I'm perplexed by the “expert” analysis of the Cowboys' draft. Many criticized them for not acquiring a running back or a top wide receiver. They felt they had a successful draft with a “strengthen the team” approach. At the end of the day, most of the failures in the playoffs seem to be due to a lack of physicality. Do you feel the same way? – Dallas Smith/Warwick, Rhode Island
Nick Harris: Seeing that the Cowboys are bigger and more physically fit since the draft than they were before the draft, they seem to be on to something. Yes, some positions were not addressed, but the size, physicality, and play in the trenches has improved significantly. Half of the picks would be spent at the line of scrimmage, and the other half would be spent bringing in players with tough skills on both sides of the ball. That's a solid start if the Cowboys don't want a repeat of what happened in San Francisco, Buffalo, or last year's home game against Green Bay.
patrick:In my opinion, I agree that they tainted the picks in this year's draft, and I love that. It wasn't clean, because they don't need clean. What they need is brutality in the trenches, and Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe playing alongside Tyler Smith and Zach Martin will provide that. Turning one first-round pick into two starting offensive linemen. They also need to strengthen their run defense on the edge, and Marshawn Nyland is already adept at stopping the run, a packaged solution reminiscent of DeMarcus Lawrence. Linebacker is the most needed position along with offensive line, and Marist Liufau will now learn from Eric Kendricks and Mike Zimmer. If he had chosen a running back, he would have been in the fourth round, but what do you think? They didn't have a pick in that round, so they relied on the impending return of Ezekiel Elliott, a borderline cornerback, an oddly athletic outside receiver, and, oh yeah, a huge nose tackle. I'm not saying this is a perfect draft, but considering how they attacked, I don't know what ruffled feathers mean.
