TD’s, 107 INT’s, 1 playoff win

2009
Matthew Stafford – 2,246/3,691 (60.9%) for 25,976 yards, 163 TD’s, 98 INT’s, 0 playoff wins
Mark Sanchez – 1,285/2,267 (56.7%) for 15,126 yards, 86 TD’s, 84 INT’s, 4 playoff wins

2010
Sam Bradford – 1,378/2,292 (60.1%) for 14,790 yards, 78 TD’s, 52 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2011
Cam Newton – 1,440/2,419 (59.5%) for 18,263 yards, 117 TD’s, 64 INT’s, 1 playoff win
Jake Locker – 408/709 (57.5%) for 4,967 yards, 27 TD’s, 22 INT’s, 0 playoff wins
Blaine Gabbert – 595/1,066 (55.8%) for 6,426 yards, 33 TD’s, 31 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2012
Andrew Luck – 1,224/2,106 (58.1%) for 14,838 yards, 101 TD’s, 55 INT’s, 3 playoff wins
Robert Griffin – 679/1,063 (63.9%) for 8,097 yards, 40 TD’s, 23 INT’s, 1 playoff win
Ryan Tannehill – 1,392/2,248 (61.9%) for 15,460 yards, 87 TD’s, 54 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2014
Blake Bortles – 635/1,081 (58.7%) for 7,336 yards, 46 TD’s, 35 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

2015
Jameis Winston – 312/535 (58.3%) for 4,042 yards, 22 TD’s, 15 INT’s, 0 playoff wins
Marcus Mariota – 230/370 (62.2%) for 2,818 yards, 19 TD’s, 10 INT’s, 0 playoff wins

Sixteen different quarterbacks have combined for a total of just ten playoff wins, only five have even contributed. Ten of the sixteen completed less than 60% of their pass attempts. Only one (Stafford) has a 2:1 or better touchdown to interception ratio.

Lastly, if you take out Winston and Mariota, only three of the remaining 14 (Stafford, Newton, Luck) would truly be considered “franchise” quarterbacks.

Combine that with the fact that there is no can’t miss prospect in this draft and it’s easy to see why the Dallas Cowboys should pass on drafting a quarterback with the fourth overall pick.

Next: Seven Dallas Cowboys free agent options at linebacker

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