We’re Not Drafting McFadden

I like the NFL Network for the most part, but enough is enough already. These guys spent about 10 mins of time saying the Cowboys had a deal on the table with the Dolphins for the #1 draft pick overall in hopes of drafting Darren McFadden. This is conjured up yellow journalism at its best. They insist that the Cowboys would trade BOTH #1 first rounders and Marion Barber – complete lunacy.

Allen Breer from DMN blog gives us some interesting tidbits from Jerry Jones state of the Cowboys:

The first thing Jones mentioned was that the Cowboys haven’t had serious discussions about moving up into the Top 5. He emphasized that be saying he has no idea where reports to the contrary have come from. The big thing, in Jones’ mind, was the value there would be in trading up A) in the amount they’d have to give up to get there and B) the money they’d have to spend to sign that pick. He made it sound like, from a philosophical standpoint, the cost would prohibitive.

The second point he touched on was the idea that an infatuation with McFadden came from the Arkansas connection.

While McFadden is doing very well in his workouts, his off the field issues could be too much for teams to overlook. The last few drafts, character has been emphasized and some top prospects have slipped into the 2nd and 3rd rounds because of this. I’m not saying McFadden will drop to the 2nd round, but I believe he could slip into the middle of the first round. His talent is still raw, and needs work according to Mike Mayock of NFL Network, and like him I agree with his analysis. He says McFadden has had 23 fumbles in 3 years, that’s a lot of turnovers. In addition he says his lower half is thin and his legs die after his first hit…no good, we won’t see him making any Marion Barber moves.

I don’t see us drafting McFadden either way. There are clearly some better athletes out there for spots we need help in. For example, there’s WR Eddie Royal from Virginia Tech  He’s had a solid workout and has caught the eye of several scouts, and the NFL Network’s analysts as well. Apparently the Cowboys have their eyes on him as well as he spoke with several Cowboys officials for quite awhile.

Draft buzz will be in full force once the defensive players get on the field. This is where the Cowboys are lacking, and the secondary should be a premium this year.