Much has been made in the days since the Dallas Cowboys were able to add former LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins to their already strong offensive line depth chart, after taking cornerback Byron Jones and Randy Gregory during the draft, that Jerry Jones' franchise was able to come away from the 2015 NFL Draft process with the equivalent of three first-rounders.
Ironically, while that may be true when it comes to the talent level of both Gregory, the vaunted pass-rusher, and Collins, the mauling tackle, Jones, the team's actual first-rounder, may not have been as worthy of a top-32 selection as those outside NFL front offices thought.
"While the media has given the Cowboys draft a lot of praise, sources we spoke to say they wouldn't agree that the Cowboys came away with three first-rounders. A handful of teams told us that they all had Byron Jones graded as a second-round pick," reports Charlie Campbell of Walter Football.
"One team that took a defensive back in the top 20 said that Jones went in the first round because he was a workout warrior at the Combine and his pro day. They said that his game tape didn't yield a first-round grade from them. Another team that selected a defensive back in the first round told us that they had a high second-round grade on Jones. A few other teams said they had a second-round grade on Jones as well."
Of course, none of this matters if Jones becomes a high-level starter and even makes a few Pro Bowls in his yet-to-begin NFL career, but it's interesting to consider from a value standpoint whether the Cowboys may have been able to select another player at 27 and perhaps waited to add Jones later.
It's very unlikely Jones would have lasted to the Cowboys second-round pick though, and there's also not much difference in terms of value between a late first-rounder and an early second-rounder and he clearly fit a position of need for Dallas - a need which may become even greater if Orlando Scandrick continues to stay away and Brandon Carr continues to balk at a pay cut - so it's hard to fault Jones and Co. for making the selection where they did.
Still, it's always interesting to parse post-draft rankings to see which teams went against the grain - an admittedly worthless grain that really offers nothing other than the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes along with gathering a consensus - and which teams stuck to their boards.
