Dallas Cowboys Draft: 6 Important Takeaways from the NFL Draft

Why did the Cowboys select Michael Jackson Sr. and Joe Jackson?:

The answer is right in front of us, they were recreating the Jackson 5! (I know Joe Jackson wasn’t in the Jackson 5 but both of them were drafted in the 5th round. Can’t I have a little fun?)

Fine, if you didn’t enjoy my word play, maybe you’ll enjoy a joke like this from Clarence Hill Jr:

The 5th round is where teams start drafting players with high athletic upside with hopes they can fix the technique and turn them into important players for the franchise. The Cowboys followed this model with Michael Jackson.

When discussing the 4th round selection, I mentioned the Cowboys showed interest in Isaiah Johnson from Houston because he displayed impressive athleticism even if he was not very good at covering his receiver.

As depicted by Marcus Mosher, the Cowboys found a similar athlete. It’s possible he is also a better cornerback.

Even though Jackson doesn’t have Johnson’s height, he possesses better burst and almost equal length. Johnson is faster and more agile but not by much.

The Cowboys selecting Jackson was to help Kris Richard find a cornerback that fits his desired length. As you may have heard, Kris Richard once worked for the Seattle Seahawks and it was corners like Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, and Byron Maxwell that started the Legion of Boom.

The Cowboys currently have Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis. Jones and Brown will be looking for an extension after this season. In the event the Cowboys can’t sign one of these two, they will be looking to Michael Jackson to slide in and take over a position. (It’s really unfortunate Jourdan Lewis doesn’t get to play in the slot because he is a fantastic slot corner)

While this Miami Jackson product has his work cut out for him, the Cowboys also selected Joe Jackson. As I mentioned earlier teams like to select players with athletic upside come the 5th round. Joe Jackson isn’t that guy.

In fact Jackson’s resume is a bit different. Jackson was very productive in his three seasons in the U with 22.5 sacks and 129 tackles according to Sports Reference. This is great news for a fifth round pick, but wait till you see Joe Jackson’s SPARQ testing according to Marcus Mosher:

In addition, film would suggest Jackson has limited flexibility and an average combination of pass rushing moves. Even if he dominated in the ACC, that doesn’t necessarily translate to solid pro production especially with less than desired athleticism.

The expectation is Jackson comes into training camp and provides competition to a deep defensive room to help a certain first round pick’s motor going again. If he can stay with the Cowboys after the final cuts, the Cowboys are keeping someone with the motor and smarts to fill the end of their defensive end depth chart.

If nothing happens with Jackson’s career, at least his phone call with the Cowboys provided an amazing quote from Rod Marinelli. “You ready to go bite somebody’s chin off?”

Was anyone else at play?:

Cole Holcomb was a national visit with the Cowboys and I’m sure he is someone the Cowboys wanted to land. Unfortunately, he landed with the Washington Redskins ending any chance the Cowboys had at upgrading their linebacker room with some athleticism.