Cowboys Attack Middle Rounds

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Jerry Jones might be a little eccentric, but the guy can spot talent. When it isn't top picks like Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith coming to the Cowboys, it is undrafted guys like Tony Romo or late third-round guys like Jason Witten. Even Patrick Crayton in the seventh round was a success for Dallas.

This year, the Cowboys traded down, but didn't really snag anyone that is going to blow your hair back. Jason Williams of Western Illinois is a player that might see some time for Dallas this season. In college, Williams was a fumble-forcing machine, knocking loose six his senior seasons.

The decision to go after Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee seemed a bit odd, and while most critics have bashed the Cowboys decisions on trading down, Wade Phillips stands by it.

"These guys, most all of them, have been productive, all-conference players," Phillips said. "We've got sack leaders, we've got interceptions leaders, all those things. They were all football players who played special teams well. We had other guys in the draft that we did not draft who were good football players, but we didn't feel like they'd help us on special teams much. That was our priority. It wasn't the other way around."

Draft Picks

3.5 (69) - Jason Williams, LB, Western Illinois
3.11 (75) - Robert Brewster, T, Ball State
4.1 (101) - Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M
4.10 (110) - Victor Butler, DE, Oregon State
4.20 (120) - Brandon Williams, DL, Texas Tech
5.7 (143) - DeAngelo Smith, DB, Cincinnati
5.30 (166) - Michael Hamlin, S, Clemson
5.36 (172) - David Buehler, K, USC
6.24 (197) - Stephen Hodge, S, TCU
6.35 (208) - John Phillips, TE, Virginia
7.18 (227) - Mike Mickens, DB, Cincinnati
7.20 (229) - Manuel Johnson, WR, Oklahoma

Grade: C While they did address a couple of holes in the defense, the Cowboys didn't look at one wide receiver until their last pick and took a quarterback in the fourth round that was never effective in college. Dallas avoids taking quarterbacks (only drafted two since 1991), so it seemed odd to take someone like McGee that early when there were other needs on the table. Also, Williams might be the only player that gets any time for Dallas in the upcoming season, even though they had 12 picks to snag someone that could make an immediate impact.