DALLAS — This is a column about the Cowboys’ need to take a tight end early, quite possibly Thursday night in the first round. Because it deals with quarterbacks and it because it deals with the NFL draft, it could be 100% wrong.
That disclaimer is not, in this case, solely related to personal shortcomings. It has to do with the fact that a process in which 32 teams employ dozens of scouts and coaches and personnel people to evaluate pro prospects frequently ends in disaster. For point of reference, I give you the top of the 2015 and 2016 drafts — players who should be moving through the prime of their career after seven or eight NFL seasons.
The four quarterbacks chosen 1-2 in those two drafts were Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. None are with their original teams. Wentz doesn’t even have a team. Mariota is a backup in Philadelphia, his fourth club. Winston is a backup in New Orleans. Goff, now in Detroit, is the only starter and the Lions are reportedly looking for draft help at the position.
