Draft notebook: Cowboys take chance with WR Bryant
Dez Bryant wasn't expected to be available when the Cowboys picked 27th overall Thursday night.
Since his April 1 visit to Valley Ranch, a follow-up to dinner with owner Jerry Jones a night earlier, there were rumblings about the Cowboys' rising interest in the former Oklahoma State receiver. Even so, it didn't appear the stars would align without a stroke of luck or a power play by Jones.
Alas, when Bryant's phone finally rang Thursday night, Jones was on the other end to offer Bryant a job with the Cowboys, the team that plays closest to Bryant's childhood home of Lufkin, Texas. Jones traded up, but needed to move just three spots to draft Bryant 24th overall.
While he wasn't expected to last to the latter third of the first round, the wait wasn't entirely surprising. Pundits had agreed on two things entering the draft -- Bryant was a top-10 talent -- but drafting him also came with some degree of risk.
Bryant hasn't played in a game since Sept. 19 against Rice because of an NCAA-imposed suspension. When he takes the field as a member of the Dallas Cowboys for the first time in a regular-season game -- at Washington Sept. 12 -- it'll be a primetime, Sunday night game.
He was available because of maturity questions -- he was suspended in 2009 for lying to investigators about his relationship with former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders, and arrived to his pro days having forgotten his cleats -- after the Broncos opted to make Georgia Tech project Demaryius Thomas the first receiver chosen in the 2010 draft.
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Bryant, 21, admitted in recent days to being "worn down" by the constant questions about his time-management skills, character and the past of close family members, including his mother. In addition, teams weren't awed by his 40-yard dash times or agility tests at his off-campus pro day workout. The Cowboys seemingly had no such questions. Jones has said he still regrets not drafting Randy Moss in 1998 and didn't want to repeat the blunder by burying his affinity for Bryant, a 21-year-old who caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore before last season's suspension.
Bryant's role with the Cowboys is to be determined. He'll likely steal playing time from Roy Williams and said Thursday night he talked to the Cowboys about a role in the return game.
Giants won't trade Umenyiora
The Giants have drafted nine defensive ends since 200, including first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul (15th overall) on Thursday night. They last drafted a defensive end in the first round in 2006 (Mathias Kiwanuka). With Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck, reports indicated the Giants might look to trade former Pro Bowl end Osi Umenyiora, but GM Jerry Reese denied that possibility.
"We're not trading Osi, so you don't even have to ask that question," said Reese. "I know that is on everybody's mind and we're not trading Osi. We're excited about having the defensive ends that we have.
"[Pierre-Paul] is a great pass rusher, and we like to pass in this league as we all know. This guy is really going to do a tremendous job coming in to help us rush the passer. We will also be helped on special teams with his speed and his length. We will always need some type of kick blocker and stuff in that respect as a special teamer."
Bills gamble on big plays over big needs
The Bills might have neglected other needs -- left tackle, quarterback -- but added one of the best all-around playmakers in the draft in running back C.J. Spiller. Brass tacks: Spiller fills a need, too.
"He is a playmaker," said Buddy Nix, the Bills' new general manager. "A guy that creates field position and scores points and he is exciting. We need some excitement, somebody that can make a big play and create things on their own."
Spiller had seven career kick return touchdowns, an NCAA record, and was the only player who scored in every game in 2009. Spiller had 50 career touchdowns at Clemson. Ten Bills players had rushing attempts in 2009, but the team totaled six touchdowns in 424 attempts.
Spiller will likely share the workload with Fred Jackson -- the assumption becomes the Bills are attempting to trade Marshawn Lynch -- who is the team's top returning rusher and receiver (46 catches, 371 yards in '09).
The Bills reportedly tried to squeeze their way into the bottom of the first round with an eye toward drafting Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, but the Broncos were ultimately able to swing a deal with Baltimore first, landing Tebow with the 25th overall pick.
Time will tell with Alualu
Many were stunned when the name of California defensive end Tyson Alualu crossed Roger Goodell's lips as the Jaguars' choice at No. 10 overall. But NFLDraftScout.com considered Alualu a "late riser" and potential first-round surprise.
While much of the city of Jacksonville was stunned, NDS projects Alualu as a starting defensive tackle -- he played end in the Bears' 3-4 defense last season -- for the Jaguars as a rookie. He's a high-effort player who should make a good match with free-agent acquisition Aaron Kampman, a defensive end coming off of ACL surgery while playing outside linebacker for Green Bay last season.
Chargers on the 'outscore them' plan
When the Chargers traded with the Dolphins to move up from the bottom of the first round to 12th overall spot, the pick figured to be Tennessee nose tackle Dan Williams or Fresno State running back Ryan Mathews. The Chargers ultimately chose to go with more offense.
Mathews, who led the nation in rushing last season, makes sense for the team -- even though the Chargers have now drafted three running backs in the last three drafts -- but it's generally more difficult to find a tailor-made nose tackle to man the middle of the 3-4 defensive line than it is to find quality running backs, and the Chargers were down to Ian Scott at the position when the Jets knocked them out of the playoffs.
Eagles' aggressive move for Graham
The Eagles traded a pair of third-round picks to acquire the 13th overall pick from the Broncos and selected Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham. Graham is short, but that's nothing new for the Eagles, who also employ Trent Cole (6-feet-3, 270 pounds) and Darryl Tapp (6-1, 270). Graham's speed, motor and technique made him a playmaker for the Wolverines.
"The thing we liked about Brandon was he's a relentless player," said coach Andy Reid. "I think a combination of Brandon and our other defensive linemen, Trent Cole, and so on; the addition of Tapp, and [Juqua Parker] and [Victor] Abiamiri. It's a great combination of guys right there. We went into this offseason wanting to better ourselves on the defensive line. We thought this helps us out. The thing I know with good defensive linemen is it makes everybody around them better. So, when you have a defensive line that's getting after it, all of a sudden the corners look a little better and the safeties look a little better and the linebackers look a little better. That's why we made this move
Graham's considered more stout against the run than his size would indicate and should help the Eagles get more pressure on the quarterback without blitzing so often. The Eagles desperately wanted to move up without surrendering the 37th overall selection, the draft choice acquired from the Redskins in the Donovan McNabb deal.
Most draft analysts believed the Eagles would snag Texas defensive back Earl Thomas after trading up. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider were seen on the team's live video feed high-fiving after Graham's name was announced. Seattle quickly selected Thomas at No. 14.
Big night for Big 12
For the first time since the common draft began in 1967, as many as the top three picks all came from the same conference, and it was the first time three players from the same school (Oklahoma) were chosen in the top four picks.
The first four players selected Thursday -- Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) and Trent Williams (Oklahoma) -- played in the Big 12. Tennessee's Eric Berry (SEC) broke the Big 12 streak but the Seahawks went back to the Big 12, taking Oklahoma State's Russell Okung, NFLDraftScout.com's top-rated offensive tackle, at No. 6. Texas defensive back Earl Thomas (14th; Seahawks), Missouri linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (19th; Falcons), Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham (21st; Bengals) and Bryant (24th; Cowboys) gave the Big 12 nine of the 32 first-round picks, including four from the Sooners.
QB dropoff after Bradford has precedent
There was a long wait for Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen Thursday night, and he hit the pillow without hearing his name called. After Bradford went No. 1 overall, 24 picks passed before another quarterback was selected -- the Broncos traded with the Ravens to draft Tebow 25th. Speculation had linked Clausen to Buffalo (ninth overall) or Seattle, which had two picks in the top half of the first round. When those teams went in different directions, Clausen's prospects dimmed.
The separation between the first and second quarterbacks taken was reminiscent of the 2007 draft -- JaMarcus Russell went No. 1, Brady Quinn was No. 22 -- and the 2005 slide by Aaron Rodgers, who went 24th and among quarterbacks followed only No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith. In 2001, Michael Vick went first overall and was the only quarterback drafted in the first round. Drew Brees was the first pick in the second round (32nd overall pick). That was a year after Chad Pennington (18th overall) was the only quarterback drafted in the top 64.
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, and Bradford (2008) are just the third tandem of Heisman winners to be drafted in the same draft since 1990.
Jeff Reynolds is an editor for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
