Getting a glimpse at a team's draft board in the Holy Grail of prognostication. A lot of things can move players around the board, including injury, team fit, and measurables -- but this afternoon we got a rare opportunity to see an entire team's draft plans. Using leaked photos from inside the war room, the folks over at Blogging the Boys recreated the entire Cowboys' board, and it features members from the 2013 Panthers class.
I suggest taking a look at the entire board, because it's fascinating -- but here are the most interesting elements.
Star Loutlelei is the third-best defensive tackle
This is likely due to team need, more than a knock on him as a talent. While Dallas are moving to a 4-3 defense, they don't have an immediate need at the nose. This is likely why Sharrif Floyd and Sheldon Richardson are more highly graded, as they fill the traditional under tackle role.
Kawann Short was the right pick
The Cowboys had only two second-round defensive tackle grades, on Sylvester Williams and Short. This is an example where the Panthers and Cowboys saw eye-to-eye.
There's no telling whether Dave Gettleman's assertion on Short's ability is accurate, but at least it's confirmation that another team saw similar skills.
Edmund Kugbila and Kenyon Barner weren't on the board at all
This is somewhat expected. Nobody really had Kugbila graded anywhere, but seeing Barner omitted was very interesting.
A.J. Klein had a 4th round grade
Dallas has excelled at drafting linebackers in recent years, so to see the Panthers' fifth round pick with a 4th round grade is a huge shot in the arm. This is the team who found Sean Lee in recent years, and while Klein wont get many opportunities this season outside of special teams, this was very interesting to see.
This was the right draft to pass on a OT
The need for Carolina was there, but it's astonishing how many teams reached for need based on Dallas' board. The top three OTs had first round grades, but from there it got ugly. D.J. Fluker was there in the second, and there were scant few offensive tackles with grades at all.