The Cowboys drafted 12 players last April but only one of them (kicker David Buehler) made any impact with the them in 2009.  The first pick for the Cowboys last April was LB Jason Williams (3rd round, #69 overall) out of Western Illinois.  He played in 5 games for the Cowboys and he made 3 tackles.  The Cowboys other pick in the third round (#75 overall) was OT Robert Brewster out of Ball State who spent his rookie year on the Physically Unable to Perform list.  QB Stephen McGee (4th round, #101 overall) out of Texas A&M did not play last season but the Cowboys are grooming him to be Tony Romo’s back-up down the road.  DE Victor Butler (4th round, #110 overall) out of Oregon State played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he made 17 tackles, forced a fumble and he had 3 sacks.  DE Brandon Williams (4th round, #120 overall) out of Texas Tech spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.  CB DeAngelo Smith (5th round, #143 overall) did not make the Cowboys and he finished up on the Lions roster but he didn’t play in any games for them.  FS Mike Hamlin (5th round, #166 overall) out of Clemson played in 6 games for the Cowboys last season but he only made 1 tackle.  Kicker David Buehler (5th round, #172 overall) out of USC was the Cowboys’ kickoff specialist last season as he played in all 16 games in which he made 3 tackles.  SS Stephen Hodge (6th round, #197 overall) out of TCU spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.  TE John Phillips (6th round, #208 overall) out of Virginia played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season in which he caught 7 passes for 62 yards (8.9 avg) and he made 2 tackles.  CB Mike Mickens (7th round, #227 overall) out of Cincinnati didn’t play for the Cowboys and he finished the season on the Bengals without playing in a game.  WR Manuel Johnson (7th round, #229 overall)  out of Oklahoma got cut before the year started.

GRADE FOR 2009:  F

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  D-

The Dallas Cowboys have placed rookie linebacker Brandon Williams on the Injured Reserve List after he tore his ACL.  Williams was a fourth round pick this season out of Texas Tech.  The Cowboys had plans on him giving them depth on defense and help on special teams but those plans are down the drain now.

The Cowboys cleaned up last April in the draft.  Running back Felix Jones was the first player the Cowboys selected last season and he was a big time playmaker before getting injured.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) last season and he carried the ball 30 times for 266 yards (8.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg).  Jones also contributed on special teams returning 16 kickoffs for 434 yards (27.1 avg) with a TD return and he also make a tackle.  The sky is the limit for him if he can just stay healthy.  4th rounder Tashard Choice (RB) was also outstanding getting a lot of work when Jones went down to injury.  Choice played in all 16 games (3 starts0 for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 92 times for 472 yards (5.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Choice also caught 21 passes for 185 yards (8.8 avg) last season.  Choice even made 3 tackles last year and he has a bright future for the Cowboys.  TE Martellus Bennett was a 2nd rounder for the Cowboys last season and he was outstanding.  Bennett played in all 16 games (7 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he caught 20 passes for 283 yards (14.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for his role to possibly increase in the passing game to help cover for the loss of Terrell Owens.  CBs Michael Jenkins (1st round) and Orlando Scandrick (5th round) both showed a lot of potential as rookies last season.  Jenkins played in 14 games (3 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he made 19 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he intercepted a pass that he returned 23 yards for a TD.  Scandrick played in all 16 games (2 starts) last season for the Cowboys and he made 36 tackles, had 1 sack and he defensed 4 passes.  He also returned 4 kickoffs for 81 yards (20.3 avg) last season.  Outside linebacker Eric Walden was cut in training camp by the Cowboys and then he hooked on with the Chiefs and Dolphins and played in 15 games (0 starts).

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

Erik Walden was impressive as a DE in college but he’s too small to play end in the pros.  He is 6′2″, 238 pounds and his main skill is getting to the QB.  He played in 44 games (21 starts) at Middle Tennessee State and he made 152 tackles, had 22.5 sacks, 40 tackles for a loss and forced 6 fumbles.  He is a project but the Cowboys think he has a nice upside.

Orlando Scandrick was a three year starter at Boise State but his stock dropped when he decided to declare for the draft instead of playing his senior season.  Scandrick is only 5′10″, 192 pounds but he is very fast and that should help him make the Cowboys’ roster.  He played in 39 games (38 starts) at Boise State and he made 152 tackles, had 3.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for a loss, forced 5 fumbles, broke up 24 passes and had 4 interceptions.  Scandrick will likely have to make his way onto the team thru special teams as the Cowboys are loaded at corner.