Draft Show: Free Agency's Effect on the NFL Draft

the middle of March. For this episode of the Draft Show, Glad you're with us, Kyle Yeoman's Brian brought us Bucky Brooks in the great David Hellman as always our usual Tuesday crew ten am Central Time. Glad you're with us live streaming coast to coast and around the world on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. However, Brian I mentioned it's crunch time,

it's also free agency time. Is this the most hectic part of the year, maybe month of the year, these last forty five days or so leading up into the draft, because not only are you looking for draft prospects, but you're trying to fill holes with free agencies. I just want to know what it's like in scouting departments and front offices around this time of year, because I'm sure

it's madness, March madness probably per se. Yeah, no, it is, and it's it's it give you a very difficult time and you have to be able to budget your time. And especially with the Dallas Cowboys situation. I remember many a day, you know, working on the pro side of things, and then we uh myself and staff meeting with Jerry and Stephen Jones, and then the head coach is about about free agency during draft meetings and things like that.

So yeah, it was it was a lot of work, a lot of build up, and you know, these opening days, this tampering period stuff. I mean, we've seen a lot of signings already, a lot of guys taken off the you know, taken off the street, and so you know, that makes it very very difficult now to you know, do you have a plan. What is your plan? Your is your plan to say, okay, we were going to be players in you know in day three, day four, day five, whatever a week now, two weeks from now,

So everybody you'll see teams sticking to your plans. Teams like New England, Uh, you know obviously have gone out they said, you listen, we weren't good enough last year. Go out and make a bunch of signings. But that's you know, some teams operate in different ways. But yeah, it's very, very hectic because you're really planning for two things.

You're trying to prepare your draft boards and things like that, and then you're also trying to have your pro free agency board and then make sure that those two things marry for you. Bucky, what is that process like and what are some of your experiences whenever it comes to the overlap of the draft process and then free agency as well. I think Bryan, it's a very early in

the process. What you do is you try and assess where the draft is strong and where it's week at, and if you can have that conversation in January or immediately either before the combine or right after the combine, it then allows you to put a plan in place for free agency. So with the Cowboys, we talk about defensive tackles and being able to look at the draft and say, hey, not many defensive tackles. If we're gonna

get a guy inside. We may need to go early and heavy in free agency and see what is there. And then as some of the other positions, you're seeing a lot of wide receivers that are just kind of

languishing out there. I believe it's because you have teams that are looking at the free agent market, is saying why overpaid for a pass catch when I can get one of these young guys on the cheap and the draft, and so it's the constant compare and contrast between what is available in the draft, what's available in the free agent market, and your scouts all working together to kind of figure out what's the best plan for the team

to go forward. All right, So thank y'all both or not making the joke because I was dying to make the joke. I mean, how hectic and stressful it is. Probably depends on who you work for it, don't you think, Because there's a lot more activity in some front offices than others this week, if I may be so bold. Yeah, the first the first axiom of warfare is know the enemy. And I think you know the enemy here? Yeah, yeah,

And I do think so. I'm I love I love a Bucky said, and it's you know, it's not rocket science. But I am fascinated when the Cowboys do, you know, eventually get around to signing some players, whenever that may be. I'm interested to see what direction they go. You know, what does this team need? We all we know you know they need. Yeah, shout out to Brian as the Philly Philadelphia Eagles GM back and go to YouTube and

watch me answer that same question for you nineteen. The fans know, y'all know what we need the Cowboys defensive backs. They need some beef in the interior defensive line, they need some offensive tackle depth, etc. Etc. So how do they address that here? You know, I'd love to say today, but it's probably more like over the next week or two. But you know, if you know, do they look to

beef up defensive tackle? I honestly think that would be a great idea, because yeah, I mean this is this is not a strong defensive tackle class, at least not at the top of the draft. You know. Unfortunately, a guy that a lot of people really loved, Dalvin Tomlinson's already off the board. I don't think it was ever realistic to think he was going to sign with the Cowboys. But man, the deal he got in Minnesota was not earth shatter It was now or anywhere close to what

anybody thought it could be. It was just two years, twenty two million dollars, and everybody kind of looked around and said, why couldn't we do that? Yeah? More or less? Yeah, you know, it's funny. I was talking to a guy with the Giants on the way home from our radio show yesterday and I asked him, as what do you

think the market is for Dalvin Thomlinson. He says he's going to get somewhere between ten and thirteen million dollars And I said, well, the Cowboys are out then that there's no way, and then he signs basically for eleven million dollars. The Cowboys were never going to play in that game. And you know, the more that you talk to the people in the front office and Dave's right and Bucky's right, I mean, you you know what the

Cowboys are going to do. Steven Jones after the Dak Prescott during the press conference, he was talking about the draft and you know, how to prepare and how much confidence he has in Will McClay and those guys. You know he was setting you down that road, and then more you talk to him, it's like, oh, this cap space that they have, it's like, well, guys, we've got other things. We have to take care of. Restricted tenders, you know, they have to take care of things with

the practice squad. I mean, there's money they want to carry over for things that there's certain things they've already earmarked. So if you're a fan you're looking at cap space for the Cowboys, you're thinking, all right, they go get a guy. But to in it's like that money has already spent. We see it, but they've already spent it. So that's the way they operate in I know, if a week from now there's somebody still lingering out there,

you know, maybe that's where they jump in. But they're they're not going to be spenders in this thing initially, like what we've seen the Newland Patriots do the last couple of days, which and for the record, I do not want the Cowboys to behave like the Patriots. I don't think they need to do that. I think that's reckless.

The Patriots are doing this because absolutely, absolutely no, it's absolutely find me the team that has set the pace for like most money spent in free agency, and tell me how they did, and tell me how those contracts

worked out. The Patriots are doing this because they don't have any talent on their roster, like they they like, how many guys do the Patriots have as a starter, right, I mean the answers differ now because they signed all these good players, but like coming into this week, coming into this week, like how many blue chip players did they have, Like they haven't drafted that. Well, they're gonna

get some guys back from COVID opt outs. You know, Dante high Towers a good players, Stefan Gilmour is a good player, but their talent poor team in my opinion, and that's why they're doing that. Having said that, we've you know, we've done this a million times. I'm tired of saying it. Like the Cowboys need to find a

better balance, you know. Going back to the press conference from last week, Brian Jerry Jones also said, anything I've ever gotten that was worth the money I overpaid for And any time I ever thought I was getting a bargain, that's exactly what I was getting. Which the irony there is pretty palpable, you know, saying that a week before free agency opens, knowing that the Cowboys are bargain hunters

and free agency, Yeah he was. He was talking about guys he drafted like Tyrant Smith and Zack Martin and Maury Cooper and people. Well he didn't draft Mary Cooper, traded for Mary Cooper. But yeah, I mean your point, your point is right, Dave. They really the Cowboys don't have that balance. Steven Jones, And there was an error where I was working for the team where we spent like drunken sailors because we were so bad at drafting. You know, we were just terrible at drafting. And you

have to supplement your missus. You know, you're right, you have to find a roster. The problem with the Patriots that they're lacking at the most important position, and that's quarterback. You know, so they'll probably address that during the draft. But yeah, I think that it's you have to have balance, and the Cowboys really don't. They believe in free agency as signing their own that that's their philosophy. They look at Dak Prescott as one of the best free agent

signings in the history of the National Football League. That's how they view that, right, Now everybody else is like, oh, you're just signing your own. But they look at it as like, you know, this guy had a chance. You know we could. This guy could have got to free agency. We signed him. That's just how those guys operate. Now they also think like, yeah, I think it's important to note like sometimes you want to be a little slower to the party so you don't overpad, because remember the

leverage flips after seventy two hours. If you're a player, if you haven't signed a deal within the first seventy two hours, now it's like musical chairs because now you were all the big money's gone. I just got to sign the best deal that I can find. And if you're a team who can target a handful of players where you know, okay, they may slip through the cracks, there's some deals to be made that will help the team.

And we can talk about Dalvin Thomason. I'm not paying a love million dollars for a no staff but that doesn't really rusht the passes Like it's one of those things like, yeah, we need to stop the run and do those things, but you don't want to overpay for that because especially coming off the heels of Dontari Poel and Gerald McCoy and those guys. I think there's a little snake They've been snake bit because they spent money last year and they didn't get anything out of the position.

I think they want to avoid that. So I'm really glad you said that, Bucky, because Dave and Bryan are talking this balance, this balance between free agency and the draft, and it is it's a it's a tight rope you have to walk as a front office. Is there ever any frustration from either side because you have the pro scouting department, you have the collegian scouting department. You have both sides of that coin, and you have to walk the line between the two. Is there ever frustration or

any kind of tension between the two sides, Bucky? Whenever these kind of conversations are hitting the table and you're kind of finally getting to crunch time around this part of the year, it depends on the background of does decision maker. If the decision maker comes from the collegiate side, he's more apt to listen to the college scouts. He's more likely to take an approach that is a draft and developed, home grown approach. If it's a guy that may have spend most of the time on the pro side.

He may feel like he has a better handle on free agents and how to fill him in to the gap. There's a lot of that. Like where you come from, you have some natural biases. Hopefully what you can do is have very constructive conversations where you figure out a what is ask for what we need right now? Do we need to go in the draft, we need to go free agency. But it could be contentious, It can

be a little acrimonious. Yeah, well, Bucky, you better love me as a pro guy because I'm getting your compensatory picks. When these uh, you know, when these guys when you know when we when we trade when we trade for Robert Quinn, when we trained for Robert Quinn and he gets eleven and a half sacks and then we get you, you know, a third fourth round pick to help with the draft. Who did pick? What did the pick turn into? And we don't know yet, we don't know. It's it's

it's one for this draft. Softit me hit me back. Yeah, Hey, I got you, I got you, I got you to pick for. You know, I got you to pick for. I got you to pick at four one thirty five. He took Prescott. Nice job on that one. Good job, you know, So that's all good. That's a good one. Yeah, that's hey. I will say this. I'll say this Kyle real quick, and I know I'm never quick, but I'll say this. They're they're in a situation right now. Will McClay and as pro guys had a bad offseason last year.

They had a bad off season. And that's Will mcclay's baby right there. That's his area of expertise. He coordinates what they do when all the scouting. I think his area of expertise though, is the pro side of things. So where he came from. Yeah, those guys had a bad they had a bad offseason, and you know, I don't think it's a thing that stings him. But you also got to give him credit for what I was

talking about with Robert Quinn. They saw, you know, Chris Greer down in Miami, New GM, they saw a bad scheme fit for a player. They made a trade. This is where if I'm the Cowboys, that I do take what compensatory picks we got and maybe target somebody else's team and instead of getting guys that are out there on free agency. Maybe you say, Okay, i'll give you this third round pick, compenstor I'll give you this fourth

round fit. I'll give you this fifth round pick that I got in order to try and facilitate of trading for a guy. Maybe that is established that you're like, Okay, this guy, we could plug him in immediately. The Cowboys need to get back to doing things that way more so than you know the Don Terry Po's and the Gerald McCoys did. If you watched them play, they look like they're two three years removed from how good they

once were. When you look at the Cowboys front office and there's this, like you said, kind of the split between the pro and the college, and I don't know if there's Have you guys remembered a year where there is such a pro and collegiant split as there was in twenty twenty, because I'm trying to look back, and

I don't think I have one. Because the draft was so highly touted, you ended up bringing in three or four long time starters for the Cowboys, and then you turn around and like you said, you signed five or six guys that you think are going to be somewhat potential starters, and they don't even make it out of training camp. Haklinton, Dick's, Dontari Poe, even Gerald McCoy if you want to talk about the injury. Those three guys didn't even make it out of training camp without really

making an impact. And I know Po played, but he never really made an impact at any point at three season. Poe is here for how he was here? He was? He really here? Him looking at the box score exactly? Was he was? He really hired? With you? Not so much? But has there ever been a split Dave whenever it comes to those two sides, like there was a year ago and can the Cowboys afford to do that again? I mean last year was an extreme example because the draft was so good and free agency was so bad.

But I'd say that's kind of been the story of the Cowboys over the last seven or eight years. Obviously, that's where my expertise is gonna lie because that's who I cover three hundred and sixty five days a year. But yeah, I mean, this is a team that has drafted much better than most over the last at least six or seven years, and they just don't do a ton in free agency. I mean, honestly, in the time

that I've covered the team, they're far and away. Best free agency acquisition was probably Jeremy Menzi, who like, nice guy, solid role player on a couple of good teams. But like, if that's if that's the best that you're doing for me, that's not good because and that's that's kind of my point is, you know, even teams that build through the draft find ways to add premium talent through free agency. You know, I bring it up all the times. You know,

I know Howie Roseman's in hot water right now. I know the Eagles look like a garbage fire right now, but they made a handful of amazing moves in free agency to help build that roster into a team that eventually won Super Bowl. You know, Malcolm Jenkins was a free agency acquisition Rodney McLeod, Tim Jernigan, which you know, to Bryant's point, that was a trade that brought a quality young player onto an already good defensive line. Like

I said, you got to find a balance. I don't want them to set the market in terms of money spent, but rubbing quarters together, trying to turn it into a quality roster clearly that doesn't work either. We've seen it many many times times. Now Tampa did it just pass here in the Super Bowl. If you look at what they drafted really well on defense, but if you had in Domi Kun Sue guys like that, you know that

that makes a difference for your team. And that Tom Brady guy that they had a free agency helps out a lot as well. Which Tom Brady is obviously the ultimate outlier, but in my Shaquille Barrett was a free agency acquisition as well. Oh yeah he was. He was playing second fiddle to Von Miller for a few years and now he's you know, he's a you know, big money guy. He's got I think he's got thirty sacks in two years with the Bucks free agency acquisition. Wow. Yeah,

I mean that's I think thee Yeah. But I think that also comes down to scheme fit. Because Shag Barrett in three or four years with the Broncos had fourteen and a half sacks. Who would imagine that he would come to Tampa in his first year have nineteen and a half. Like that's partially like the numbers being inflated a little bit by playing with top bowls and top Bowls, creating these blitzes to have one on one opportunities. But

that's all the part of the deal. And if the coaches and the scouting staffs during lockstep and they're able to clearly get them the same page with here's what we need, here's how we're going to play him, this is why he's going to be effective for us. It

can work, it can't work. And specifically with kind of keeping that balance between free agency and the draft, I kind of want to get you guys's opinion on positions of need for the Cowboys that are better suited to go after in free agency rather than the draft, because I mean, we've been talking about corner safety, defensive line, interior defensive line specifically for the Cowboys on the show throughout really the forty episodes or whatever. We're at at

this very moment. However, there's still a long way to go in free agency side of things. So, Brian, when you look at both the free agency class and the draft class, is there any position that you feel better for one way or the other. Well, the thing about it is what they're probably going to do now is you can lean on your coaches a little bit about you know, and I'm talking about the d I'm looking more at the defensive side of the ball. Uh you know what, maybe I'm in the minority here real quick

about these defensive tackles. I think they're actually a pretty good group in the draft. I know there's not the top guy up there. We've seen Alabama. I mean, Barmore's probably on everybody's lists and stuff like that. But we've gone through that that second, third, fourth round, and I mean there's some quality guys there. I wouldn't be opposed to having some of those kids coming and play that nose tackle spot and be just fine. But you know, I think if you're the Cowboy, if you're a Cowboy fan,

you've got it. Then we always like to connect the dots with Dan Quinn and and that crew. And you know, Okay, what players did he have? Did he have? Okay? Who he have in Seattle? Okay, who'd he have in Atlanta? You know, I was asking some scouts this morning about Kazee the same yet that everybody's got the Cowboys tied to first three years. Man guy was super aggressive, super after a ballhawking type guy. Last year, it played not to get hurt and what happened to him. He got hurt.

So you know, there's there's all kinds of things that I think now it's going to turn into familiarity, and like Bucky says, it's musical chairs when you're when you're a guy and you're thinking, Okay, I don't have a job, and so okay, where am I going to go? I need to go to someplace where I have some familiarity with the coach who might take care of me. You know, Joe Witt might take care of a Kazie or somebody like that. Again, coming off of Achilles injury, a lot

of positive things. He is a true Cover three free Satan Now Neil on the other side, his teammate, that guy is a is a strong safety. So to me, I'm not going that route. I'm trying to find a true free. And if you want to connect the dots with Atlanta's Kazee who was at San Diego State, who was a corner who was a converted into a safety, connected dots, that might be a good one for you to start with. Yeah, I think Brian, you're right on it. I would expect to see a bunch of Falcons defectees

find their way to Dallas. But they'll find it at the right price because you waited out. Okay, keanuneill go see what's out there for you. Oh you can't find the hole, Maybe we can find the spot for where you make your work. Same thing with I think it's Ricardo Allen and Demante Casey. Those guys know the system and allows you to really get a jump start on what you want to do. And I know they attempted it last year with hahah Clinton Dix. It's a little

different because the defense is different. This would be players coming out of the same system going to coaches that know them, that coached him as recently as last year. I think there's something. I think the one guy that I would keep an eye on that I'm fascinated what his free agency ends up looking like, and that would be former LSU standout Patrick Peterson. Because there's conversation about Pat moving inside to play safety. It's not the easiest move.

I don't think he necessarily has to juice anymore to play corner, but I would be intrigued by him playing free safety at this stage of his career. I think he still has a lot to offer if he'll tackle because he's never really been a tacklic If he'll tackle, I think he has a lot to offer. Yeah, that's Spucky, it's real quick game. I know you're gonna make a point about this. But in radio, I have a group

called the Gang of Seven. They're my seven general managers that are kind of working the shadows for me, and I was talking to them about Patrick Peterson. They think that there's enough market pat for Patrick Peterson still play corner that he might not be on the Charles Woodson transition train or Rod Woodson transition train or any of those guys that moved from corner to safety later in their career. They feel like that there's still enough of a market for him as a corner that he might

not make that trans issue. But you're absolutely right, Bucky, that's one that I would clearly, clearly work on right now at the corner position. I mean, what was that, Dave, Go ahead, Kyle, I was just gonna go ahead. I was just gonna say the corner position might turn out to be a little bit more of a neat than safety because we do have some cowboys breaking news here

on the Draft show. For those of you who are watching live, so your buddy, Mike Garofolo from the NFL network, Bucky Brooks tweeting out three minutes ago Bengals agree to terms on a three year contract with former Dallas Cowboys corner Shouldobe a woozier source says, since he continuing to make moves on defense, so Shouldobe seemingly on his way out that when a report from the NFL network, So we might unpack that a little bit and we might talk about how there's an are we broken? What was

it broken up about that? No? Not really, am am I other one? How didn't get the rows on The Bachelor last night? Like I'm just trying to figure out how I should be broken? And now my reactions should be to Cheeto. I think I'm gonna go ahead and pat myself and Pat. I think pat us all off the back because we've been saving me on the back. No, you deserve it too. We've been saying for weeks, like Cheeto, Cheetos going to get a bigger, better deal than a

lot of people would have guessed. And the fact that he's signing it before free agency even opens is a testament to that fact. How much was the money for we wasn't figures yet, Okay, because they overpaid for Trey Henderson, so yes they did. Things are just out there just spitting money out, like, yeah, Lawson was a better player, myself, much better. I can't understand they paid big money for Trey Hendrickson. Well, the silly stuff happens during free agency. Man,

they let will Johnson walk. Is that what his name was? The other corner that was in SINCI. I can't remember what he is? Oh, will William Jackson. William Jackson, that's what William Jackson from Houston. Yes, yeah, yeah, they let him walk as well, so former first rounder. Yeah, so I mean they're making some move as well. But we're gonna take our quick break here on the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. When we come back, we've got sixty five Twitter on the twist Twitter on the twenty

questions to choose from. That's gonna be a tough to nail down, and we'll probably kind of continue unpacking this cheeto news when we return on the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. Sometimes nothing beats the classic Miller Light. The original light beer proved with great taste and only ninety six calories available for delivery celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six calories, three point two cars for twelve ounces.

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available for delivery. Celebrate responsively. Miller brewin Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six calories three point two cars for twelve ounces. Is the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. Back here on the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show, as always presented by Miller Light. Glad you're with us. Brian brought us, Bucky Brooks, David Helm and I'm Kyle Yeoman's time now for some Twitter on the twenty. On the twenty, Chris

Beam as always in the back doing fantastic work. And I just have to give a shout out to all those draft nerds out there that are watching and listening to our show and their interaction on Twitter. I've got close to seventy questions for Twitter on the twenty this week, which is just unbelievable to be seventy questions? Are you

kidding me? This is awesome? I mean, we could do an entire show on this, and maybe we'll have to at some point, But got plenty to talk about here on Twitter on the twenty and I'm gonna start things off with we talk about improving the defense, and basically it kind of goes back into what we were talking about in that first segment. But this comes from speaking dim boys on Twitter says, when we commit to improving

the defense, obviously isn't in free agency. So can we commit the tenth pick, forty fourth pick, third and fourth round picks to premium defenders and get developmental offensive tackle in the later rounds? This goes against kind of what we talked about last week as well, a potential of maybe spending high premium picks. Bucky, I know you were on that bandwagon as well on offensive tackle early. Is there a chance that you find an offensive tackle that

late in the draft this year? I mean intensively, you're looking at the same kind of situation that you had last year. I mean, when you draft an offensive tackle late, like you're not getting one of the premier guys that is a plug and play guy. And so when you take a developmental guy, you're talking about two or three years before they're really ready to play and play at

a high level. I think it's uncommon. I can't remember the last late round offensive tackle to emerge as a guy like I know Jason Peters went from being an undrafted free agent tied end to emerge and as a Pro Bowl tackle. But that's an uncommon situation. You just don't haven't see that happen often. Yeah, I thinking, oh, go ahead, brand Yeah, No, I mean I do think there's some guys late and maybe maybe there's a guy that you can develop. I'm just gonna throw a name

out there. I watched this guy, Walker Little from Stanford. He's a guy that it's been kind of banged up. He heard his knee against Wisconsin against Northwestern a while back, and then and then now he's sitting out because of the COVID. He went out because of the COVID. But that's the type of guy you're kind of thinking about, you know, maybe a guy that kind of was banged up, he sat out because of COVID. You know, people are

gonna have to go back in their notes. The guy six seven twenty pounds, maybe you don't have, Yeah, don't have a great feel for him, and he might fall through the cracks, but that's one of those guys that you think, Okay, there's some talent there. I just kind of like keep an eye on guys like that, try and look for those guys in that fourth round. That I'm not saying look at the sixth and seventh round. But you know, I'm sure in the NFL history there's

a sixth round tackle or something. I trust me, I know there's one out there. But maybe keep a guy. You kind of look at your board when you're building it and see where the walker little guys fall on those kinds of things. I think that's where you can you can find that guy that that could definitely help you on a Day two type of the situation. I

like that, right, I tend to. I mean, I don't dislike that at all for the record, And I mean, if they wait until like the fourth round to draft an offensive tackle, I won't be I won't be super upset about it. I do tend to agree with Bucky. There's a handful of positions where if you're drafting him outside the top one hundred, then the odds are against you that he's ever gonna be amazing. You know, I think I've brought it up before. You gotta take it

ninety nine. Just go ahead and make it then and you'll be that's hey, that's totally fine. I mean, you know, we all know. You know, Richard Sherman's going to the Hall of Fame. That doesn't mean you should count on finding all pro cornerbacks in the fifth round of the draft, Like it's not a good strategy. But again, I am bullish on Tyron Smith and Lyle Collins. I feel very good that they'll be able to play the vast majority of the season. For you the problem, Oh no, Bucky,

just fast, the vast majority. Tell us Smith has been hurt. Every use is twenty sixteen, Like, hey, there is big different we got it free seven. There is a seven, big, big difference between missing three games and missing fourteen games. That like you can't even deny. So you know what I got, I got to you're the guy that likes to work Monday through Thursday. You don't like to work Friday. Friday's not in your work. Yeah, I would just say

we'd just take it. We'd just take a mandatory a mandatory game off because we're load managing Tavern Smith, so we're randomly picked these three games that he's going to miss. You and Brian are the guys that are, like, you're not really working unless you're in the office holiday Saturday and during holidays too, y'all are gonna burn yourselves out. That's why Brian is trying to go to the lake at fifty seven years old, get out of here. The point being, the point being I'm now I'm mad again.

It's fine. They're going They're gonna be whatever. They're gonna be fine, I think. And either way, the overall point I wanted to make is that if you're just drafting defenders, to say you're drafting defenders, you're going against the spirit of this whole thing. Like, look at look at the value that's available to you at each in each individual pick. If Rashaan Slater is far and away your best option

at ten, you should draft him. If if attack you know, if if Jenkins the Oklahoma state guy is there for you at forty four and you think he's loads better than everybody else, you should draft him. Like you can't just be like, we need defenders, so our first four picks need to be defenders. That's not how this works. Yeah, I would even look at Elijah Vera Tucker at ten because I just think that Elijah very Tucker can play. Yeah,

he can play outside, he can play inside. You talk about we talk about the guard position being a question mark, why not get like, why not if you're gonna pay the million dollar baby like you paid Dak Prescott, I want to put him in bubble wraps so he doesn't get touched. Yea. And so if you're gonna make that commendment, you're paying forty two million dollars for your quarterback, then

you need to make sure that he's upright. I don't want to necessarily go and buy it Bentley and put it on spare tires, like put some rims on it, make it look nice or whatever, like make sure that he is protected so you can score. Because their best defense is gonna be their offense. I don't think they can find enough firepower this year to make that defense a top ten defense. But I do know if they put thirty to thirty five points up, it makes it

a lot easier just to rush the pass. And when you don't have to worry about the running game, scud and draft Kyle Pitch and everything will be Everything's t I mean, if you feel like that, control the middle, like why not, like, why not just just just go all the way in all offense, all gas, no brakes, Yoh, I hate you, Bucket continues the sark get them sark.

Bucket continues spitting out these metaphors, and then they also had a bit of a spit take earlier whenever Dave provided his answer, I guess I still can't get over I don't know how fucking and I became more thal in him idea. We're not ever serious're just taking a very conservative approach. Last year, I watched you guys, You're like, hey, let's defense, and put like, what are we Yeah, I'll tell you what we're doing that. I watch DK Metcalf.

I watched DK Metcalf and Christian Kirk get five yards behind this defense. That's what happened. You're not wrong, You're not wrong at all. All right, This next question comes from mister Maya. I hope I said that name wrong or right? I hope I said it right, Am I age, I don't want to say it wrong. Does the signing

of Noah brown As. Noah brown As agreed the terms for a one year deal with the Cowboys reduce a chance that we look for a late round receiver in this draft, and he put Jalen Darden, of course, my favorite North Texas Darden, the Dallas everybody or Dad's Knewsome, et cetera. These different late round receivers. Brian, do you think bringing back a Noah Brown maybe stifles that a little bit, as he could be your fourth receiver. Yeah,

I think that they have to think. And then Cedric Wilson was also given his tender there as well, so yeah, you know, I mean, I think that there's always going to be about depth. You know, will they use draft picks? I don't think so, you know, unless somebody me personally though, if you did something where you moved on from a receiver, say you moved on from Michael Gallup, say someone trying to blow you away with a deal right now to get him. But like book he's talking about, this receiver

class is pretty deep. I don't know if it abody will blow you away with an offer for somebody you currently have. I think if the Cowboys we're going to do something, me personally, I would go get somebody from the law firm of more and more, our old miss guy and then are also our product guy because to me, the shorter type play two two at wells another one.

This league is going to where the smaller type of guy, the inside players, maybe you can kick, you can kick CD outside, but if you had a guy that was a little bit shifty and can do a lot of different things. But yeah, I think that these signings, I think that kind of takes them out of the market right now for a draft and a wide receiver, I would just throw out out that at the end, I mean, at the end of the day, they do have ten

picks and the majority of those are Day three. You know, if they like a guy, if they like a guy and they don't want to let him get to free agency, maybe they draft him. You know, I'm I know he wasn't a pick. He wasn't a draft pick, but I'm thinking about Jalen Guyden a year or two ago. Another if they if they love yeah, if they love a guy like that, and they would you know, kind of like bend Nucci last year, like you'd rather draft him than trying them in on him, maybe you do that.

But yeah, I think you know, Noah and Cedric both being here for this season, unless something crazy happens. I think you could probably rule out a big pick being spent on receiver Bucky. I mean, I'm with it. No, I would think that it would be a Day three guy, Hightway, speed guy, guy that can play special teams because eventually Noah Brown and Sid Wilson like that's that's where their

contributions are going to come in. And so you have to kind of get some guys that are up and ready to replace those guys when they move on, and maybe they're able to offer something that if you look, you're like, Okay, I can see him maybe being a natural fielding for Michael Gallup as a one dimensional type player on the edge, you also have special teams value.

It just kind of depends on how they view Michael Galliman, how they view not twenty twenty one, but how do they view what their roster could look like in twenty twenty two. Yeah, they get ready. They're gonna draft Waddle at ten, So oh, let's go Burger's baby somewhere. Jimmy Cavanaugh is smiling, But I mean, why not? Noting? Why not? But why not? Even though even though I wouldn't, even

though I wouldn't draft the wide receiver in the first round. Yeah, were there, I would I would say I would maybe colpis at ten. I would be intrigued. You can get me, you get your wide receiver in a second and third round. Come on, right, like they're eight million of them. I'm with you, man, And come on, I came in the same program you did. Yeah, there you go. Next question comes from aspiring journalist on Twitter. Give him some puffs. He not have names on Twitter accounts? No, that's what

I actually says. Seriously, the name and the handle have aspiring aspiring journalists on there. Come on, man, I don't know. He's got the really cool aspiring journalists. Put your name out there. He's got on your Twitter handle. Manuh so that's the question, Kyle, Yeah, Joe Thomas leaving. Does that decrease or it does He's saying it does decrease the depth a linebacker. But does it increase the chance of drafting a linebacker in the first two rounds in your opinion? Bright? Yeah,

you know, I would get ready. I mean, I know there's a lot of people and stuff like that that I mean, we've talked about Parsons and people. You know that. Bolden from Missouri Choral Moore Notre Dame. I think people think maybe him as a safety and stuff like that. I I would not discount out a linebacker here. And I'm always doing this because we need to figure out. If you're a Cowboy fan, you need to figure out

what the contract situation is for late Vanders. Dave told you last week that's a nine million dollar buy right there in the fifth year option in May. You know you've got health issues with Jalen Smith. You know he plays well sometimes other times he does it. They don't have a whole heck of a lot of depth there. I think that when at the end of the day, I wouldn't be surprised if they took corner, linebacker, linebacker, corner. It's some combination, is I think it would be the

first first two picks. To be honest with you, yeah, I would like to see him double up at some point a linebacker. I would like to see him give one maybe in a second and get another guy that can play maybe in the fourth with the laden Vanda still look. I think with Jaylen Smith Van Vanders, I think they both of question marks nine million dollars on the option for Vanda as considering his injury history to me would be a little rich and then would in

the smith. You just never know which one is going to show up, and so I think you have to prepare to get some running chase guys. I do too. Yeah, I'm a I'm a. I was a fan of Joe Thomas. I thought for how they got him and what they asked him to do you know that you need guys like that on your team, Like they can step in and start and they can play a lot of special teams. Blah blah blah awesome. Losing Joe Thomas is not what makes linebacker need not knowing what you have in your two.

But that's not That's not the issue for me. So I'm gonna ask one more question, and I kind of want this to kind of trickle into the final segment here as well, but it comes from call me Krupa on Twitter, and he if this question says, are we waste too much time talking about top safety and top defensive tackle prospects in this class? Knowing how this team in the past has historically approached these positions, Should we instead be focusing on Day three names at each of

those two positions? So that's the question that I'm going to pose. We're gonna take a break. When we come back, I'll ask it again and we'll kind of talk about some of those names that if the Cowboys elective to go offensive, tackle and corner early on, then safety and d tackle would then follow later on when we come back and on the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. Sometimes nothing beats the classic Miller Light the original light beer proved with great taste and only ninety six calories

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only ninety six calories available for delivery. Celebrate responsively. Miller Brewin Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ninety six calories three point two cars for twelve ounces. Is the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. Back here on the Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Show. Glad you're with us, Bucky Brooks, Brian brought us, David Hellman, I'm Kyle, Youmans trying to keep it together

for at least fifteen more minutes. Chris Beam in the back doing fantastic work here from the SWBC Mortgage Studios has always and I put that question out there prior to going to break. Are we talking too much about premium defensive tackle and premium safety prospects early in this draft? And we talked a lot about both of those positions.

But it's very likely that, given the historical past of this Cowboys organization, that they neglect that position early in this draft class or they just simply don't want to invest draft capital in there at all. So, Dave, whenever it comes to later round prospects, one should we be talking about those names? And two are there any names

that stick out to you? Well? This guy sounds a lot like me, because I'm usually the one that's saying like, don't like, just tell me what the Cowboys are gonna do,

Like that's what I care about. But at the same time, the purpose of the show is to investigate and educate, Like, just because the Cowboys don't care about those positions doesn't mean that we shouldn't talk about it, because Lord knows, we like to bang those drums and make ourselves feel smart later on when Antoine Winfield Junior balls out for

a Super Bowl champion team. Yeah, so the answer to the My answer to that question is no, Like, just because the Cowboys aren't going to do it, doesn't mean we shouldn't at least say, hey, here are the guys that they're ignoring for some reason. Yeah, I think guys that To me, it's the element of let's not take a defensive tackle and let's not take as safety as

now out of the building. I think the previous coaching staff was they will do a thirty for thirty on all the problems that they had trying to find defensive players when it was set up for them to draft defensive players. So I think with a different element in the building, Dan Quinn Joe Wit. You know, I think that there will be a different direction there. They will have a clear understanding of what they want. They're not gonna want to coach orphans, you know that nobody wants.

They're not going to do that. They're gonna coach rule football players. And I think that that that the attitudes for the Cowboys and defensive tackle and as safety will change. You know, that's a very positive outlook though Brian compared to I think a lot of Cowboys Nation, I think it's still a lot of people are looking at this front office and saying that the Jones family's the one that that really makes the decision. They're the one that

makes a phone call. But there is a lot more that goes into it than just them making a decision, right, Yeah, the former defensive coordinator did wanted nothing to do with Jalen Ramsey, he was a defensive coordinator. Wanted nothing to do with Jalen Ramsey. He would rather have Ezekiel Elliott and he said so. He said so. He didn't think though that you know, there there there's discussions they had

about a T. J. Watt. You know, there are different things, different discussions that they've had about players that have gone the wrong way for them. I'm not blaming every single thing on them, but there's a lot of things that you can point to that direction that their attitudes about it came from their defensive coaches. Yeah, I know we liked to bang on them for bypassing Jalen Ramsey, but Ezekiel Ellie they want a lot of games with Ezekiel Elliott told them to load the first couple of years.

I mean, like that was the formula. Now, I would say it fell apart when the offensive line began to kind of fall apart and you start losing some of those guys to attrition. That was more. I would say the issue not necessarily Jalen not being there or whatever, but did they didn't fight for the guy, Bucky. Your defensive coaches, and I understand you have to get there's give and take in the room. I appreciate that. I never got the impression that they really fought hard to

get Jalen Ramsey here. That's all I'm saying. Yeah, they may want to play confident mary ball. Sometimes you want to play nice in the sandbox, Brian. You don't have to always like throw Santa in one another in those debates like sometimes you know what, you gotta fight for your positions. You gotta fight for your side. You know what I'm saying, It's true. Yeah, you want to you want to have somebody to answer, to answer the latter part of that question. Particularly, y'all know how I love

my safeties. Do y'all have any like more Day three type of guys that stand out to you? I mean Day three like this, I'll say what you know, I don't know if it's I don't know. To me, I would, I would since you got since you got a couple of like those compensatories at three and then at four. I you know, I know I mentioned Gillespie from Missouri is a guy Bucky's talked about the Florida state kid Nazardine. You know, where where does Holland fit into Oregon safety?

I mean, see, that's what I'm saying. I'm trying to get a gauge. I know I've got Morig Grant, Holland. I know I've got those guys in an upper level, But in that third round, I'm kind of looking at Gillespie. Sherwood, him Auburn is a guy that I'm looking at right there. So you know there's I think there's names there. I think they need more of a true free Let's see what happens with Kaze. That might be something that they say, Okay, well here's gonna be our free, but that maybe won't

keep them from draft. And one of those guys that, like I was talking about again, Gillespie from Missouri, Nazardeene from from Florida State. I don't know where Washington fits in here. The TCU kid well, people ding him well, people ding him because of his height. Is he more of a is he more of a third fourth round guy? Jeff Kavanaugh will tell you he's one of his top guys. And you know, you see these guys all differently, but I do believe there's some names there you should not

pass on. These kids were talking about right now. Question Brian, what do you think about the Texas kids? Stern? Like, what is your opinion on Kayden Stern? Yeah? You know what, I haven't watched him Bucky yet. I mean, I'm working down through that list and I'm trying to like pick guys off. I'm into these four. You know, I got a list I got I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm using Dane Brugler's list. Dane and I've talked to him about his list of guys and where Dane kind

of had some of his guys ranked. I've just kind of followed along on his list and he doesn't have. So I'm like, you know, one hundred and fifty some odd players in and he's not even on that list yet. And so I know he ran the other day in the four fours. Ye, there's some people that really like him. I haven't personally seen in myself. He's a guy got the next couple of days. Now. It's funny because, like I think, safety position, like the beauty is all in

the eye of the beholder. When I look at him one, he was a heavily recruited kid, so you pay attention to him because his freshman year was probably his best year at UT. You see him move around, he played center field position, he comes down. I would say the biggest thing that you worry about him is will it be a consistent tackler in terms of a thumper. Will he thump? Will he do some of those things? But movements, skills and athleticism, he has all the trades that you

look for typically for your cinefield player. I just wonder how he's valued, Like he's hide and cold whenever I ask people about him. Some people love him, some people hate him. And then sometimes there's a bit of the quote unquote Texas stigma that exists in terms of differently is being perceived to be soft or coddled or however you want to. Yeah, I'm with you, Bucky. I talked to a scout the other day about him because I saw what he ran, and then the scout told me,

you're gonna like him. I mean, and I'm not riding the fits on the city. There's some things about him you're really gonna like, and there's other things that you're gonna not even want to deal with him at all. So I'm interested to see where he fits. Then is he in that Gillespie, Washington, Nazardie, Holland Moorg Where does he fit among all those guys. There's a bunch of names down, I think later in that list, and you

mentioned Gillespie from Missouri. But I mean, I think I don't think you're looking that divine Diablo as a top three round guy. He might be a fourth round guy. That's who I was about to bring up Kyle Hell, yeah, I don't know that's that's a good name. Virginia Tech. And he's a quality strong myself. Yeah, No, he is. He is. And I know Bucky, but I know Bucky likes I think Bucky. I saw him a crawl from the NFL network the other day. I was looking up

at the board. Cisco. You have Cisco up in that area, right, the Sandy Cisco from Syracuse. I actually like I just wrote his name. Now. He is someone that I that I think. You know, it's so subjective when it comes to the safety position because depending on what you're looking for, how you going to play him, and your preferred style at the position. There's some coaches that like to have cast off corner who has some skills that can play in the slot maybe while also being a free safety type.

Others want the big thumper to be able to come down in the box and play like a pseudo linebacker. A lot of it depends on how you want to play. Yeah. So when I think about Dallas and this him in your head, you have this visual cam chances the box safety Earl Thomas is the free safety you go in. Look at what he did in Atlanta. Kean O'Neill is the box safety. Demante Kazi and all these other guys, Brian all they played free safety over top. So it's a very distinct look to how he wants to play.

And I think I would feel better if I knew how does he view Donovan Wills? Yeah, because if I had a better idea on does he view Donovan Wilson as a guy that is, hey, let's position him in the box because he will thump, or does he see him as Oh, now we can get away with him as a range numbers the numbers player and we need to find it on the thumper on the inside. Yeah, I just wanted to throw in that. I thought, uh oh, sorry Coyle, go for it, Dave, But I did just

I mean, yeah, Brian, I agree with you. Divine Diablo is a I mean, he's huge. He definitely he strikes you as like a box guy. But he went to mobile and obviously like nobody's in a worse situation at the Senior Bowl than DBS, and I thought he I thought he held his own pretty well in the absolutely

did Yeah, sure did. So That's definitely that's a name that I if you're six three two twenty five, Like I just I can't help it, because yeah, because Camp Chancellors like one of my favorite players of the last decade. I love that big like six two six three safety who just murders people. So I'm all, well, and again he's an ACC guy. He's an ACC guy. So it might be a thing where the Camp Chance of Virginia. It might be Virginia Tech. Here's our path, here we go.

All right, I've got a couple. I've got a couple other ACC guys I want to talk about, though, Bryant, and I'm gonna throw him your direction. And I hope you've maybe watched these guys. So Trill Williams from Syracuse, have you watched him yet? No? I have not. Okay, what about Paris Ford from Pittsburgh, we watched him? I had no, I have not. Okay, I'm drafting Trill. I'm drafting Trill just on his name alone. And Bucky. Have

you seen either one of those guys as well? I've heard stuff on prayers for it, but I haven't seen them enough, Like, like, how down in the ben are you, Kyle, Like I mean, I'm not Ill. I've got Paris for it? Is my twelfth guy as my twelfth safety, so I'm a little bit further down on him. I liked Trill Williams a lot, and for a lot of the same

reasons that Dave likes. Excuse me to find Diablo because he's six two, two hundred pounds and I think he's range, he's the He was the opposite corner that excuse me, the opposite safety as Andre Cisco at Syracuse, so they were teammates. They played in the back end together, and andre Cisco didn't impress me a whole lot. I have him just as my tenth safety, So why I have him a little bit further down because he gives up big plays, like like a runny nose. I mean, it's

unbelievable how many big plays he gave up. And I think Trill Williams cleaned up a lot of what andre Cisco did, So I kind of put Trill Williams a little bit higher up. He's actually in my top ten and I might be alone in that regard, but I I like guy. I'll take a guy I didn't like. I'll tell you guy I didn't like. And this is from my school, Jacobe Stevens. I was not pressed at all with Jakobee. Wow, I was not pressed at all with him. Don't play him at safety, Please, don't play

him at safe. Where would you play him that's get down by the line, like try to move him to linebacker or having to be like a utility guy like maybe a dime package sort of situate like I. I mean, he hits well, and honestly, he's got a he's got a note for the ball, like he he's around the ball when it gets turned over. But I don't trust him in coverage, even in the slightest little bit. Sorry, I'm sorry. Hey, Tiger, Tiger cry, I have a bad year.

After we win the time were ready to get rid of all the play Brian Brian will attest like me and Brian are honest about LSU players, like we don't. We don't pump it up if it doesn't deserve it. We told you should trap that Patrick Queen. We told you that Patrick Queen can playing. Nobody listened to this. Yeah, well, just about everybody that got drafted off the last year's team turned out to be a badass. I don't think that's a coincidence. To be fair, they were like seventeen

first round picks out of last year's LSUE roster. So yeah, you're gonna get a lot of I mean they're gonna get They did win the national title. I don't know the Chase on Dave Chase on did win all that? Great? Yeah? Right, yeah, you're right. Hey, jury is still out. Jury is still out. It's a long career. It's a long career. Any other names, kill them chasing any other names we want to throw out there in terms of the safety position before we

wrap things up, gentlemen, draft Richie Grant. That's not a

late round, have you No, he's not late round. I'm just we don't have to worry about late round if we use pick forty four on a starter like we can just we can just cut this convert, like this conversation can be made irrelevant if they just invest in the position or honestly, going back to the first segment, and you know, I don't want to I hate to try to like get people's hopes up, but that is a position where I could see them investing in a better free agent, not not Earl Thomas, not like prime

Earl Thomas. But yeah, if if they get Kazee if they get Alan or Kean O'Neill um. There's a couple other guys on the market whose names are not coming to my mind, but like they could invest there and set themselves up to where it's not as big of anitas. It looks like right now that wouldn't surprise me at all. I could see that, Brian, you were going to throw a name out there. Yeah, I don't know, Bookie. Have you seen the kid is Hafanca from USC to Yeah,

I've seen him. He's a he's a playmaker, but yeah, I don't know how discipline and detailed he is when it comes to covers. Like he comes and runs around and makes a lot of plays on the ball and hits and splash plays. But I don't know how you bet utilize him as a pro. Yeah. See, I think this is a guy when you start, you're going to hear his name and he's going to be one of those guys that's end up being a core special teams player for somebody. I mean, he's extremely tough, He's always

around the football. You see him play near the line. His reactions I think are pretty good for a safety because there's times you'll see him jump routes and play underneath and stuff. But I think he's one of those guys. If people are talking about him, it's going to be initially as a special teams guy and then try and work his way into the safety. That's one of those Day three guys. As I was going back through my notes that you might keep an eye on he might

get drafted in day two. I'm more of a Day three guy with him, but keep an eye on him. Again. He had soldier surgery January of twenty twenty, so it Matt might affect him his way on a medical. But he's a name that people have been mentioning. I like it. Lots of Day three potentials and late round options of the Cowboys when it comes to safety, I don't think double dipping at safeties out of the question. As well.

They could go draft to Richie Grant or maybe even Elijah Molden who could be transformed into a safety from corner out of Washington at forty four, and then go later on and draft the safety again because like Dave said earlier about wide receiver, if there's a safety Latman draft that you like, Hey, why not take a pickle. Let's try and find some depth at that position, because that's something the Cowboys have not had ain't quite some time. But that's gonna do it for us here on the

Dallas Cowboys dot Com Draft Shows. Special thanks to Chris Beam and the back catch these guys next Tuesday, ten am Central Time. Continue to bring in the fire as we're closing in on a mutton until the NFL Draft. But for Chris Beam, for Bucky Brooks, Brian brought us David Hellman. I'm Kyle Yeoman saying so long from the Star in Frisco. We'll see you next week on the Draft Show. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.