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Mosley: Did the Cowboys just take on a major project? (Crawford)
Did the Cowboys just take on a major project?
Matt Mosley started his career at the Dallas Morning News, where he covered the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first full-time NFL blogger at ESPN.com. Mosley can be heard weekdays as part of Galloway and Co. on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM. Follow Mosley on Twitter: @MattMosley
April 27, 2012
IRVING, Texas — Those of you who had Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford going to the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the draft, please take a bow. The operative word in describing Crawford on Friday was "potential," which isn't that thrilling for a team in desperate need of impact players.
Crawford (6-4, 275) hails from Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit. It's more of a hotbed for casinos and topless clubs than NFL talent. But Crawford earned a scholarship at Boise State and had seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss in a reserve role his junior season. He played opposite Shea McClellan, the 19th overall pick by the Chicago Bears in this year's draft.
The Cowboys eventually think Crawford will be able to add 20 pounds to his thin frame and become a full-time defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. They believe he'll be able to play inside and out. But it sounds like he'll primarily be a third-down specialist early in his career. This team gave up the opportunity to land two immediate starters when it traded up to select cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.
The Cowboys claimed that Crawford was the No. 1 player on their board in the third round. They see him being extremely versatile at some point down the road. Jones proudly used the word "multiplicity" to describe the Cowboys approach along the defensive line, although he called upon head coach Jason Garrett to explain what that heck he meant. Garrett foresees a group of linemen that are interchangeable. Though he didn't bring it up, it's likely the Giants provide a pretty good blueprint. Players such as Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul can move inside and create huge issues for interior linemen because of their speed and quickness.
"He's a guy we really feel like has some upside who can do some different things for us," Garrett said of Crawford. "We feel like he can grow into a [defensive end] and we also feel he can be a pass rusher on third-down situations."
Without a second-round pick, the Cowboys spent a lot of time Friday evening talking about who they would've taken with the 45th pick they sent to the St. Louis Rams the previous day.
"We had to have something to do in there," Jones joked.
He admitted the Cowboys would've gone after Utah State inside linebacker Bobby Wagner (6-0, 241) with the 45th pick. The Seattle Seahawks selected Wagner at No. 47. With Sean Lee, Dan Connor and last year's second-round pick Bruce Carter already in the fold, it's interesting the Cowboys were taking a hard look at an inside linebacker. Maybe they're actually sticking to their board instead of drafting for need.
I spent part of Friday evening asking scouts from other teams around the league about the addition of Crawford. The reviews of the Claiborne pick were obviously glowing, but folks were a bit more reserved about Crawford.
"Crawford's not flashy but a good, steady, solid football player who will play defensive end," said one longtime AFC scout. "He's a better run defender than pass-rusher. Good motor and effort guy."
Cowboys scouts loved how relentless Crawford was in practices at Boise State. And it sounds like the organization is placing more emphasis than ever on taking players from big-time programs. The headliners from the disastrous '09 draft were Jason Williams from Western Illinois and Robert Brewster of Ball State.
The Cowboys loved how Crawford played against Georgia and TCU in 2012. Another word that was mentioned over and over was "motor." Sean Lissemore has emerged as a versatile defensive lineman for the Cowboys. But scouts believe Crawford has more upside than the former seventh-round pick. He thinks he can excel in any scheme.
"We did do some 3-4 stuff [at Boise State]," said Crawford. "But no, I don't think there's going to be much difference. We mostly played out of a 4-3, but a 3-4 I think I can get used to and come in and make an impact."
Things will get a lot busier for the Cowboys on Saturday. They have the 113th and 135th overall picks in the fourth round. The only position Jones ruled out was cornerback. He said the Cowboys would have their eye on a wide receiver with some return skills. And you don't have to take too much of leap to think that a former Razorback like Jerry is thinking about Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams.
The Cowboys could also use a tight end, safety, outside linebacker and an interior offensive lineman. Bill Nagy is the leader in the clubhouse to start at center next season, but the Cowboys need to bring in more competition. In fact, Baylor's Philip Blake could be a definite possibility.
And if they take a project player in the seventh round, that's not a huge problem.
But they better hope Crawford's a quick study.
Did the Cowboys just take on a major project?
Matt Mosley started his career at the Dallas Morning News, where he covered the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first full-time NFL blogger at ESPN.com. Mosley can be heard weekdays as part of Galloway and Co. on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM. Follow Mosley on Twitter: @MattMosley
April 27, 2012
IRVING, Texas — Those of you who had Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford going to the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the draft, please take a bow. The operative word in describing Crawford on Friday was "potential," which isn't that thrilling for a team in desperate need of impact players.
Crawford (6-4, 275) hails from Windsor, Ontario, just across the river from Detroit. It's more of a hotbed for casinos and topless clubs than NFL talent. But Crawford earned a scholarship at Boise State and had seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss in a reserve role his junior season. He played opposite Shea McClellan, the 19th overall pick by the Chicago Bears in this year's draft.
The Cowboys eventually think Crawford will be able to add 20 pounds to his thin frame and become a full-time defensive end in a 3-4 scheme. They believe he'll be able to play inside and out. But it sounds like he'll primarily be a third-down specialist early in his career. This team gave up the opportunity to land two immediate starters when it traded up to select cornerback Morris Claiborne on Thursday.
The Cowboys claimed that Crawford was the No. 1 player on their board in the third round. They see him being extremely versatile at some point down the road. Jones proudly used the word "multiplicity" to describe the Cowboys approach along the defensive line, although he called upon head coach Jason Garrett to explain what that heck he meant. Garrett foresees a group of linemen that are interchangeable. Though he didn't bring it up, it's likely the Giants provide a pretty good blueprint. Players such as Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul can move inside and create huge issues for interior linemen because of their speed and quickness.
"He's a guy we really feel like has some upside who can do some different things for us," Garrett said of Crawford. "We feel like he can grow into a [defensive end] and we also feel he can be a pass rusher on third-down situations."
Without a second-round pick, the Cowboys spent a lot of time Friday evening talking about who they would've taken with the 45th pick they sent to the St. Louis Rams the previous day.
"We had to have something to do in there," Jones joked.
He admitted the Cowboys would've gone after Utah State inside linebacker Bobby Wagner (6-0, 241) with the 45th pick. The Seattle Seahawks selected Wagner at No. 47. With Sean Lee, Dan Connor and last year's second-round pick Bruce Carter already in the fold, it's interesting the Cowboys were taking a hard look at an inside linebacker. Maybe they're actually sticking to their board instead of drafting for need.
I spent part of Friday evening asking scouts from other teams around the league about the addition of Crawford. The reviews of the Claiborne pick were obviously glowing, but folks were a bit more reserved about Crawford.
"Crawford's not flashy but a good, steady, solid football player who will play defensive end," said one longtime AFC scout. "He's a better run defender than pass-rusher. Good motor and effort guy."
Cowboys scouts loved how relentless Crawford was in practices at Boise State. And it sounds like the organization is placing more emphasis than ever on taking players from big-time programs. The headliners from the disastrous '09 draft were Jason Williams from Western Illinois and Robert Brewster of Ball State.
The Cowboys loved how Crawford played against Georgia and TCU in 2012. Another word that was mentioned over and over was "motor." Sean Lissemore has emerged as a versatile defensive lineman for the Cowboys. But scouts believe Crawford has more upside than the former seventh-round pick. He thinks he can excel in any scheme.
"We did do some 3-4 stuff [at Boise State]," said Crawford. "But no, I don't think there's going to be much difference. We mostly played out of a 4-3, but a 3-4 I think I can get used to and come in and make an impact."
Things will get a lot busier for the Cowboys on Saturday. They have the 113th and 135th overall picks in the fourth round. The only position Jones ruled out was cornerback. He said the Cowboys would have their eye on a wide receiver with some return skills. And you don't have to take too much of leap to think that a former Razorback like Jerry is thinking about Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams.
The Cowboys could also use a tight end, safety, outside linebacker and an interior offensive lineman. Bill Nagy is the leader in the clubhouse to start at center next season, but the Cowboys need to bring in more competition. In fact, Baylor's Philip Blake could be a definite possibility.
And if they take a project player in the seventh round, that's not a huge problem.
But they better hope Crawford's a quick study.
