Cowboys Draft: The Liver Loves Anthony Spencer

The NFL Draft is always a glorious haze for the Liver. It signifies that mini-camps are mere weeks away, and that training camp is right around the corner.

This year, it also happened to land on the Liver's birthday—for which some of the Liver's constituents had arranged to fly him out to Austin to celebrate.

Needless to say, it was a good time.

After 40 straight hours of drinking and debauchery, Saturday morning found the Liver carried into the Palazio Gentleman's Club in Austin. As the Cowboys didn't pick until number 22 and ESPN decided to turn the draft into a "How sorry we should feel for Brady Quinn as he loses $1.5 million with each spot he drops" fest, the Liver had plenty of time to dissect draft-day scenarios with the ladies over lap dances and birthday shots.

One lovely dancer, who was an avid Colts/Tennessee Vols fan, claimed to be Tim Couch's cousin. Why would someone lie about that? She certainly wasn't lacking for football know-how either—which is why I'm inclined to believe her.

Then again, when you have your face smothered in a stripper's bosom, you're inclined to believe anything is possible...which by the way is how every man should experience life, err the draft. 

And about the draft: Dallas fans have always been skeptical of Jerry Jone's GM skills, and his draft track record is spotty at best. That said, he was a wheeler-dealer of the highest order this weekend, and pulled off a few trades that could solidify the team within two years.

Jones addressed most of the Cowboys' key needs,DE, OT, WR, K,with his shrewd maneuvering. He also wisely chose NOT make a deal that would have been THE STORY of the draft. 

Before the draft, the Detroit Lions dangled an offer that would have given the Cowboys the number two overall pick, which they would have used on wideout Calvin Johnson. Although Jones wouldn't comment on specifics, the asking price was reportedly the Cowboys' first, second, and third-round picks—AND DeMarcus Ware.

True, Johnson was the best player in this year's draft and looks to be an instant contributor in the NFL—but that's way too high a price. Look for Ware to have a breakout season in 2007 under coach Wade Phillips, who will let him loose to attack the QB — la Shawne Merriman in San Diego.

Kudos also to Jerry for not taking Quinn with what would have been a sexy pick. The decision shows faith in Tony Romo, who should get better with more experience and a full training camp as the Cowboys' unquestioned starting QB.

I'll admit I had conflicted thoughts when I heard the initial news about the Cowboys trading their first round pick to Cleveland—but I warmed up to the idea upon hearing that the deal included the Browns' second-round in 2007 AND their top choice in 2008. Considering that the Browns routinely pick in the top five, the deal could turn out to be a steal for the Cowboys.

That said, I've never had much patience for the "wait 'til next year" draft-day deals. That made it all the more pleasurable when Dallas traded up to get Filthy's first-round pick (number 26 overall) and Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer. 

Spencer will be converted to outside linebacker and looks to be a perfect fit for Wade Phillips' revamped 3-4 defense. The Cowboys D has already improved over the offseason with the addition of Ken Hamlin at free safety, which will (GOD WILLING) move Roy Williams closer to the line of scrimmage and keep him out of coverage.

With Phillips at the helm, I'm already salivating at the idea of Ware, Spencer, and a healthy Greg Ellis picking body parts of opposing QBs off their helmets.  Spencer's impressive numbers (93 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks in 2006) bode well for a Dallas pass rush that suffered mightily last year after Ellis was lost to injury.  

After another deal with Cleveland, the Cowboys picked up offensive lineman James Marten out of Boston College with the 67th overall pick in the third round. Marten is a project, but he could be developed into a solid right tackle. Hopefully, his work ethic matches his love for physical play—with Marco Rivera's future in doubt, the Cowboys need to start stockpiling young offensive linesmen.

The other Cowboys picks included QB Isaiah Stanback from Washington (fourth round), who will be converted to wide receiver; OT Doug Free from Northern Illinois (fourth round); kicker Nick Folk from Arizona (sixth round); FB Deon Anderson from UConn (sixth round); and a pair of corners in the seventh round—Courtney Brown from Cal Poly and Alan Ball from Illinois.

The Cowboys are hoping Stanback can make the QB-to-WR transition — la Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El to buttress an aging receiver corps. Stanback, however, is coming off a foot injury that limited his action to just six games last season at Washington.

Like Marten, Free is a blue-collar tackle who started all 49 games in his collegiate career. At 6'6" and 324 pounds, he's also an excellent athlete.

Folk was selected on the basis of his stellar combine performance. The Cowboys are hoping he can make the squad as a kickoff specialist, an area where the team struggled last season with Mike Vanderjagt and Martin Gramatica.

If he makes the team, Anderson will most likely be used on special teams, as the Cowboys seem determined to stick with the backfield trio of Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and (hopefully) a healthy Tyson Thompson.

You usually don't get much from seventh-rounders, and Brown and Ball are projects at best. They'll likely compete for special teams roles and the fourth or fifth cornerback spots.

Brown suffered a torn ACL in 2004, but had a speedy recovery and is regarded as a smart player who can be effective both in zone and man-to-man coverage. Ball played well against such elite receivers as Ted Ginn Jr., and that high-level competition is what convinced Wade Phillips to take a flier on him.

I've always been of the mind that you can't grade a team's draft without weighing the value of trades and the overall strength of the draft class. With that in mind, and given the future picks Dallas managed to secure in a relatively weak mid-to-late round draft, I give the Cowboys a solid 8 out of 10 for their performance over the weekend.

I'm also sure I echo many a football fan's sentiments when I say that July training camp can't come soon enough.