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NFL Draft 2006 – Round 1 #18 – Dallas Cowboys – OLB Bobby Carpenter

The moment I’ve been waiting for since last November! The Cowboys are on the clock. There are a lot of studs left, including FSU corner Antonio Cromartie, the 14th best player in the draft according to Rick Gosselin. Still, the Cowboys probably don’t need to spend a 1st on a cornerback and there are several stud linemen still in this draft.

Jerry Jones has said he’d love to trade down to pick up the 4th rounder he traded away last year to draft Eric Canty. I’d love that, too, if they can do it without dropping too far.

If not, I’d love to have NC State DE Manny Lawson or Ohio State OLB Bobby Carpenter.

Safety is the biggest “need” position for the ‘Boys but, short of Michael Huff falling to them, spending another 1st round pick (Roy Williams) on a safety just doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, with the 3-4 now firmly in place, another pass rusher would be a welcome addition. If defense wins championships, and games are won in the trenches, it just makes sense.

The pick: Bobby Carpenter

Arguably, not the best player available. But Parcells loves linebackers and he coached Bobby’s dad, Rob, who was a running back with the Giants in the 1990s.

Update: DC.com’s Rob Phillips,

Ohio State Linebacker Bobby Carpenter Drafted by Dallas Cowboys PhotoFor the second consecutive year, the Cowboys spent their first-round pick on a dynamic outside linebacker. The Cowboys drafted Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter with the 18th overall pick, bolstering their depth at one of the most important positions in the 3-4 defense. Carpenter was the fifth linebacker taken in the draft, following fellow Buckeye A.J. Hawk (5th overall), Florida State’s Ernie Sims (9th) and Kamerion Wimbley (13) and Chad Greenway (17).

Carpenter (6-2, 254) has good size for an outside linebacker in a 3-4 and shows good instincts and range. His father, Rob Carpenter, played running back for Bill Parcells when he coached the New York Giants.

Carpenter helped form perhaps the best linebacker group in the country last season, featuring first-round pick Hawk and Anthony Schelegel. The Buckeyes ranked first in rush defense (72.4) and fifth in both total defense (281.3) and scoring defense (15.2).
Carpenter finished 10th on Ohio State’s all-time sack list (14.5) and recorded 142 of his career 191 tackles in his final two seasons with the Buckeyes.

[...]

The Cowboys still haven’t drafted an offensive player in the first round since 1997, when tight end David LaFleur was taken with the 22nd overall pick. The club selected linebacker Ware (No. 11) and defensive end Marcus Spears (No. 20) with its two first-round picks last year.

The Cowboys seemingly addressed all of their needs in some capacity through free agency. They added depth on the offensive line with guard Kyle Kosier and tackle Jason Fabini and signed high-profile free agents Terrell Owens and Mike Vanderjagt to fill their needs at wide receiver and kicker, respectively. Safety has been mentioned as a potential first-round target throughout the off-season, but the Cowboys matched New Orleans’ offer sheet for Keith Davis and signed veteran Marcus Coleman two weeks ago. Both players have NFL starting experience at free safety.

 
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Comments
 

Hi,

BOBBY IS ROB’S SON. NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND. “But Parcells loves linebackers and he coached Bobbyâ??s son, Rob, who was a running back with the Giants in the 1990s.”.

Posted by sriram | May 19, 2006 | 04:19 pm | Permalink
 

sriram: Yep. Just a proofreading error. Fixed.

Posted by James Joyner | May 19, 2006 | 05:16 pm | Permalink
 

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