Silly us, we thought the season-long comparison would be between Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall.
But, in retrospect, the Cowboys' best pick was Tashard Choice. With Jones (and Mendenhall) long ago sidelined with season-ending injuries, the fourth-round rookie from Georgia Tech has been a shockingly successful surprise.
He filled in admirably for Barber last week and last night was by far the best offensive player on the field in the 20-8 victory over the Giants.
In a perfect world, Choice probably wouldn't have seen much of the field this season. But now, he's significantly upgrading the Cowboys' Class of 2008:
1a. Felix Jones - A+. Despite his hamstring injury suffered at Arizona in October, the dude scored three touchdowns on just 33 touches including a 98-yard kickoff return. Yowsa.
1b. Mike Jenkins - C. Eh, he's been so-so. He has an interception, but his half-ass non-tackle in New York was inexcusable. So far, he's hardly worth trading up three spots to nab in the first round.
2. Martellus Bennett - B. He's one talented goofball, scoring four touchdowns on his 18 catches and saving the season with that fourth-quarter grab in Washington.
4. Tashard Choice - A+. Admit it, you groaned when the Cowboys took him with the 122nd selection. I mean, they already had Barber and Jones, right? But the guy is shifty in the open, strong in traffic and caps it off with soft pair of hands.
5. Orlando Scandrick - A. The defensive back from Boise State is just flat out better than Jenkins. He's sixth on the team in tackles and has one of the team's league-leading 53 sacks.
6. Erik Walden - F. Cut at the end of training camp, the linebacker is now playing for the Dolphins.
Overall - A. Jones was on his way to being a star and any time you nab four contributors to a playoff-bound team it's a good draft. - Richie Whitt
