Mick Shots: Kicking This NFL Draft Around

edition of Mick Shots. And in the case of Everson Walls, it will be one oh six on Wednesday that he will be along for this edition of Mick Shots. And we're happy year along too. And Mickey, how you doing? Have you? Have you got rested and covered from the draft over the weekend? You know, I was just thinking when I was kind of looking at all my stuff, I'm going, gosh, the draft seems like it was a year ago. It was only but three four days ago it finished, and it seems like it's been so long.

But yes, I have recovered. Oh yeah, and uh and you've got uh. Let's see copious amount of copy here between Draft Choice bios last year's stats, round by round the Cowboys nine picks, and this is my big green notebook here. There you go. That's right, I've got my big green notebook here, which I haven't put back in the drawer for next year. I've still will use it for a little bit. Dude, look back and analyze not only what the Cowboys did in the draft, but all

the mistakes that other teams made of the draft. But first off, are you disappointed that you will not be covering a Cowboys game either in the UK or in Germany or in Mexico City. Absolutely, especially not in the UK or Germany, since I haven't been to Germany before, I would be a good way to go. And you know,

I was, you know the Cowboys. There's a Cowboys fan club in London, and I was on with him during the draft and they were they were pretty hopeful that the Cowboys would be returning for one of those four games out in Europe, and they were interviewing Will McClay. I believe it was before I came on and they asked him to question and Will said, the Cowboys vice president of a player personnel said, it doesn't look like

it's going to work out this year. And those guys were, oh, come on, no, there's four games out here, and so I was braced for the letdown that came out today that they won't be returning to London. And here are the international games as announced this morning on the NFL Network. Starting on October second, at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, it'll be the Minnesota Vikings against the New Orleans Saints to be broadcast. That's a Sunday morning game eight thirty Dallas time on

the NFL Network. The following week, October ninth, the Giants will play the Packers at same stadium NFL Network at eight thirty. And then the end of October, on October thirtieth at Wimbley Stadium is when the Jacksonville Jaguars will play the Denver Broncos in what is basically their annual game at Wimbley Stadium this year for Jacksonville. And that's where we thought perhaps if the Cowboys were going to go to London, it's because they're scheduled to play at Jacksonville.

So they will be playing at Jacksonville and not in London against Jacksonville this year. And then the other two games that are added in Munich first game in Germany. It's the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And I think that was announced actually at the draft, right, and that isn't on November thirteenth, also a Sunday morning game. And then the Mexico City game is a Monday night game November twenty first, San Francisco and Arizona. That might

be Troy Aikman's birthday November twenty first. I gotta look it up, so he will be spending his birthday in Mexico City because it's an ESPNC. That's an ESPN Monday night game. I thought when I saw that come out, Oh, that's right, it's an ESPY and he's a Monday night football now right, right, And the thought occurred to me, Well, for the first time in about twenty years, Troy Aikman

is going to be home for Thanksgiving, right yeah. And at first I was thinking, Oh, Troy's gotta do He's he's doing a Monday night game, and then he's got to turn around and do Thursday. No, he doesn't do Thursday. Boy, he's at ESPN. So I heard one theory on why the Cowboys, you know, because last time they went to London, they played Jacksonville, and it's it. I heard one theory that because of the Cowboy fans all over the country here, that if they show up for an away game, that's

usually a big sellout game for that team. And so when they go to Jacksonville, you know, the Cowboy fans can find tickets to that game, right right, And so yeah, and you know, I don't know that Jerry still wants to give up a home game to go and play in London. Yeah, so so yeah, I am disappointed. And it is, by the way, November twenty first, it is okay, very good. Why do I know that? Yeah? Why do you because spond with somebody else that's more important in

your life. No, Troy is very import all right. Do you want to know how old he'll be in November twenty first? I am going to guests, Uh fifty five, fifty six? That was good, very good? All right? All right, So there are your international games for twenty twenty two, which means the Cowboys are more likely to play an international game in twenty twenty three now, although probably not

unless they're the visiting team. Yeah. Yeah, So, and since we're talking schedules, the NFL schedule is slated to come out next Thursday, so May twelfth, And as I pointed out in mix shots, they're coming out on Dallas Cowboys dot com today. They're going to start on May ninth and start releasing other significant games like Thanksgiving, each team's home opener. And I'm guessing if all that's coming out by May twelfth, before the official announced, we're gonna know.

We're gonna know when we convene for even though it'll be official, when we convene for mix shots at eleven thirty next Thursday, some seven or eight hours before the official announcement, it will be leaked. I guarantee you, as I as I pointed out with my little comment that if the Supreme Court can't keep a secret, the NFL probably can't keep a secret. That's right. Yea usually comes out about an hour before they officially announced it. Anyway,

this one's gonna be days you much? Yeah? All right? Okay, So where do we start? As far as you want to see my draft order picture, you're one, it's the nine draft picks, remember Jerry with the holding that sucker up there? Yeah? Um? So do we start at the very beginning? Yeah? Let's you know overall. Um, And I think one thing that people don't take into account was the Cowboys were drafting twenty fourth unless you wanted to

give up draft picks to move up. Um, the reason you're drafting twenty fourth is because you ended up with a twelve and five record. And they make it more difficult for the teams that got into the playoffs, advanced in the playoffs. Uh, go to the super Bowl to get the top talent, because this is a league that they'll meek shell inherent and so the least be first, That's right, And that's why everybody's going crazy about Well, look what the Giants did, and look what Philadelphia did,

and look what Washington did. Well, yeah, they were drafting higher because they were poor, and not so much Philadelphia, but uh, the Giants in Washington, you know, so that they get the opportunity to get the best talent in the draft. And the Eagles were poor the year before and they made use of that by acquiring draft drafts and then exactly so they're supposed to get better. That's that's the idea of this whole socialized uh NFL process. But I think from where the Cowboys were and what

they were trying to accomplish. I think they did a pretty good job. Now we can argue this, this and this, but one of the things I think people need to take into consideration is, and I'll just take the first pick. When they took Tyler Smith, uh, the guard tackle out of Tulsa at twenty four, there wasn't another offensive tackle

taken until the third round. So if you had this guy high and you took a different position, the talent level obviously went down after Tyler Smith because no one else thought a tackle was worth taken until the third round. And when it came to guards, the only guard taken after Tyler Smith. Tyler Smith was the infamous cole Very Strange pick by the Patriots, number twenty nine. What do you think those people did when they saw that pick?

Which people the Patriots the Patriots fans right? And there were only two more guards taken in the second round, and so the talent level at those positions fell off. And I think there's some folks that think that the Cowboys took Tyler Smith like they got the twenty four They didn't know what to do and it's like, Okay, let's take this guy. If they were going to do this in the first round with a guard tackle or a tackle guard, however you want to look at it.

His name started coming up at least the day before. I didn't know much about him because the draft experts didn't know much about him, and they were on to him heading into the draft. So just because his name wasn't familiar to everybody that does mock drafts, and some of them failed miserably in their mock drafts, I saw it an over thirty two. By the way, you know,

they don't know what they're doing either. So I just thought, you have to look at if I take this guy here, then what's the next position that maybe I need that has guys in the second round that I can use and maybe into the third round. Because all the wide receivers were gone, right, six of them, six went in the first eighteen picks, right, Uh, and the top offensive tackles were already off the board. So unless they were

going to go there were six offensive linehind them. So that's twelve right of the and so unless they were gonna go defense, uh, this was I mean, this was gonna be their pick. Okay. So Tyler Smith, obviously he's he's very young, just turned twenty one April third. Why do I know that? No? Uh, I know that. And and someone very close to me, my mother. So there you go, very good, all right. So so I'll always remember that he's got April. You know, Michael Parsons is

May twenty six. You know how I know that someone very close to me's birthdays in May twenty six? That would be me. You know, I'm gonna give you a funny, Okay. So I didn't know anything about the significance of April twentieth except that was my parents' anniversary. And then I found out that April twentieth had something to do with smoking weed all day long. Fight, that's right. I had no idea. Okay, we know anyway, Okay, all right, So, uh,

he's so young. He's basically has just started two seasons at the group of five level at Tulsa UM. Converted to offensive line as a junior in high school, so he hasn't played the position all that long. Um, But why then? And so those are some of the reasons that the so called experts did not have him. He's not a finished product, Okay, he is. There is a projection on what he's going to be in the NFL.

The Cowboys believe that because he has the tools that he has, he can start immediately or they're going to give him an opportunity to start immediately inside at guard and we'll see. But why do you think the Cowboys had him ranked as high as they had him, which was above the two guards who probably who might in the case of Kenyon Green, I think he would be a better offensive guard this season, probably than what Tyler

Smith will be. And Zion Johnson was considered by a lot of people to be the top offensive guard in this draft, although he went behind Kenyon Green in the draft. So, but why did the Cowboys have Tyler Smith rank so high? And why was he a priority for them regardless of all the tackles being off the board. Why do they like this guy? I think this is a out. This is like playing craps. You put money on the combline,

and that's what I think what they're doing here. And I think they feel like it's safer for him to start off at guard, where you have sure it's like playing bumper cars, right, You're in the middle of two bumper cars and you're a little bit safer and the fact that it looks like he has some physical traits

that are conducive to eventually playing tackle. And the knock everybody gave on him is because somebody once wrote that he had all these holding penalties, and I thought, if you go to Dallas Cowboys dot com, Nick Eatman did a very good job of getting a hold of the head coach at Tulsa and yeah, and he explained that a lot of his penalties came because he was dominant

eating people and that he's got such strong hands. It's as like when Tyrant Smith got here and they were like and Nate started this, it was like he's and that's you know, the hotel. Once they grab you, you can't get away. And he felt like the guy would dominate people so badly and see somebody on the ground and it's like, oh, well he must have held him or you know, had committed a penalty. So I think that's what the Cowboys were looking at for what he

can give him down the road. And as for Kenyan Greene, the medical report on him suggested that in a year or two he may not be in the league because of degenerative knee problem that he had, and the Cowboys were very, very skeptical about taking him, to the point they hope that they didn't have to make that to see I'm gonna I'm gonna read the Cowboys mind. Okay, I don't think that they would have drafted regardless even

if Kenyan Green was healthy, right, and Zion Johnson. I don't think if if let's say Tyler Smith was not in this draft, wasn't available, and you had Kenyon Green or Zion Johnson as your choice is there, they would not They would not have taken either one or no. They would have taken the defensive Lloyd. Even they could have even taken Dax Hill whoever. You know, they would have taken best player or tried to trade down. They probably would have traded down and then taken whatever. See this.

But the reason that Tyler Smith is more valued in that room than all those other guys is because they project him to eventually be Tyrn Smith's replacement at left tackle. Right. That's why he is the first round draft pick. That is why he was ranked as high on their board too. Is that's what scouts do. It's not just what that product is right now, it's what this guy can be in the future, and that is why that was more valuable to them than any other position on the board.

That whether they're going to come out and say it or not, they look at him because we'll see how much longer Tyrn Smith can play. They but especially since he's only twenty one years old. Tyler Smith, right, they look at him. It could be four years from now, okay, his second contract, even if Tyrn hopefully he'll be able to play five more years whatever, But they look at Tyler Smith as being his eventual replacement. And with Tyrn Smith, it's an unknown, right Can he play another year? Can

you play two years? Can he play three years? With guys like that that are kind of and he's not that old, right, he's gonna turn thirty. He's thirty one, I think right now. But it could end any time. And at that point then you're going to be in a draft going, oh my god, I gotta take somebody. Well, no, I've already got that no matter when it happens. And I and if he can play guard, then he can

transition anytime to the tackle position. Instead of saying I'm going into the draft and I gotta have this, they already have it in place. So it's almost like a term insurance policy. And so in the meantime he can play guard until he's needed at tackle or if he who knows, maybe he won't develop. I mean, that's the that's it's a crapshoot. Sometimes you don't know for sure how these guys are going to develop. That's why it's an inexact science. And the guard position we talked about

it last week. The guard position is not a highly valued spot. See here's what they could have done if they did not take a guard, if they did not value Tyler Smith that great late okay, and they didn't want to take a guard in the first round, they could have done what the Washington commanders did. Washington at a need for a guard, and the day after the draft, on Monday, they signed Trede Turner, a veteran free agent who they are very familiar with because Ron Rivera and

Carrie when he was at Carolina. They drafted him in the third round. He made the Pro Bowl five years they signed him to a very economical one year, three million dollar contract the Cowboy. If the if the Cowboys did not satisfy that need in this draft, they would have been for instance, right in the market for a trade turner, and so they weren't desperate to fill that position.

They had other alternatives. That's how highly they feel about Tyler Smith as his eventual uh you know, being a guy a fixture on this offensive line maybe for the next decade. And the other thing that would have happened is they would have further entertained those trade down offers because they had them. If they were going to take somebody else, they could have traded down. But they found out one of the teams trying to trade up to their spot. I believe that was the guy that yet

they wanted Tyler Smith. So yeah, it's like other people knew about him, uh and knew about his value at that point in the first round because they're looking at the same board basically that the Cowboys are looking at.

They all basically have these players graded about the same and they saw that the next true offensive tackle on the board was Bernard Ryman, who wound up going in the third round, right, you know, And so they did not have a as high you know they they were which the experts going in the first round, yeah, some some did. Yeah. So anyway, so that's that's the first pick, and I think after that the value picks. I you know,

the Sam Williams thing. Guy's pretty talented pass rusher. Now I don't know about playing the run, but he can get to the quarterback. That was twelve and a half sacks. I think ten and a half in the regular regular season. Twelve and a half sacks. No nobody had Old Miss has had that many sacks in a single season. And by the way, that was playing a five technique in a three man front, right, And I think that you know, with his hand on the ground as a four technique, um,

he might be even more explosive there. Um so. And then maybe the steel of the draft is the third round pick Jalen Tolber, wide receiver South. I started looking at his stuff, and he had speed, he had catch radius, and he has the ability to play all three wide receiver spots. And I had it on good authority of someone that's seen him play multiple times that they didn't understand why he wasn't a higher draft pick than twenty fourth in the third round eighty eight eighty eight overall

couldn't understand it. So we'll keep an eye on that guy. If he can come in and do what he did at South End, and evidently he had some he had some bigger schools interested in him, and they came in late and he had committed to South Alabama and decided to stick with his uh, stick with his commitment there. As if you're watching on Dallas Cowboys dot Com here you can see some of that video of Jalen Tilbert.

You know, he's he was a late bloomer also because he didn't he didn't really play much his first couple of years at South Alabama, but then started the last three years there. And I'm told go watch this. He was at the Senior Bowl. Yes, go watch the Senior Yeah, in fact, I watched it this morning. Yep, he was impressive at the Senior Bowl. And of course eighty two catches nearly fifteen hundred yards and eight touchdowns is last year at South Alabama six one and a quarter one

ninety five ran a four four nine. I've got him down with a ten yards split up one forty nine, which is really quick, and I'm looking to see. I don't have in my notes here the other offers that he had. But yeah, he's from Mobile, Alabama and wanted to stay close to home and played at South Alabama.

Of course, he also had the option then after his junior season, in which he had sixty four catches for over a thousand yards and eight touchdowns at the transfer portal, he could have transferred to a bigger school even last year and decided to stay at South Alabama. He should have held out for more money. I saw I read a story today about the coaches wanting to fix that transfer portal, to put a limit on when and when

you can transfer, have a transfer portal season. And then after they've done that, I mean they've May first was the deadline, right, And so that's why it came to a head here the last few days and why they're the last of the transfer portals are now coming out, including the pit wide receiver, right. I think they wanted to shorten that so college know their number of scholarships available.

You know what's interesting about that, not to fully digress to that, the fact that it's May first is which has got to be very frustrating to college coaches, is that's after spring ball. So you've worked with these these whoever, whether it's a receiver or anybody, you've worked with them. You've you've invested all the time into them throughout spring ball, and then they decide after after this spring game that I don't want to be here anyway, right, and they

transfer someplace else. And if they do, so, if you're going to do it, make it a spring break deal. I mean, make it like March fifteenth, or you can do it at the signing day, you know, the high school signing day, which is the first Wednesday in February. Actually that would be more fair because now they're handing out scholarships. You know, Okay, I got two more available. Now they don't have any more available, right, make your decision like they do for the NFL. You know where

you're transferring, you know. But but then the comeback on that is, well, there are coaching openings that happen and after signing day whatever, and I get it. Coaches are free to go, so players should be free. If there's no there's no scholarship limit on coaches. He hire as many as you want whenever you want. These guys. You only have what twenty five a year, yeah, eighty five to eighty five total. Yeah, there's no limit on your coaches.

And there's a there's a deadline on when those renew so at the renewal date, that's when the transfer portal needs to be settled. Yeah, there you go, all right, But anyway, yeah, all right, So we will come back and dive into the rest of these nine picks the Cowboys made and some of these undrafted guys that have caught their eye as well. When we come back, you're on mix shots. Brace yourself for an existential question. Has your butt been having enough fun lately? Have you been

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not by chance. Call now two one four two two five four eight six soz K postcompany dot com. Did you have a late night last night? I bet you did. I did. You were watching hockey, aren't you? Oh you're frustrated? Yes? What frustrating? You only have to watch the first period? Well it got better than that. All the score didn't change goal right, one goal. The end of the first period was heated, Yes, there was. Should you how long they had the rule about the second fight. I didn't

realize that there must be a new rule. You're you're a hockey game? Yeah, I forgot got talking about? Is two players? Uh? It was Klingberg for the Stars and Anderson for Calgary were ejected from the game because they had Well, no, it was the second fight. Second fight is with the way they termed it, and by a rule, they're ejected from the game. Maybe that rule is so good that they don't do it anymore. Yeah, I was thinking,

you know what, that is a great idea. There's a fight that breaks out and then you go find the best player on the other team and you pick a fight with it the game getting out of the game, Jeff on the bench. So it's no slapshot. So and I don't know. I'm not a hockey person at all, so I don't know if this rule may have been in the books for fifty years for all I know. But let's say it's a new rule. That video of last night's games getting getting shown to every playoff team

in the league. If you're a good player and a fight breaks out, you go hide on the bench, skate right to lay down on the ice. You know you're not getting in a fight because you're getting ejected. If you do, there will be some head hunters looking for you. Speaking of head hunters, and I know we're off the subject, but the penalty that led to their Calgary's power play goal, it was for hitting the guy in the head. Guy

dropped his head. He was going to getting checked and he dropped his head down and guy hit him in the head. It's like, well, that's like in the NFL, right contact to the head targeting. Well, if a guy drops his head after I'm getting ready to hit him, this took the foul. They still call it, I know, but it's not fair. McKinney out. By the way, do you have an NHL cap referees cap two? I should have brought in my NFL one right, uh, and then you'll have it late night tonight. Are you as into

the Favericks as you are the Stars? Yes? I didn't give up on them either, Okay in the first game. Is this a must win to night for the Mavericks playing at Phoenix? It would help although they haven't won there. How many years? Nine nine, I was gonna nineteen, it was twenty and eighteen, I think, okay, yeah, like eleven twelve straight eleven, Yeah, I think that's what it is. And that have you've seen the percentage if you lose the first two games of a series, what's the percentage?

And it's no more than fifteen percent, like seven point eight percent. Okay, So, especially when you're planning against a sixty four win team like the best team in the best team for the best team in the league by nine games. They're awfully good. Yeah they are, yeah so, and there's nobody. And they came out with a vengeance in Game one, sort of like Calgary. They were like the San Francisco forty nine ers coming on the field.

Why are they playing with such right passion? Yes? So, how much this Cowboys draft was just the makeup of the players was based on what this organization saw from its players and the postseason this year, I think I think quite a bit. And see the good thing was I don't think they they said okay, I need this and I'm going to reach. I think what they did it was like a process of deduction, like okay, if

I take this guy here, what position now is more stocked? Afterwards, like like the uh you know, the they were hoping they could get to tight end, right, and a bunch of tight ends went off the board before they got to Jake Ferguson. But like the wide receiver, I think that they decided, Okay, the top ones are gone. Now there's more wide receivers I can get in the second and third I don't have to reach for one. I think what I'm getting at is the way the Niners

came on that field. Oh, I see what you're saying. You know, you could tell that they were not only ready to play, but they knew they were going to win that game. Okay. When I watched the Suns against the Mavericks the other night, okay, and Devin Booker and the way he was talking trash to Jalen Brunson early in that game. That was after they got out to the league whatever. Right, the Sons have been to the

NBA Finals before, they've been down this road before. They've got Chris Paul, one of the great point guards in the league, and Devin Booker obviously one of the best players in the league. But Booker comes out and he's at this attitude about him that we're better than you. You know, Um, he goes back to the debo jukebox, right.

You know. It's almost like there's a certain that when you go back to the Cowboys of the nineties, you know, when Michael Irvin's coming on the field and Charles Haley and Eric Williams and they know they're gonna win this football game, right, And that is something that when you're when you're evaluating players in the draft, You're you're looking for players who have that look about him, and I think Jalen Tilbert might have that about him. The third

round round wide receiver. It's like these teams looking to go, got this mosquito on my arms, Just get it off, right because I know and for that matter, Tyler Smith at a lower level. They didn't play at Alabama, but at Tulsa, the aggression that he played with. You know, there's some Eric Williams in his game. And I'll give you another guy too. They took Daman Clark Lsu. You know, alis walks on the field and their God's gift to football, right,

And I'll guarantee you he has that same attitude. The unfortunate thing for him is that he'll start the season on pup and they knew that. That was like, okay, I've got all these fifth round picks, four of them.

And instead of and they didn't use one to trade around to, you know, maybe move up and around somewhere someplace for somebody, they used it on a guy that's basically another one Like, Okay, he may not help as much, if at all, this year, but it's a hell of a linebacker that should have been taken in the second

or third round that we're getting in the fifth. Problem was and he played all last year at LSU, but when he went to the combine, they discovered in the very very detailed physical that he had a herniated disc in his neck and that he needed surgery. And he had the surgery say something about his toughness, that he's able to play. You think he just didn't like and right,

But I don't know. But so they did the surgery that fuses two of your vertebrae together because they've got to remove that disc and it's quite significant, but guys play after that. Darryl Johnson had the same surgery and he ended up playing another season before he injured himself again. And he said at the time he promised the doctor that if they did the surgery and he played football and anything else close to that happened, that he would retire.

And he did. And then Layton Vanderish had it two years ago, same thing where they use the vertebrae together, so you know they're hoping it's a it's a four closer to six month recovery. And if you do the math for March that gets you through September. By time you get ready to play football, that takes up October. Maybe they get a a month out of them of the season, a portion of the season out of them, and if not, it's for next year. But I I and maybe the use of spine is all encompassing in

your back. But I heard someone use the term spinal fusion. They can't fuse your spine together, right, they fuse the vertebrae together. If they If they're fusing your the spine together, you got bigger problems than we're about playing football. Well, he ran a four or five seven at the combine and had a ten in seven broad jump with a herniated disc and wherever his neck spine wherever it was, so you know, and you watch him on film, Wow, Yeah,

that guy he can move to the football. In fact, I think had he been healthy throughout the draft process, he would have been right up there with Devin Lloyd as of the first as a possible late first round pick. Did you see the picture of him without a shirt on? Yes, you see that. I might have put him ahead of Devin Wood And in fact, he had I looked at him. I didn't even look at him because he was hurt. Yeah, had I looked at him, he might have been my

Daniel Hunter out of LSU. Because that was one of the reasons why I had Denil Hunter as a possible first round draft pick when he came out in twenty fifteen, because I saw him with his shirt off, said he was twenty years old. I said, you know that wearing that number eighteen right there says a lot so special number at LSU, right YEA best leader on the team gets number eighteen and he wore it for two years. Look how strong he is. He just threw that guy

down like a rag doll. If you get to watch this that we are seeing right now with some of his highlights at LSU. But he's got makeup too. Yeah, I mean, you know what impressed me During his interview with the media here after he was selected, and they asked him what were his thoughts about having to have that surgery, and he basically said, when when I got out of surgery, my first thought was on my daughter.

It's got a two year old daughter, and he said, and I want to make sure I can be a dad and be able to do the things with my daughter the rest of my life. And I thought there was a very thoughtful response. So we are. In fact, I said at the time, when the Cowboys are on the board with four picks in that round, I was like, someone asked me, well, do you take a shot on that,

on that player? I said, heck, yeah, it's no risk in the fifth round when especially when you got four fifth round picks, right, Heck, yes, take him, yeah, absolutely, you know, and there's okay, they took a tight end in the fourth Jake Ferguson and all Cason. And so the interesting on Ferguson is that and we all can see the Cowboys roster and we know that there was

a need for a second tight end. And then if you when you look at the salary situation, the contract of your starter Dalton Schultz, and he's the franchise player, and you've got decisions to make on signing him long term, and really it boils down to that, Okay, he's on the one year, ten point nine million dollar franchise tag right now, but if you're going to sign him long term, do you want him another option in case he wants you know, a whole whole lot of money. Right, He's

going to get a whole lot of money regardless. And so here was what I was hoping the Cowboys could do at the outset of the draft, was like trade down a couple of spots, five spots whatever in the first round, pick up another top hundred pick, Okay, so that you've got four top one hundred picks. Obviously they weren't comfortable doing that, and it was prudent on their part to stay where they were in order to get the guy that they wanted. Okay, Then at that point,

you've got to make the decision. After you make your three picks and you haven't satisfied that tight end need that you have, is it worth it to move number your fourth round one twenty nine and take a pair of your fifth round picks, Because that's what it would have taken in order to climb back into the third round and say draft of Jeremy Rucker at the tight end from Ohio State or Kate Dotton who went the

first picks of the fourth round of Tampa Bay. I think that had crossed their mind and and so, and it probably crossed their mind going into Saturday if Kay Dotton was still their ten picks into the fourth round, where it only cost you a one fifth round pick to move up, then they might have might have done that. As it turns out, and you look at Tampa Bay's draft, I believe Tampa Bay had traded down and they picked up. They did with Jacksonville. That's how they got that first

pick in the fourth round. And so they probably had it on their mind that's where they would get a tight end. And sure enough, because that was the sweet spot for tight ends if you weren't the first tight end went off in the second round, and I think the Cowboys probably were interested in Tray McBride, but they had a greater value on the pass rusher Sam Williams. And then they had a great value on the wide

receiver Jalen Tilbert. And so now if you're if you're looking at the needs that the Cowboys had offensive line, pass rusher, slash wide receiver, were your top three needs in this draft, right? And probably fourth on the list would be maybe tied end. And we're talking at this point the second tight end, right, the second tight end, and um, and if you tell me they lost that playoff game because they didn't have a second tight end,

I'd probably laugh. But it's still valuable but they need right right, But in the pecking order, and and and then the way you've got and I don't know how they had their their tight ends ranked, but we can assume that Rutgert and Aughton were up there, Charlie Kohler was another one, Ferguson was another one. Um James Mitchell

might have been another one. Uh, And so dulcet to Ucla, I'm not sure if more of a receiver than any you know, they would they like a guy, especially as a second tight end who can be an inline blocker as well. And you know, did a lot of that Ohio State, and they didn't throw the ball much to the tight end because their wide receivers were so good. I think he's got a great future as a receiving tight end himself. And so so anyway, that was the choice they had to make, and they decided not to.

And had they done that, then they probably wouldn't have them own Clark, right if they had traded trade fifth round fifth to move up right exactly, they wouldn't have had the luxury to be able to take an at risk player in the fifth round like that. And so then it came down to tight ends and Kohler went before Ferguson, and I think I don't know which one they had ranked higher, but they were happy to get

either one of them at that point. Yeah. Absolutely. Her thoughts on Big John Ridgeway, Well, there's a guy that started forty games at Arkansas, and I mean they need a big, old guy in the middle of their defensive line, right, and you know, they lost Brent Urban and they had not filled that need in free agency, and so Ridgeway is right there in the hunt, you know, with the big guy from last year, Bohannon, you know, and they resigned him, Carlos Watkins. Yeah. So you know what I

like best about him. They call him Big John. He's big six five three twenty one. Uh. And I like what uh Will McClay said about him. He knows who he is. He's he's a big guy that's going to play the run technique and he's got to do the dirty work inside basically to help stop the run. And so if he's a first and second down defensive tackles, so be it. Right. That's where you take that player in the fifth round, right or Bohannon last year it

was in the sixth round. Sixth round yes. So that's where you you take a guy who's not a three down player for you, and and and he's fine with it, right, He's not gonna pout like, oh, I don't get the rushed the quarterback. He knows he's in there to stop the run and take up space and take up blockers. And so I thought that was a pretty good value there at the at that pick, which was one seventy eight overall. All right, we need to take a break and there's a few more players we need to run

down when we come back here. On mix shots, before there was a draft, you could size up a cowboy by three simple factors. The crease at his hat, the bend of his brim, and his unbending attitude a man. Stetson didn't just protect him from what life threw at him. It projected a rugged, unstoppable spirit. Stetson hats are still American, made with pride. Right here in Texas. There's still the unofficial crowd of all self respecting cowboys, and Stetson is

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Peppers zero sugar. Everything you want, nothing you don't, a visual metaphor on the radio. I do deserve that Doctor Pepper zero sugar. The zero you deserve is finally here. Back back to Mick Shuts. Whether you're watching from home or cheering in the stands. With lenses, you'll see every exciting play book. An appointment at your local SLAR experts and find the perfect SLAR lens for you. See more, do more. All right, I've got a correction to make

on John Ridgeway. It wasn't all at Arkansas his forty career starts. He was at Illinois State for four years, red shirted in twenty seventeen. So I'm reading it now out of my big green notebooks. See how accurate Bill is? Because when I heard that, I go, I don't think that's right, And then I said, no, Bill knows what he's talking about. Twelve games, eleven starts at Arkansas last year.

He actually last calendar year played sixteen games because he was at Illinois State and they played a spring schedule twenty one, so he's already played an NFL season, Mickey. So there you go. There he's ready. That's why they call him Big John. Yeah. Remember that. Now, there you go. And by the way, we're going to get a chance to see these guys next week because the Rookie Mini Camp. The guys start coming in on Thursday up next week and then Friday, Saturday, Sunday is the rookie Mini camp.

All right, we have not talked about Matt Wood. Let's go tackle from North Dakota fifth round pick. I like drafting an offense. I can't tell you that I've watched him play, but I like taking an offensive lineman there because I mean, really, you look at the at the depth now on the offensive line, and let's just say Tyler Smith even though he'll work summit left tackle, summit left guard when Tyrant is not getting the full reps in practice because he doesn't need to because he's a veteran.

All right, So you've got a guy in him who can play inside or outside. And then obviously at right tackle, you've got Terrence Steele, and you've got Josh Ball fourth round pick last year, and now you throw in a fifth rounder this year and Matt will let's go as another tackle, and so there's good competition there inside. You know the other thing, Yes, and I think Jerry might have mentioned it. He said that this guy is capable of playing right or left and that this just might

supersed having to sign a veteran swing tech. Definitely. I think that's they think this guy can step up, whether it's well, let the combination of what let's go in ball. They do not have to sign a type yak your camera irving type player this year. Now you look inside though, and that's still the backup center. They seem to like Matt Farneyoch, the seventh rounder out of Nebraska from last year and his progress in the offseason programm and so forth.

You've got obviously Beadish is your returning starter at center, and you get Zach Martin at right guard, and you hope that the twenty one year old first round draft pick is going to be your starter at left guard if he's not read you got Connor McGovern who has started games. And so is there a need for a veteran guy with center experience, because because what you're looking at, I could see beds. If Beotish got hurt, yeah, then who's and I'm looking at game day. Okay, with what

the way things are currently constituted on your depth chart. Now, you did have some some rookie free agents that they seem to like that they signed a couple of them Boston College and James MPs as well from BYU. Okay, so those are a couple of guys who could be in the mix. But again they're college free agents. So do you need a veteran interior offensive lineman at a

veteran minimum salary to come in? Who has who has started games at center and they need they need the next veteran Joe Looney, somebody a capable of guards center? Or can Connor McGovern learn how to play center this offseason? Is is that a project for OTAs? I was hoping to learn how to play guard? Well, now you've got your guard, but you need back though. Yeah, I mean just kind of like the same deal. That's the reason that Connor Williams was snapping in preseason games last year.

I tried to explain that to somebody and they just wouldn't. It wasn't because they wanted to make him the starting center exactly. It was because they had to have someone who could snap, and especially on your game day roster. Okay, so let's say because you knew Williams was going to be active. Because let's say you've got it right now, your depth chart, I mean, backup guys on your offensive

line who have snapped, who have who've played center. I mean Connor McGovern was at a game or two in college, maybe at Penn State, I don't remember, like maybe his Matt farniok's the only year. Yeah, no, no, right, And so you would have to make farneyok, has got to be on your active roster on game day the way things are currently put together. And he was a former guard that they moved to center, so maybe he can do both. But you're right, that's exactly that's exactly the

situation they're in right there. And and then the other guy we didn't talk about, Bland corner. I like his tape, Yeah, and you need you need depth there and special teams, right,

that's how he would make this. And and by the way, much like Ridgeway who was at Illinois State and then played his last year in Arkansas, Deron Bland was at Sacramento State and played this last year at Fresno State, which may have been a reason why he was not on the so called experts mock drafts and was a late bloomer as far as the draft process goes, right. And then the linebacker they took in the sixth round,

Devin Harper, they just needed linebackers. They needed linebackers, a guy that can play special teams and again and try to make the team that way, because you know, if assuming Demon Clark doesn't help the depth this year, they needed some extra help before we finish here. One of the undrafted free agents that I thought we should spend at least a minute on, Okay Jonathan Garabay. Oh the kicker. They got him a kicker they didn't have to use a draft choice out of Texas Tech. He is accustomed

to kicking in windy conditions. And now that gives them two. But that doesn't mean they don't find somebody else. And I think we talked about this during the draft, that there's gonna be a veteran kickers probably released somewhere awarding the line. And the next day two of them right Cleveland, Cleveland, Cleveland. They drafted Cade York, the prosper kicker. They drabbed him in the fourth round, and so they released Chase McLaughlin and the unfortunate name for a kicker, Chris blew It.

Yes on Monday. I don't even just a connotation there because if he misses one, I don't want to see that headline. Yea, Chris blew It. But somebody also come around. But this guy he made fifteen of sixteen for Texas Tech this last year. Is only miss was from fifty three and he did hit the game winner sixty two yards against Iowa State and that qualified Texas Tech for a bowl game, so there was amount of pressure on that.

And he also hit two field goals. He only kicked three games for Tech in twenty twenty and in against Baylor when they won twenty four twenty three, he hit four field goals. The third one was with four minutes to go in the game from forty six and then the game winner. Another walkoff was from twenty five yards to beat Baylor that year and the final score was twenty four twenty three, and he made four field goals. Well, so don't ask me how they got to what happened

on those two may He missed an extra point. He might have missed two extra points. I think he missed I think they might have gone for two one time. I think he missed one because he was one for two on okay, on extra points in his career. Yeah, and those are we've seen. We've seen enough missed extra points around here. That's why that guy's with the Jets right now. So anyway, you know, he's got a strong leg. And again the reason a lot of people didn't know

about him. He two years of juco at Riverside City College, Okay, and then he came to Tech and greatest kicker in the history of the NFL. Who is it Texas Tech? No, no, it's Justin Tucker. Yes, yes, yes, yes, college freezy got the best college free agent, right, Dan Bailey college free agent? Right, that's why you're not drafting a kicker, Mickey, Right. The Cowboys have drafted nine of them during their their days. By the way, who's the best one but they drafted?

Think about it and have it for us next week here on match. I have him in my mind. I think the only two that made it were David Bieler and hopefully best Nick Folk, and they weren't the best well Nick Fole. I mean, if you're going to compare Nick Folk versus David Bheler, I'll take Nick folks actually

and still kick in this league. Nineteen eighty six, they used a fourth round pick on a kicker, Max because they were worried that Raphael Sept the Ends back was going out, and so they said, well, we better get a kicker, and then Sept the End beat him out and Zendaias ended up kicking three years in the league Green Bay combined three years Green Bay in Washington, and

that was it. All right, Well, eventually Everson is gonna show up, but we're gonna be off the air stretched out to sixty five minutes, all right, So he goes undrafted again. Yes, all right, So that does it for this edition of mix Shots. And we will be back at our regular time next Thursday at eleven thirty, and we will see you then go rookie Minicamp. There you go. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.