Will draft repetition lead Dallas Cowboys to buyers remorse?
After the Dallas Cowboys chose multiple cornerbacks, wide receivers and defensive tackles, it’s possible that their draft picks will cannibalize each other.
The euphoria surrounding the Dallas Cowboys 2017 NFL Draft has decreased, if not subsided and it’s time to ask this question: What in the world was general mismanager Jerry Jones thinking?
Granted, there weren’t any known players Jones lusted after, like former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel, where the world wondered if we would trade up in the first round to capture. With a uneventful draft, Cowboy Nation should be celebrating, right?
One of the positives regarding this draft was the schools that our future Cowboys played. As a college football outsider, I don’t know much about the football programs at Louisiana Tech and North Carolina.
On the other hand, Michigan, Colorado, Florida State, Florida and Ohio State have football programs that the casual observer can get excited about. So, what in the world can I complain about?
If past drafts by the Cowboys hold true, there’s a chance that only the players drafted in the first four rounds will make the final 53-man roster. What if this season is the exception? Did the Cowboys have a need for three cornerbacks and a safety? If this was a television program, I’d say – It’s time for a roster breakdown! – there’s be a flashy graphics intro, but I’ll just jump to the next paragraph.
At this moment, the Cowboys official website lists the following 10 cornerbacks on the roster:
| Name | Exp | Name | Exp |
| Chidobe Awuzie | R | Anthony Brown | 1 |
| Nolan Carroll | 8 | Jourdan Lewis | R |
| Leon McFadden | 3 | Jeremiah McKinnon | R |
| Orlando Scandrick | 9 | Sammy Seamster | 2 |
| Duke Thomas | 1 | Marquez White | R |
Against a five wide receiver set, the defense would have Scandrick, Carroll and Brown for sure. Since they were drafted in the second and third round, the last two defensive backs would have to be Awuzie and Lewis. With the top five on the depth chart settled, we drafted White in the sixth round and signed McKinnon as an undrafted free agent to equal seven of ten cornerbacks.
There’s a lot of repetition in this draft by the Cowboys – three cornerbacks, two wide receivers and two defensive tackles. I understand that Cowboy Nation and the front office wanted to improve the defensive side of the ball but maybe they went a little overboard.
Without having to focus on protect an older four time pro bowl quarterback like Tony Romo with 34,183 career passing yards and 248 touchdowns, I understand the shift to a defensive focus. Would one offensive lineman in any round of the draft equaled a bad option?
Also, in the NFL’s dog eat dog world, it’s possible that our draft picks will cannibalize each other. My argument might not make sense right now.Look no further than our NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins who caused a storm by drafting quarterbacks Robert Griffin III aka RG3 and Kirk Cousins in the 2012 NFL draft.
Cousins, the fourth round pick is now their starting quarterback and RG3, the first round pick is currently a free agent after getting booted from the Cleveland Browns.
Next: The Dallas Cowboys top five position battles of 2017
Players may not like to admit or confess it, but players at the same position are competitors first and teammates second. Just imagine McKinnon and White making Awuzie and Lewis expendable. If that happens in three years, would this draft have any chance of being considered great?
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