Mike Mayock Thinks Cowboys Are 'Pretty Good With Roy Williams'

About a month into the 2008 season, Jerry Jones sent the Cowboys' first- and third-round draft picks to Detroit for wide receiver Roy Williams. In 10 games with Dallas, Williams caught 19 passes for 198 yards, including a lone touchdown.

For the first time, well, ever, the Lions looked like they actually made out in a personnel-related move that involved a wide receiver. But NFL Network draft sage Mike Mayock thinks the Cowboys were wise to deal for Williams, at least relative to what they might've been able to get via the draft.

"Roy Williams is a pretty good football player,'' Mayock said in a conference call. "To think you're going to get a guy who can be as productive as him [with the 20th overall pick], that's a little bit of a leap of faith. [Michael] Crabtree and [Jeremy] Maclin are going to be gone. [Darrius] Heyward-Bay is probably gone, too. Percy Harvin maybe, but he reminds me more of Reggie Bush than a traditional receiver.

"That's the long way of saying I think they're pretty good with Roy Williams.''

I think that's the right way to think about it. (Of course, you could make the argument that the Cowboys could've used that third-round pick to move up in Round 1 to grab Crabtree/Maclin/whomever. But again, that assumes there's a draft-eligible wideout better than Williams. And maybe their is, it's just that Mayock's not so sure.)

The Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon does point out that "Denver's Eddie Royal, Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson and St. Louis' Donnie Avery were among the many receivers who were more productive than Williams last season," and they were second-round picks.

Then there's Williams' contract: Dallas gave him a $9 million-a-year extension, which is substantially more than what a low '09 first-round pick will pull down.

So while I'll eagerly give Mayock the benefit of the doubt, MacMahon seems less willing to do so. Not so much because he doubts Mayock's awesomeness, but presumably because history isn't on Williams' side: "Williams has only had one outstanding season in his five-year pro career. If he can't play at that level on a consistent basis, the Cowboys gave up way too much to get him."