Dallas Cowboys 2012 Draft Strategy: How Jerry Jones Can Avoid Big Mistakes

The NFL offseason is entering a crucial phase for all 32 franchises. With the data collected from the Senior Bowl, the Scouting Combine and the countless hours of film study on college prospects, the time has come to tie all of those moving parts together and build the draft board. 

While formulating and studying mock drafts allows us as fans to imagine dream scenarios, it's really not the mocks that matter. It's the board that each NFL team assembles every year. 

For the Dallas Cowboys the future will greatly hinge on their ability to evaluate talent properly, process that information and then utilize it to make informed and correct decisions.

It's all about effectiveness and efficiency. Effectiveness is doing the right thing, and efficiency is doing things right.

If you operate with a lack of effectiveness or efficiency, you wind up with that inexplicable Cowboys draft of 2009 and players like Stephen Hodge and Jason Williams. If you operate correctly, you wind up with Sean Lee, DeMarco Murray and Tyron Smith, who are arguably the three most important building blocks of the future.

Jerry Jones, the businessman and owner of the Dallas Cowboys, speaks for itself. Jerry Jones, the GM of the Dallas Cowboys, makes me want to inflict bodily harm on myself and others around me. 

I know the draft isn't an exact science, but what the Cowboys have done over the years leads me to believe they are throwing darts at a board. Call it what you want, but Jerry will be Jerry and he is in charge. I never question his passion, but he will need to do a lot to avoid the mistakes of the past. 

Let's take a closer look at what he needs to do to avoid them.

Adopt a Clear Philosophy

I think that head coach Jason Garrett will greatly impact Jerry Jones' ability to achieve this first element.  Garrett's father was a long-time scout for the Cowboys, so he probably learned a thing or two about talent evaluation. 

Here is a scenario I can't understand that shows there is no clear philosophy. Jerry Jones gave up three picks for Roy Williams, which essentially wrecked the 2009 draft. He then released Terrell Owens and gave up another draft pick to move up and get Dez Bryant. I like Bryant a lot, but the move wound up costing the team four draft picks. Roy Williams, not a fit for this offense, was later released. 

Another scenario was when he drafted Anthony Fasano in the second round and traded him in 2008, only to turn around and draft Martellus Bennett in the second round that year.  I can't see a clear definition of a philosophy in place when it comes to Jerry Jones.

I have one. The Cowboys need to base their evaluation, especially in the early rounds, at players who can provide impact and have starter qualities. Drafting for special teams (as we did in 2009) or trying to get cute has crippled this franchise for years. 

Lean on Tom Ciskowski and the Scouts

I know Jerry Jones ultimately is the chief decision maker, but the scouts have a ton of work invested in the construction of the draft board, most notably Tom Ciskowski, their director of college and pro scouting. 

He was even up for consideration for the Colts GM position, which might tell you something about how well regarded he is around the league. Jerry Jones needs to let him do his job and be more of a sounding board in the war room. 

If Jerry's goal is to do what's in the best interest of the team, then he needs to start delivering better drafts instead of a circus. 

Don't Always Gamble on Injured Players

Lots of NFL teams draft injured players that otherwise would've been higher draft picks. It's all about risk versus reward. Sometimes those picks are necessary and ultimately result in big payoffs. The Cowboys have been fortunate with Sean Lee, and hopefully Bruce Carter will yield the same dividends. 

But if you look at players like Jacob Rogers, who was a second-round pick, you have to wonder why the Cowboys would draft a tackle in the second round with a bad shoulder that never took the field. It's simply a wasted pick at that stage of the draft, and that's why the Cowboys had to spend a fortune on a player like Leonard Davis. 

For every Sean Lee, there is a Jacob Rogers. It's a gamble worth taking, but not every year.

Be Honest about Your Talent Level When Assessing Needs

According to Jerry Jones, the Cowboys should be at the threshold of the Super Bowl. He is delusional and incapable of properly assessing the current level of talent on this team. 

He saw the Giants go on two miracle runs in four years, and that's what he's clinging on to. He can't see beyond what we have at quarterback and a few skill positions. 

Look at the Anthony Spencer situation. Jerry needs to either offer him a long-term deal or give him the tag. The bottom line is that there isn't a replacement for Spencer on the roster or free agency (with the exception of Mario Williams, which will cost them too much).  

So now the spin is that Spencer does everything else well except put up gaudy sack numbers. That's what Jerry Jones has created—a bunch of Anthony Spencer-type predicaments up and down the roster.  

With cornerback being a need for the last few seasons, Jerry Jones drafted Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Jamar Wall and Josh Thomas. All are gone, and those needs were addressed by allowing Alan Ball to return to his natural position, signing Frank Walker and playing Bryan McCann for a short time. 

He then went and locked up Orlando Scandrick to a five-year contract to cover his backside.  Scandrick delivered with a disappointing season, highlighted by a scene in which he yelled at himself after being embarrassed by Victor Cruz on a 44-yard jump ball in the biggest game of the year while getting paid starter money.  

If he's worth that contract, then what is Mike Jenkins' value, considering he played through injury all year? What will that cost the Cowboys ?

Getting veteran cornerbacks through free agency will be very expensive. Do you think Jones can assess needs? How did he assess the offensive line this season? Will he properly assess backup quarterback this year? 

His inability to reverse these trends could mean a disastrous draft for the Cowboys. By trying to correct past mistakes, he has a distorted view of what the team needs and who the best available player is, which is probably his biggest weakness as a GM.  I'm sure the owner will disagree with me on that point.

Preparation and Using Time Wisely

I can't stress this point enough: I truly feel that a logical explanation for some of Jerry Jones' prior draft strategies is his lack of preparation.

I almost feel like Jerry does what some people do in my fantasy football draft—buy the magazine preview two days before, then walk in and say, "I'm gonna win it all this year!" 

If he's running the Cowboys, trying to fill up the stadium with events beyond football and partnering with the Steinbrenners in a hospitality company, then how can he conceivably prepare for the draft? I don't question his work ethic, but I often wonder if he starts his preparation for the draft with offseason events like the Senior Bowl and Combine.

The NFL Draft is a year-round business that requires year-round work. I'd like to believe he's involved in this year-round process, but unfortunately the results just don't measure up.

Just ask the fans.