Why the Dallas Cowboys Cannot Just Draft Best Player Available
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys have needs, significant needs, and if they’d like to field a competitive team in September, they’d best draft for those needs.
It’s a common misconception that teams around the NFL draft based solely on the best player available (BPA). In the black and white world we live in many people believe teams draft one of two ways:
- Best player available
- According to needs
In reality, neither is done independently. The majority of teams draft the best player available according to needs. One without the other just wouldn’t work.
A simple illustration is this:
The Dallas Cowboys go on the clock and the two highest players available are quarterback DeShone Kizer and running back Leonard Fournette. If the Dallas Cowboys stayed true to their board and drafted best player available it would be one of these two players. The only problem is Dallas already has quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott entrenched as starters.
Quite obviously the Cowboys would avoid using a top pick in the draft on these positions since it would likely result in adding a backup at a position of strength when a starter is needed at a position of weakness.
Weighted Ranking
No one wants to ignore their big board but no one can religiously stick to it either. That’s why use of a weighted big board can be the best solution; a weighted big board adds specific weights or added values to positions of need.
For a team like the Dallas Cowboys extra weight must be added to cornerback and defensive end. That extra weight would automatically add value to the player ranking on the big board. For instance, if the Cowboys had CB at +5 and DE at +4, every player at those positions would jump up that amount in player rating.
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Since DE really just needs one right defensive end, once a player worthy of playing RDE is selected, the weight can be removed from the remaining players at that position on the big board. Since the Cowboys really need two cornerbacks, the +5 weight would reduce to +3 after one CB is selected and disappear entirely when a second is selected.
Whether or not teams employ such a weighted method to their boards is up to them. But it’s clear they do some type of adaptation to their honest rankings in order to stay true to drafting best player available according to need.
For the Dallas Cowboys
For the Dallas Cowboys this just means there’s a high likelihood they will draft a pass-rusher and/or cornerback in the first two rounds. Just because their “needs” value those positions more. Not simply because they have those players honestly ranked higher.
If a top receiver, tight end, or even offensive tackle fall far enough, though, the high-value player could be rated enough to force the Dallas Cowboys to select them.
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So let’s put the straight “best player available” myth to bed once and for all. Because the Cowboys, like every other NFL team, will set out to draft the best players available according to needs.