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Dallas Cowboys: How Injured is Too Injured to Draft?

By Reid Hanson

Nov 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler (6) throws as he is pressured by UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley (98) in the first half during the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler (6) throws as he is pressured by UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley (98) in the first half during the game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Cowboys said they aren’t interested in drafting an injured player early in the draft, but how injured is too injured?

The Dallas Cowboys have made it clear they have no intention of drafting a player who’s likely to miss the upcoming football season. Still unsure of what will become of last year’s redshirt player, Jaylon Smith, the Cowboys appear to be focused on players who can help now, rather than help later.

The 2017 NFL Draft offers multiple high-value players suffering from injury. As a result, their draft stock is falling and their draft position is fully in question.

Players like Sidney Jones, Takkarist McKinley, Fabian Moreau are all expected to begin their careers injured. But since none are expected to miss their entire rookie season, it begs the question, how injured is too injured for the Dallas Cowboys to bite?

if the Dallas Cowboys pass up on potential Pro Bowl players like Takk McKinley, Sidney Jones, or Fabian Moreau just because they may miss a couple games this season, their shortsighted thinking may just come back to bite them.

How Injured Are They?

These three player’s exact draft position depends largely on how much time team doctors expect them to miss. Sidney Jones, a top-3 cornerback to most scouts, ruptured his Achilles during his pro day.

With an expected six month recovery period he’s not due back until September.

Is September too late for the Cowboys to wait? What if he’s on the board at the end of the second round? What about the third?

Fellow cornerback, Fabian Moreau, also injured himself at his pro day, tearing his pectoral muscle during his bench press. His timetable looks to also keep him out until at least September. He was a first round pick now likely to slip well into the third round.

Moreau has legitimate health concerns but he’s going to be hard to overlook at the end of the third round and darn near impossible should he slide into the fourth.

Finally there’s Takkarist McKinley, the explosive edge rusher recovering from shoulder surgery. Unlike the previous two players, Takk isn’t feared to have any slippage in play upon his return. In fact, he may be better. That’s probably why mock drafts can’t seem to decide if he’s a top-10 pick or a Day 2 pick. Recent news has hinted he may need to start the season on the PUP. That could keep him in play at pick 28.

Related Story: Cowboys Draft: Sidney Jones may be back in September

The Window is Just Opening, Not Closing

One thing we must all open our eyes to is that the window for the Dallas Cowboys is just starting to open. It’s simply not the closing window it appeared to be at this time last year. Look around the roster. It’s littered with young cornerstones.

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are obviously young. So is the entire offensive line. The receivers are all in their primes. The secondary is thin but Anthony Brown and Byron Jones make it young. Even the bulk of the defensive line is young. The only old parts of the team are Jason Witten and arguably Sean Lee (given his position and injury history).

The window is opening, my friends. And if the Dallas Cowboys pass up on potential Pro Bowl players like Takk McKinley, Sidney Jones, or Fabian Moreau just because they may miss a couple games this season, their shortsighted thinking may just come back to bite them.

Obviously the Cowboys can’t afford another redshirt gamble like they made with Jaylon Smith and Sean Lee, but these guys aren’t that level of injured.

More from Cowboys Draft

How injured is too injured/How many games-missed are too many games-missed?

Only the Dallas Cowboys can answer that but as Charles Tapper taught us last offseason, and countless other rookies taught us each and every year before, someone in the Cowboys rookie class is going to miss significant time his rookie season. So they might as well draft the best possible players even if it means you may need to wait a couple months for them to hit the field.

Because in December, January, and February you won’t be thinking about September games but rather having the best players on the field.

The Dallas Cowboys need players who can play now. Their handling of free agency thus far has necessitated that. But passing over talented players after they’ve fallen in the draft is the type of shortsightedness a young team like the Cowboys may regret.

Next: Why Everyone Should be Excited for Jaylon Smith

The Dallas Cowboys can’t pick all three but they’d be wise to not rule out any one of these gentlemen based on some shortsighted worries.

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