Sunday, November 08, 2009

PFW Edholm: Cowboys’ rookie class not getting it done

By Eric Edholm

Jerry Jones surprised many when he made a series of trades down in the draft to accumulate more picks. It was clear he believed the team needed more depth at a number of positions, but so far the 12-man draft class has come up short.

Third-round LB Jason Williams, the top pick, hasn't played much since returning from injury. Fourth-round LB Victor Butler flashed with two late sacks against the Panthers but hasn't seen the field much since. Fifth-round S Mike Hamlin backs up his namesake, Ken Hamlin, but does little more than contribute on special teams. Sixth-round TE John Phillips is mostly a blocker.

The most impressive draft pick has been kickoff specialist David Buehler, who is on pace to shatter the team's season record for touchbacks and also plays on coverage teams. But other than that, the class is a bust. There is future promise with OL Robert Brewster, who is on injured reserve, and No. 3 QB Stephen McGee, but there might not be a future front-line starter among them.