|
(Editor's Note: With the Dallas Cowboys heading into the April 25-26 NFL Draft with 11 picks, DallasCowboys.com's 12-part Draft Series has broken down the Cowboys position by position, analyzing what they have at the particular position, what their needs are and just who might be available, along with including some interesting draft nuggets. Today's 12th and final part features quarterback.)
IRVING, Texas - There's a good reason the Cowboys historically haven't made quarterback a top draft priority and have felt compelled to draft essentially four in the last 20 years.
Five reasons, to be exact: Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Danny White, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo.
It's an extraordinarily steady line of succession since 1960 that took a brief post-Aikman, pre-Romo dip earlier this decade when the club rifled through the likes of Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde, Quincy Carter, Drew Henson, Chad Hutchinson, Ryan Leaf and Clint Stoerner.
Romo's unexpected rise in 2006 as a former undrafted free agent has once again stabilized football's most glamorously critiqued position. The 29-year-old Romo has yet to win a playoff game in two tries but has established himself as a Pro Bowl-caliber player, a rare commodity in the league's 32-team landscape.
The bigger question mark the last three off-seasons has been the backup spot, now occupied by newly-acquired veteran Jon Kitna. But for the first time since 2001 (Carter), the Cowboys appear serious about drafting and grooming a rookie in their system.
What They Have: A franchise quarterback plucked from the unlikeliest of places: the 2003 rookie free agent pool. Romo patiently waited his turn for three and a half seasons, then blossomed into a full-time starter in the final 10 games of 2006 and received a staggering new six-year, $67.5 million deal halfway through 2007.
Romo's two-year Pro Bowl streak ended last season amid a three-game absence with a fractured pinkie finger on his right (throwing) hand. The Cowboys went 1-2 without him, as backups Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger struggled to move the chains and protect the ball, and the Cowboys ultimately finished one game out of the playoffs.
Johnson since has been released and Bollinger unsigned in free agency. On the first day of free agency, the Cowboys traded starting cornerback Anthony Henry to Detroit for Kitna, a 12-year veteran and two-year starter for the Lions.
Kitna, 36, isn't a much younger alternative to the 40-year-old Johnson, but he's remained an effective downfield passer and has a great relationship and rapport with former Lions teammate Roy Williams should Romo miss any time.
What They Need: First and foremost, a backup that's capable of managing the offense and putting the team in scoring position. In the three games without Romo, the Cowboys' average scoring dropped from 29.5 to 13.7.
The Cowboys believe Kitna can get the job done. In 36 starts from 2006-08, he averaged 250.9 yards and threw 44 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in Mike Martz's pass-happy offense. If he's asked to step in, the Cowboys would make a better attempt to establish the run around him.
Assuming Kitna can be a stop-gap solution for a year or two, the Cowboys still could opt to draft a prospect in the middle-to-late rounds and eventually make him Romo's backup after some seasoning in their system.
Who's Out There: This year's class appears to drop off after first-round prospects Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman. The Cowboys likely wouldn't target a quarterback on Day One anyway.
There should be plenty of options in the later rounds. Texas A&M's Stephen McGee and Fresno State's Tom Brandstater were among the pre-draft visitors to Valley Ranch. Texas A&M's conservative, run-oriented system meant low numbers for McGee, but the former Aggies captain is strong-armed, mobile and competitive. Brandstater has ideal size at 6-foot-5 and completed 59 percent of his passes in three years as a starter.
Sam Houston State's Rhett Bomar and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell each tried to dispel small-school and spread-offense stigmas, respectively, at the Senior Bowl in January. Bomar has great physical tools but must refine his mechanics; Harrell has Heisman finalist credentials but struggled with his footwork and accuracy in Mobile.
The Cowboys have indicated interest in using the Wildcat formation next season, and West Virginia's Pat White would be a perfect fit. A pass-run threat in college, White has made clear he wants to play quarterback in the NFL and made a strong case with a MVP performance at the Senior Bowl.
Draft Nuggets: Harrell is Texas' all-time leading high school passer with 12,532 yards and 167 touchdowns at Ennis High School in Ennis, located south of Dallas . . . Ball State starter Nate Davis' brother, Jose, played quarterback for Kent State from 1996-99 . . . Curtis Painter was a third-generation athlete at Purdue. His uncle played offensive guard from 1975-76 and his grandfather lettered in basketball.
Look Back: Nearly 20 years to the day, Troy Aikman became the first draft pick in the Jerry Jones era - the first of a two-pronged effort to stabilize the quarterback spot on a rebuilding roster. The Cowboys also drafted Steve Walsh in the 1989 Supplemental Draft, but Aikman beat out Jimmy Johnson's college quarterback and Walsh was traded to New Orleans a year later for three picks.
Aikman proved to be well worth the top overall pick in '89. He helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowls from 1989-2000 and retired as the franchise's all-time leading passer (32,942 yards). He became a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2006.
Aikman has since moved into the lead analyst role for Fox and remains active in Cowboys-related efforts. He has joined the Super Bowl XLV Legends' Action committee, an arm of the North Texas host committee.
| Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS |
|
Rob Phillips - 
