The Draft can serve as a good foundation to any championship team. Look at the way the Patriots and Steelers have evaluated and drafted players. The Saints and Vikings NFC runs were headlined by free agent Quarterbacks, but anchored by homegrown players, properly evaluated and selected by both teams. The Cowboys are an interesting team, because they have some really good drafts in history along with some really bad ones. Let’s take a look back all the way to 2003, and evaluate Cowboys draft history. A special thanks goes out to http://www.pro-football-reference.com for providing my research. If you ever want to know any nerdy stats or anything of that nature, go check it out. It’s truly a nerd’s paradise. This will be a 2 part series, looking at the first half of drafts today, and then a later article profiling the later classes.
2003 Draft
This was the first draft under Bill Parcells. This was the end of the 15-33 Dave Campo era and needed to be where The Cowboys ended a streak of some really bad drafting. The Joey Galloway trade added to that, but the Cowboys had just not made many great decisions on draft day. Parcells looked to put together a foundation class in his very first draft with The Cowboys.
1st – Terrence Newman – Cornerback – Kansas State
Newman was taken in with the fifth pick in the draft and it was a controversial pick as The Cowboys passed over the consensus #1 guy in the draft Marcus Trufant. Newman was taken because of his added value as a returner (something we’ve only seen sporadically so far). Trufant and Newman have had about equal careers so in retrospect it wasn’t a big mistake. At that time the Cowboys also passed over a potential franchise Quarterback in Byron Leftwich, Offensive Tackle Jordan Gross, and Defensive Tackle Kevin Williams. Newman, while not spectacular has been a 2 time pro bowler and a mainstay in the Dallas secondary.
2nd – Al Johnson – Center – Wisconsin
This pick was considered a reach at the time, and although he’s no longer a Cowboy, he had a few very good years. He was a bit of an undersized guy and that began to conflict with what The Cowboys wanted to do in the running game. He was replaced by Andre Gurode later on and Gurode has gone on to be a pro bowl player. Johnson moved on to Arizona, and then rejoined Bill Parcells and Tony Sporano in Miami. He signed this offseason to provide O-Line depth for the New England Patriots. While Johnson had a few good years in Dallas, he gets a failing grade for reaching for a non premium position, and not contributing for a long period of time.
3rd – Jason Witten – Tight End – Tennessee
I don’t really have to tell you much about this guy. Witten has been a star player on the offense since day one. Parcells really hit a home run with this pick, as Witten has been the most consistent offensive player of the last decade. He’s a six time pro bowl selection, a three time all pro, and arguably the best tight end in the game. He’s been a fan favorite in Dallas, and a very real cornerstone of this team.
4th – Bradie James – Linebacker – LSU
James struggled early on his career with consistency, but has really thrived in the Cowboys switch to the 3-4. While James has never been a premier player in the league, his play has been tremendous for a 4th round pick. James is one of the vocal leaders for a Cowboys defense who was very good last year. James gets a top grade from me for his play, and another great selection in the foundation draft of the Parcells era.
6th – B.J. Tucker – Defensive Back – Wisconsin
The Cowboys traded out of their 5th round pick and selected BJ Tucker in the 6th. Usually teams aren’t expecting a pro bowl player out of a 6th rounder, but should expect at least some contribution. Tucker did not contribute for Dallas in a regular season game and was released. He is currently a free agent.
6th – Zuriel Smith – Wide Receiver – Hampton
With the second pick of the 6th round, the Cowboys took a flyer on Zuriel Smith. Smith was a speedy but raw Wide Receiver out of Hampton more noted for his return skills. Zuriel hung around with the Cowboys for a few years mainly returning punts and kickoffs. He recorded 3 career receptions for 46 yards. He is currently with the Richmond Revolution of the Indoor Football League.
7th – Justin Bates – Guard – Colorado
Not much information is out there on Bates, but from what I could find he didn’t make the team out of training camp, and has not caught on anywhere else.
Grade: This draft was pretty top heavy with 3 of the first 4 picks being great foundation picks for the current team. Bradie James, Jason Witten, and Terrence Newman are enough to warrant this draft grading out at a (B).
2004 Draft
In the second draft of the Parcells era, The Cowboys had a need at running back and were facing the trio of talented runners Steven Jackson, Kevin Jones, and Chris Perry. The Cowboys were looking to build off of a playoff appearance in which they had smoke and mirrored their way to a first round playoff loss to the Carolina Panthers. They would also lose Quincy Carter at training camp and be forced to roll with Vinny Testaverde.
2nd round – Julius Jones – Running Back – Notre Dame
Everything had fallen into place, and here the Cowboys sat poised to take any of the top three running backs they wanted. Steven Jackson stared them right in the face, but The Cowboys traded out of that pick with the Bills and dropped into the 2nd round. The second tier of runners was Tatum Bell, Mewelde Moore, and Julius Jones. Jones was the pick and for the first part of his career was sensational. Jones was part of the new big time rushing attack for the ball control Cowboys, and looked to have a really bright career ahead of him. His production went down as his injuries went up, and his contract was not renewed when it was up after 2007. Jones signed with The Seahawks and has had an inconsistent term there.
2nd round – Jacob Rogers – Offensive Tackle – USC
Rogers was considered a real steal in the 2nd round. Unfortunately he could never get his head right and is one of the biggest busts in recent Cowboys draft history. Thought to be a future franchise Tackle, injuries and inconsistency plagued his career. He was released by Dallas and played one preseason for The Broncos. He is now currently out of football.
3rd round – Stephen Peterman – Offensive Guard – LSU
Just to show you guys that I don’t know everything, I thought this was an outstanding pick. Peterman was a standout player for the Bayou Bengals and a real mauler on the interior line. He looked good in Cowboys preseason, and looked to provide depth before sliding into a starting spot on the line. Once again injuries and inconsistency plagued him in Dallas and he was released in 2006. He is currently a starter for the Detroit Lions.
4th round – Bruce Thornton – Defensive Back – Georgia
In the 4th round, the Cowboys looked to add some depth to the secondary and selected Bruce Thornton. Thornton played limited special teams and had a torn ACL in his rookie year. He was released at the end of that year and has since had swims through San Francisco, New York Jets, and Jacksonville.
5th round – Sean Ryan – Tight End – Boston College
Ryan was drafted to be a blocking Tight End opposite of Jason Witten. With the absence of Dan Campbell due to injury, Ryan played a few games for The Cowboys and was injured. He had a few trips back and forth from the practice squad, and was traded to The Jets for a 7th round pick. He has since been around the league with stops in Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco, Kansas City, and is currently with the Redskins.
7th round – Nate Jones – Defensive Back – Rutgers
Looking to add more to a depleted secondary the Cowboys selected Nate Jones of Rutgers. It’s sad that this was a guy who contributed more than a lot of his peers in this particular class. Jones bounced around different roles in the secondary and logged four years in Dallas. He was released and for the past two years has been with the Miami Dolphins.
7th round – Patrick Crayton – Wide Receiver – Northwest Oklahoma State
The crown jewel of this class, Crayton is the only player currently with The Cowboys. For all the criticism I and others give him, he’s really played over his head for a 7th round pick. Crayton had the crucial drop in the playoff game against The Cowboys, but has proven to be a good punt returner and slot receiver. A converted quarterback, Crayton has actually taken to the receiver position quite naturally and is a contributor to the Cowboys offense.
7th round – Jacques Reeves – Defensive Back – Purdue
The bulk of contribution (aside from Julius Jones) came from the 7th round of this class and that’s usually not a good indication. Reeves, like Nate Jones took advantage of depleted depth in the secondary and contributed both on defense and special teams. He played 4 years in Dallas and returned punts in 2004. He is currently with the Houston Texans.
GRADE: Oh boy, this may have been one of the worst drafts in Cowboys history. With only limited contributions from guys like Jones, Reeves, and Peterman they got absolutely nothing out of this group other than a slot receiver. This would grade out as an (F).
2005 Draft
Going into the offseason, The Cowboys found a temporary fix at quarterback by signing the former Parcells soldier Drew Bledsoe. The bigger focus, however was a conversion to the 3-4. Parcells started this process late in the previous season, but didn’t have the correct personnel. Armed with two first round picks he looked to start building his ideal defense in this draft.
1st – Demarcus Ware – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker - Troy
The argument on draft day was DeMarcus Ware or Shawne Merriman. Popular thought said Merriman, but I had a hunch the Cowboys liked Ware. This was actually one guy I got right for the Cowboys in a mock draft (although not at this pick). Ware had sped up the draft boards and after their rookie year’s the Cowboys looked to have made a mistake when Merriman was unblockable. Since then, no one has questioned it as Ware has become perhaps the best defensive player in the league, and Merriman has had trouble with the law, performance enhancers, and injuries. Ware has been a model citizen, a leader for The Cowboys, a four time pro bowler, four time all pro player, and an all decade player.
1st – Marcus Spears – Defensive End – LSU
Here’s another selection I got right in my mock draft that year. I will admit that I had Spears with the first pick in the first and Ware with the second pick in the first but that’s semantics. Spears has been a good contributor to this defense but nothing special. He’s a 3-4 end, who’s job is to hold up his lineman and not allow him to get to the second level. You won’t see big sack numbers out of a guy like this, and he’s drawn criticism for that. He’s been solid on the line and was a good cornerstone for the defense.
2nd – Kevin Burnett – Linebacker – Tennessee
Continuing to build on the 3-4, the Cowboys selected an inside linebacker candidate in the Vols Kevin Burnett. Burnett was a force of destruction at Tennessee and ended his career with a devastating performance against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Burnett was another guy who was a bit inconsistent but was never a liability on the field. After having several solid years in Dallas he moved on to San Diego last year.
4th – Marion Barber – Running Back – Minnesota
A friend of mine labeled Barber as his top sleeper going into this draft. When we found out the Cowboys had taken him he was extremely excited. Barber has not disappointed and has wowed fans with his take no prisoners running style. Unfortunately that style has started to slow him due to the toll it’s taken on his body. It wasn’t that long ago he was a rookie, and now people are talking about moving him. The life span of an NFL runner is not that long, but Barber is a grade A pick.
4th – Chris Canty – Defensive End – University of Virginia
Canty was a standout player at Virginia and poised to go in the first round until a bar fight gave him a detached retina. Canty slid all the way to the 4th where the Cowboys made a move to get him. At this point they had 2 linebackers, and their 2 defensive ends in their 3-4 future. Things were going fantastic. Canty, like Spears never put up the big sack numbers but he was a great end in the 3-4. He was signed by the Giants last year and replaced by Igor Olshansky. The value they got for Canty was tremendous.
6th – Justin Beriault – Safety – Ball State
Beriault was billed as a special teams star, and looked impressive in pre-season. He suffered a knee injury and retired in 2006 after spending his career on the IR.
6th – Rob Petitti – Offensive Tackle – Pittsburgh
Petitti was actually thought to be a 2nd or 3rd round guy and I was shocked the Cowboys were able to get him at this point. Petitti was forced into action at starting right tackle and performed admirably for a rookie, but not good enough to start for The Cowboys. Petitti was claimed by the Saints off of waivers the next year.
7th – Jay Ratliff – Defensive Tackle/Defensive End – Auburn
It’s amazing when you watch him now, to know that teams passed over Ratliff 223 times. According to this draft the NFL teams thought 223 other players were better than Ratliff. If this were re-done today, I would bet Ratliff might be a top 20 player. Ratliff was taken as a 3-4 end, but found his niche at nose tackle after Jason Ferguson went down to injury. A two time probowl selection and a 1 time all pro selection, Ratliff is one of the most important people to the Cowboys defensive success.
Grade: Forget Beriault and Petitti, this draft was an un questioned success. Factoring in losing Burnett and Canty, this was still a tremendous draft which followed up a terrible one. Barber, Ratliff, Ware, and Spears make this draft an (A).
Looking back at Cowboys draft history