Dallas Cowboys 2010 NFL Draft Summary

With the 8th overall pick in the in the 1998 NFL Draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones passed on a wide receiver with humongous potential, but also was known for needing an attitude adjustment.

Later that season, that same wide receiver set the record for most receiving touchdowns by a rookie in a single season with seventeen. Who is this player? Randy Moss, ladys and gentleman. Jerry Jones was worried about Moss' potential 'character issues', and opted instead to draft LB/DE Greg Ellis instead of the highly talented Moss.

Twelve years later, Jerry Jones finally had the chance to redeem himself. With the 23th overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, Jones selected WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State University.

Jerry Jones lucked out here. Dez Bryant was a top 10 talent in this years 2010 NFL Draft. The only reason teams were weary of drafting him is because of his 'character issues' which I believe have been blown out of proportion.

Bryant only played in three games of college football last season before being indefinitely suspended by the NCAA because he "failed to openly disclose to the NCAA the full details of his interaction with a former NFL player not affiliated with OSU." The former NFL player referenced by the NCAA is former Dallas Cowboys great Deion Sanders, who described the situation by saying "Working with kids is what I do."

According to the NCAA, Bryant had illegal contact with Sanders and failed to tell them about it and as a result Bryant was suspended indefinitely. Before this incident, Bryant was often to late to practices and even games themselves while playing at Oklahoma State, according to a source from a Yahoo Sports story written back in February (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-bryantrisk022810)

When the term 'character issues' is used, I think of Pacman Jones or Ben Roethlisberger. Pacman was involved in a shooting outside of a club. Roethlisberger has twice been accused of sexual assault. What is Bryant guilty of? Being goofy and a little undisciplined - AT BEST.

Bryant may be undisciplined, unorganized, or just plain goofy, but describing him as having "character issues" is an unfair stigma to tie to his name. There was no question though that Jones would draft Bryant when the Cowboys moved up in the draft. No way was Jones again passing on a tremendously talented wide receiver who may suffer from being goofy and unorganized. I applaud Jones for the selection, Dez Bryant is going to be a top notch receiver and future NFL Pro Bowler for the next decade and beyond.

In the second round, the Cowboys drafted ILB Sean Lee from Penn State University. Penn State is notorious for being a NFL linebacker producing factory, so you usually can't go wrong when you select a Penn State linebacker. Lee reminds me much of former Nittany Lion linebacker Paul Posluzny. Like Posluzny, Lee is undersized for the ILB position at only (6'2, 238 pounds). Lee also does not possess great speed either, but he makes up for it with his natural football instincts, an intangible that is valued at the NFL level. Lee plays bigger than he is and is a very solid tackler. Lee could find himself starting for the Cowboys sooner rather than later, as current Cowboys RILB Keith Brooking is 34 years old and could be heading into his last season in the NFL. Very wise and safe selection by Jerry Jones.

After the selection of Bryant in the first round and Lee in the second, Dallas only had four more picks in the rest of the draft. With those picks, Dallas drafted CB/S Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (don't ask how its pronounced)from lesser known Indiana (PA). Owusu-Ansah is a raw talent as he lacks natural football instincts and a high football IQ, but has a great combination of size and speed and could eventually develop into a dependable starter for the 'Boys.

Dallas also selected Fighting Irish OT Sam Young in the 6th round as the Cowboys lacked youth in the trenches as four of the Cowboys current starting five offensive lineman are thirty years of age or older. Being the first ever true freshman to start on the offensive line for Notre Dame during opening weekend, Young has one hell of a pedigree and combined with his strength and size (6'7, 316 pounds), he should be able to have a long and respectable career in the NFL.

With their last two selections, Dallas selected CB Jamar Wall from Texas Tech and DT Sean Lissemore from William & Mary. Both selections make sense as the NFL has become a pass first league over the past few years. In order to combat that, adding depth and talent to both the cornerback and defensive tackle positions can never hurt, especially considering Dallas will see quarterbacks Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb a combined 6 times next season.

Its no secret: The Cowboys have one goal in mind, and that is to win Superbowl XLV in Arlington. Tony Romo has proven he is among the elite quarterbacks in the league, and the addition of WR Dez Bryant only makes the Cowboys offense that much more dangerous.

Dallas Cowboys 2010 NFL Draft Grade: B