As the news broke on Thursday that the Cowboys 2013 draft board was now in the open for all to see, I couldn't help to feel sorry and disappointed for the front office and coaches that put it together. In my years as a scout, it brought me back to how much work went into that process. Every emotion you could feel goes into that board. It's not like a life or death situation but there are times while you are working on it, that it felt that way.
Throughout those months, you fight for what you believed in but you also had to have the ability to understand that sometimes you have to give ground to achieve what is the best for the team big picture wise. When I saw those names on that board, I knew that some of those guys in that room had done just that. As a scout, you focused so much on these players that it appeared that nothing else mattered. You put your life on hold to make sure that board is done the right way. Everything you are taught to believe, is to protect the board and the names that are on it but in a few key strokes that has all been exposed.
Was this a golden opportunity for us to see what was on the mind of Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett for this draft? You bet it was. From the looks of where they had their draft picks on the board, it appears that the draft fell in their favor and managed to take advantage of some opportunities presented to them.
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I want to believe that this was an honest mistake but there is a reason why we don't have access to all the other draft boards around the league. Nobody wants their information for all to see and evaluate. The one saving grace if there is one, that this mistake was exposed after the draft and not before. If you think that the scouts are disappointed now, just image how they would have felt if this happened before the draft. As bad things appear now, it would have been terrible then.
One day there will be a debate whether it was wise to trade away from the fifth best player on their board to add Travis Frederick and Terrence Williams. Only time will be able to answer that question for us but sadly for some people in this organization, there will be a point of reference that will tell far more than that and from my experience, I feel badly for them for that.
