Thought provoking stuff coming out of the Worldwide Leader's well-coiffed draft guru Mel Kiper on Wednesday as he re-graded the 2011 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys. Is Tyron Smith the next tackle that the Cowboys have been looking for since Erik Williams? What about the rest of the draft class? Find out more after the jump.
Here is Mel Kiper's take on the Cowboys' draft haul for 2011 with the season now over:
Post-draft grade: B-
Summary: I said then that I liked the conviction Dallas had to get younger on the offensive line, stay at No. 9 and take Tyron Smith, even though that was no home run in terms of value. Still, that pick turned into a win for the Cowboys. Smith, who started all season as a 20-year-old, played on the right side, but all indications are he could develop into a blindside tackle if they find it necessary to move him there. The grade rises if he can. Right now, a right tackle isn't your goal with a lineman taken at No. 9 overall. Bruce Carter's NFL script is still unwritten, but DeMarco Murray obviously was a great value in the third before he went down for the year. Murray's injury, incidentally, is why it's hard to ever say a great running back out of the third round is a "steal" -- RBs land in the third because you expect them to get hurt. It's just reality. There isn't much else here so far. Dwayne Harris flashed in the preseason but wasn't a factor. Aside from Smith, the best rookie was kicker Dan Bailey, but alas, he wasn't drafted and thus can't be factored in here.
New grade: C+
Personally, this grade seems a bit harsh when you think about the fact that you will potentially have a cornerstone of your offense in Smith at tackle and possibly a Pro Bowl ball carrier in Murray.
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