The National Football Post Loves Cowboys Draft

I’m not sure we take much stock in these so called experts draft grades, right? But I just realized something over at The National Football Post, which  I happen to like and stop by daily; however, it seems Wes Bunting has a special place or underlining hatred for the Cowboys. It’s quite obvious, I just had to do a quick write up on it.

The National Football Post is breaking down each round of the draft, and thus far they happen to ride the Cowboys picks from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th round, seems like more than a coincidence to me and I wonder if we’ll see Hodge, Phillips, Mickens, or Johnson critiqued in their 6th and 7th round breakdowns. Can they be more obvious? Here’s what they have so far, all of which are under the “Picks that left me wondering…” portion of the articles:

3rd Round

OG/OT Robert Brewster, Dallas Cowboys

Brewster has the size and frame (6-4, 325) to look like an ideal fit for the type of big road-graders the Cowboys love to have up front. But after studying tape of him, you quickly see that he doesn’t play as physical or as strong as his frame indicates. He’s more of a finesse blocker who’s very coordinated and does a nice job using his feet and length to get outside and seal linemen away from the play. However, he lacks the type of athleticism needed to play tackle in the NFL and will most likely get kicked inside to guard. Brewster lacks the type of lower body strength to get initial push in the run game and doesn’t display much of a punch on contact. He’s a smooth, fluid athlete, but his lack of strength and overall power shows up consistently on film, and for a team like the Cowboys, who love powerful maulers up front, I don’t think he’s a good fit.

4th Round

OLB Brandon Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Williams was a productive college defensive end who possessed the first step, motor and length to consistently reach the corner. But after running a 4.96 40 at the NFL Combine, scouts wondered about his ability to create pressure off the edge in the NFL. With questions surrounding his lack of speed as a defensive end prospect, I don’t know what the Cowboys’ rationale was drafting him as a stand-up rush linebacker in their 3-4 scheme. Dallas has already invested a ton of draft picks in its outside linebacker position, including a 2009 fourth-round pick in Victor Butler, who was selected 10 spots ahead of Williams. Because of Williams’ lack of athleticism in space — and with all the bodies ahead of him on the depth chart — I just don’t see him being productive in the Cowboys’ 3-4 scheme.

5th Round

SS Michael Hamlin, Dallas Cowboys

I thought one of the Cowboys’ biggest priorities on draft weekend was to add a more athletic safety to their defensive secondary. They did draft Hamlin in the fifth round, but I don’t think he offers them anything they don’t already have. He’s a tall (6-2), leggy safety who doesn’t run well (4.62) and struggles changing directions in space. He has a build and skill set similar to current teammate Pat Watkins, and I don’t see him being the type of fluid, rangy safety the Cowboys need to upgrade their secondary. (TheNFP)

You really gotta love some of these reviews, they are quite entertaining, and sometimes laughable, but can these series of articles be more obvious. Like I said earlier, either the writer is a Cowboys fan and hates how we drafted, or he has an underlining bias against the Cowboys, I’m leaning towards the latter. To understand what the Cowboys did in the draft, you really have to understand the team, and all veteran players plus their value going into the draft. The theme of the Cowboys draft was defense, depth, rotation play, and special teams. I expect all of our draft picks to step up and possibly oust some status-quo veterans that have just been getting by.

Come on National Post, change it up for the remainder of your draft breakdown. Still a fan, but c’mon.