(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
I remember reading in the 1970s that Tex Schramm said the best way to draft in the late rounds was to draft a football body and hope to find a football player in it. This seems better to me than drafting undersized defensive backs and linebackers who were good at the college level but won't hold up at the pro level. What do you think? – Richard Stauts*/Orlando, FL*
Mickey: Well, I do remember way, way back when scouting wasn't near as sophisticated as it is today, the Cowboys in the late rounds and free agency were looking for athletes even if they had no experience playing football. See the likes of free agents Cornell Green and Cliff Harris. Then again, back in those days, the Cowboys scouting department was far ahead of the rest of the league until the late '70s and early '80s when more teams put a priority in the scouting departments. So, speaking of these days, I think what not only the Cowboys, but the rest of the NFL teams are doing by time the draft reaching the last couple of rounds and free agency are looking for players with a particular athletic dimension to give them a chance of making the team. Speed comes to mind. Versatility and athleticism that might give those players at least a chanceof making the team as a special teams player initially. I would hesitatemaking too many generalizations on what the Cowboys are looking for on Day 3 of the draft. But let's consider last year, with the likes of Shemar James, Jaydon Blue and Phil Marfa. Don't sell those guys short. Then also over the past few years finding like either starters or potential starters like Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks, Donovan Wilson, Xavier Woods, Noah Brown and Anthony Brown. Not too shabby, right, especially that late in the draft.
Tommy: Well, you certainly hope that you can try and find a mixture of both there. In my opinion, I don't have as much of an issue with the guys that were extremely productive at the college level but may not have the physical traits for most NFL teams. You're getting a guy with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, and I think that's worth something (examples in this year's class could be Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds, Texas' Michael Taaffe, etc.). That said, I'm not trying to diminish the chance to take a player with great traits and high upside if they can develop with one of those picks. You need to be able to trust your coaching staff to be able to get as much as you can out of them. Is either approach going to work every time? No, but the great evaluations and coaching jobs are done with those kinds of players, which is why even though some turn off the draft on day 3, it's still important to find good football players.
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