2013 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys really liked D.C. Jefferson, yet wanted nothing to do with Tyrann Mathieu

First of all, let me apologize.

If you're a longtime Phoenix/Arizona Cardinal fan, the last thing you want to see on your team forum is an article about the Dallas Cowboys - particularly one that could cast a positive light on the team from Texas. For a lot of the BirdGang followers, that's akin to buying your picante sauce in New York City - you might as well get a rope. From being broadcast EVERY Sunday pre - 1988 move or the "America's Team" misnomer or the beating the Cards took in the NFC East years when the state did a get a team, it's probably enough to make one rub their back against a cactus to get the "Emmitt Smith slime" off, or at least make sure your fantasy football team never has and never will have any Poopkickers. (Unless Tony Romo gets off to a hot start and is inexplicably traded for a turkey sandwich. Mmmm...turkey sandwich. But I digest....)

But there it is .. or was. The Cowboys draft board was in the background when owner Jones conducted post draft interviews and the brethren at Blogging the Boys pieced the photos together and revealed the front office's April Christmas list.

While this in itself would not be anything close to relevant in the more sensible current Arizona front office regime, it does provide some insight on maybe how alike the franchises viewed applicable players and yet conversely, the differences.

For instance, D.C. Jefferson. While the tight end from Rutgers was picked in the seventh round with the 219th pick, the other team (can't recall the name right now) had him significantly higher in their projections at number 62 in the third round. (And a mea culpa up front. I have no idea on how high the Cards rated Jefferson or why he fell on the the Texas convict-crowded club's board.) So at least in Jerruh's eyes, the Cards received value for a player that many guys are questioning for the pick.

The first round pick, North Carolina's guard Jonathan Cooper was rated as the 6th best player above fellow college position player, Chance Warmack. This seems to follow most post-draft analysis and justify the Cards pick at 7. Evidently, Steve Keim and Bruce Arians follow the same thought process as Jerruh, Stephen Jones, Jerruh JR., Charlotte Jones and Davy Jones -- one of the other original monkeys.

Same goes for Kevin Minter, Stepfan Taylor, Andre Ellington, Earl Watford and Alex Okafor.. Both franchises deemed the players abilities and potential to the approximate slot in which they were drafted. The other team had ILB Minter in the second round at 39 (ahead of Manti Te'o, which supposedly the Cards passed in turn for a trade), Arizona selected him at 45. Running backs Taylor and Ellington in the fourth round while they were actually taken fifth and sixth, respectively. Watford and Okafor were fifth round projections in the Cowpuke's eyes, while Keim and Arians saw them slightly better - as fourth round guys. 'Push' would most fit the advantage that either side has here.

But just as it seems the two organizations could hold a duo "Kumbaya" draft party and show Sean Morey punt block videos - or maybe a LaRod Stephens-Howling screen play replay -- there comes some differences.

Despite having wide receivers Kevin Ogletree and Laurent Robinson suffering concussions on their team the last few seasons (or maybe because of it them) the Cowgirls didn't have Ryan Swope on their board at all. Arizona thought differently and picked the speedy-yet-maybe-spongy-brain guy. This one could take a season or so to figure out the outcome.

The biggest differences between the two boards is AZ's third round drafting of Tyrann Mathieu, the former LSU CB that was kicked off his team after reportedly failing many drug tests. The 'Girls didn't EVEN HAVE HIM AS A POSSIBLE PICK. This from the team that has had Adam "Pacman" Jones, Micheal Irvin, Hollywood Henderson, Erik Williams, Dez Bryant, and the DUI twins Jay Ratliff and Josh Brent, among others. Supposedly, the former Honey Badger didn't meet the Nate Newton standards of having 213 pounds of smoke during a traffic stop, which admittedly is probably a tough bar to reach, but with a little dedication and hard work....hey, you never know.

So in summation, Cards pick a provocative CB that has probably shouldered his past problem while the CryBoys pick a CB (B Webb) that, to Arizona sports fans probably surmise has a past shoulder problem that needs debridement?

Did I mention that I'm sorry about bringing that "thing" into this site?