Did the Cowboys just take on a major project?
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.